Last
Friday ended with pure celebration, but it began
with some business. College leadership spent the
day in Phoenix conferring with our National Board
of Visitors (BOV). 
The
Board of Visitors heard from the Career
Development team, the Admissions team, recent
graduates, and a panel of students. The day, aptly
titled, "Strategic Choices for our Second Century"
generated an animated conversation about how to
best recruit, prepare, and support the next
generation of Arizona Law students and alumni.
The
morning opened with a discussion of the changing
job market. The Career Development Office (CDO),
represented at the meeting by Assistant Dean Karen
Kowalski and our Phoenix-based CDO Director Leah
Won, presented a snapshot of the Arizona Law
employment outlook. Karen and Leah shared some of
the innovations, including our new CareerCAT
system, that the Career Development Office is
implementing to assist students and alumni.
Over
lunch, the Board heard from a panel of students,
candidly discussing everything from their own
employment prospects, to the increased pressure on
new lawyers to "develop" business, to the
increased global diversity of life inside the
classroom. It was a lively conversation, with the
students answering a wide array of questions from
the Board and, asking a few themselves.
In
the afternoon, the Board heard a presentation from
Bianca Mack and Mimi Huang on the Admissions
outlook for 2014. We rounded out the day
with an exchange between faculty members and the
Board regarding a series of strategic initiatives.
The discussion included our new 3 year JD/MBA, the
recently announced reduction in nonresident
tuition, and the success of our Advanced JD
program for non-US lawyers, which has enriched the
law school community and provided significantly
greater access to top lawyers from outside the
United States.
During
the meeting, I had the opportunity to introduce
the Board to our newest faculty member, Sergio
Puig, who will join the leadership team of the
International Trade and Business Law Program.
To
all of the Board members who took time away from
their busy lives and busy practices to
participate, thank you. We rely on and value your
support, advice, and counsel.