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Shannon O'Loughlin ('01) outside her
office. |
Our week in DC was a
direct response to the suggestion of a group of DC
alumni that the College of Law spend more time in
the summer connecting with and building the
Arizona Law capital community.
Our
outreach events throughout the country would not be
possible without alumni support. Indeed, there are
very few things we will not try when a group of
alumni propose a thoughtful innovation, and we
were glad to make DC Week happen.
I
would like recognize some of the alumni who made
this week possible.
- Deborah Sliz ('79)
for her constant dedication, and for providing
her office for the alumni breakfast this past
week, as she has done before.
- Jon Teitel ('01) for
being our "boots on the ground" and always
willing to lend a hand.
- Jim Glasgow ('69)
and Priya Sundareshan
('12) for their support of our admissions
efforts and offering event space.
At
our largest event, I joined Jonelle Vold ('01),
who leads our alumni and development efforts, at
an alumni reception in Dupont Circle. We connected
with alumni from every corner of the District. The
professional paths taken by our alumni reflect the
dominant role of the federal government and the
distinctive nature of DC practice. We have alums
on the hill, throughout various executive and
independent agencies, representing trade
organizations, and in private practice and
corporations. Over the course of their careers,
many move across these boundaries.
Current students who were
working in DC, or passing through, joined us as
well, and it was an equal pleasure to introduce
our great current students to our extraordinary
alums.
It is
impossible to overstate the importance of this
extended community through
which we can continually
build
and deepen our connections and friendships and
support for each other.
I had the opportunity to
talk with
alums in
a quieter setting at
our Friday breakfast. We discussed how the law school is
responding to changing times, and discussed in
some detail issues raised by the regulatory
framework in which law schools
operate.
We know that many alums
have come from the East, been educated in the
Southwest, and returned to the East. We know that
it is possible to be trained in Tucson, and
practice in the nation's capital. But we also know
this message is not always perceived by
prospective students in the East, and we hope that
by spending more time in DC and highlighting our
alums and the available opportunities in DC, we
can shift the needle.
Our
Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Bianca Mack,
orchestrated three events on behalf of the
college: our presence at the Law School Admissions
Council DC Forum, a Meet the Dean reception, and
an admissions luncheon.
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| Building Partnerships at
the Canadian Embassy |
Our new Director of Global Programs,
Cristina Castaneda (LLM '07), was also in the
Beltway to connect with interested students,
international professionals, and foreign embassy
leaders about the global programs we offer at the
college, including the Advanced JD, LLM programs
in international trade and business law and
indigenous peoples law and policy, SJD, Master of
Legal Studies, and Master of Professional
Studies in Indigenous
Governance.
On the employer front, I
joined Karen Kowalski, our
Assistant Dean for Career Development, in meetings
all around town including the U.S. Senate, U.S.
Attorneys' Office, U.S. Department of
Transportation, and the DC office of a major
national firm.
Arizona
Law has continuously maintained a steadfast
dedication to public service and national
leadership in our curriculum and extracurricular
opportunities. In addition to externship and
employment opportunities, we hope to tackle one of
the challenges mentioned by both current students
and employers: summer and semester
housing.
Let
me reiterate my pledge and the commitment of our
admissions, career and alumni offices, to go where
the opportunities are. I am in Phoenix
almost every week. I am happy to travel to
DC, LA, Denver, Las Vegas, New York, Seattle,
Dallas, Houston, or anywhere else when our
dedicated alumni and friends recommend people we
should meet with, or identify promising markets
for our current students.
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