Nearly 250 alumni, students and friends gathered inside the Virginia C. Piper auditorium at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in downtown Phoenix to celebrate the remarkable achievements of alumni Chick Arnold, Paul Charlton, Maria Baier, Steve Lainoff, and Judge James Teilborg.

Those friends included Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and Nicole Stanton ('00), who was recently named managing partner of Quarles & Brady's Phoenix office.

 

LCA President Brad Vynalek was the master of ceremonies. In addition to hearing from each of the award winners, we also heard from new Regent Bill Ridenour ('70), representing the University of Arizona Alumni Association.  

 

It was a spectacular evening and a testament to the vibrancy of the Arizona Law community. Again, to those of you who joined us, thank you. 

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.