Drake University has received a $5 million gift from Ronald and Jane Olson to support the growth of the university’s Center for Public Democracy.

In honor of the gift, the center will be named the Ron and Jane Olson Center for Public Democracy.

“Drake University has long been a leader in civic engagement,” Drake University President Marty Martin said during a news conference where the announcement was made Friday afternoon. “This gift from the Olsons is an investment in educating the next generation of public servants and engaged citizens who will go on to strengthen and transform our local, state, national and global communities.”

The Ron and Jane Olson Center for Public Democracy will enhance public participation, civility and civic leadership through immersive learning experiences, scholarship programs, research and an expanded set of events, according to a news release.

The gift is part of the university’s The Ones: Drake’s Campaign for the Brave & Bold, a campaign to transform the university through targeted campus and community initiatives. The Olsons serve as honorary co-chair of the campaign. Their gift brings the total amount raised in support of the Center of Public Democracy to $8.2 million. The total amount raised for The Ones campaign is $200 million, the university said in the release.

“Jane and I are proud to support the continued growth of Drake and specifically the university’s mission to revitalize democracy and create a hub for democratic discourse, dialogue and action focused on nurturing a healthy democracy,” said Ron Olson, who earned his bachelor of science degree from Drake in 1963. “We believe in the power of engaged citizens and are honored to play a role in fostering the next generation of public servants through the immersive learning experiences the center will offer.”

According to the release, Olson excelled academically and played football at Drake. He later served multiple terms on the board of trustees and received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1983.

Olson received his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan in 1966 and a Ford Fellowship to study at Oxford University. He went on to work at the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and clerked for then-chief justice of the Federal Appeals Court in Washington, D.C., David Bazelon.

The Olsons moved to Los Angeles in 1968, where he joined the law firm now known as Munger, Tolles & Olson, representing companies in aerospace, entertainment, petroleum, technology and retail.

Olson’s pro bono work led to the naming of the LA Legal Aid Office as the Ron Olson Justice Center.

Jane Olson, who earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska, has spent the last 40 years dedicated to global humanitarian work, including serving years as international board chair of Human Rights Watch.

The Olsons live in Pasadena, Calif.