|
The end of the semester is fast upon us. From where I sit, it has been a good semester. I hope that you all feel the same way. If you don't, I hope we will hear from you so that we can work to improve on what we do.
Professor Charles Nesson's visit at the start of the semester was a great success by all accounts. I have spoken with Professor Nesson about the possibility of him returning as our Higgins Visitor at a future time, and he has indicated tentative interest. Professor Henry Drummonds organized an excellent conference on employment issues in an international economy which was followed by a superb conference on international intellectual property issues, organized by Professors Lydia Loren and Jim Bailey. These programs provided both students and faculty with outstanding opportunities to expand their knowledge in these areas. Our recent association with the Oregon Law Institute has provided additional opportunities and has given the law school an important new presence in the legal community.
The semester has included many other significant events; let me mention a couple which have been important to my efforts to position the law school in the broader community. Two of our students, Shawn Riffel Fillippi and Matthew Wand, represented us very well at the Board of Trustees Meeting. During the Trustee luncheon, they debated the question of whether perjury is an impeachable offense. I can assure you that the Board members were impressed with the concise and well spoken arguments they heard.
On Saturday, November 21, we held our annual alumni dinner to honor our newest federal judge in Oregon, the Honorable Garr M. King, a 1963 graduate of the law school. We also recognized M. Carr Ferguson, a partner at Davis Polk in New York, as an honorary alum. Both men have been great donors to our law school over the last many years. Thanks to the talents of Assistant Dean Sarah Nevue, Alumni Director Dorothy Johnson, and Events Coordinator Kathi Snouffer, the event was a great success. My apologies for any disruptions the preparations may have caused for any of you, but I assure you it was all in the good cause of promoting our law school.
The Faculty Appointments Committee has carefully reviewed several hundred resumes of aspiring law teachers in search of a new faculty member to specialize in intellectual property law. By the time you read this, we will be in the midst of interviewing several candidates here on campus. I encourage your participation in the process and your input on the candidates for a position on our faculty.
In addition to its regular work of setting the 1999 summer school curriculum and revising and updating the three-year curriculum plan, the Curriculum Committee is reviewing our grading system. It is now conducting research on other law school grading systems.
With input from all of the departments of the law school, the law school administration has submitted a proposed budget for the next fiscal year to the Budget Committee for its review. That proposed budget includes a new faculty position in intellectual property law and a significant increase in student scholarship funds. To achieve these objectives, another tuition increase of 5% has been proposed. The Budget Committee is nearing completion of its review. I expect the faculty to take action on the budget at its January meeting.
Planning for the building expansion project is moving forward under the guidance of the Faculty Building Committee and several subcommittees. Students serve on all of the committees to assure that student views are taken into account. We expect to have the scope of the project finalized by the end of this semester and to have conceptual plans and drawings available for review during the spring semester. We have had success with the fundraising for the project, a task which will continue to occupy a fair amount of my attention over the next several months.
The law school development office also will be devoting considerable time to other development objectives, with scholarship and loan repayment funds at the top of the list. Our new assistant dean for external relations, Sarah Nevue, has already done great things for our development effort. Our Board of Visitors has responded well to a new $5,000 per year giving program, which will help us to increase the size of our annual fund budget. All of these development efforts will take some of the pressure off tuition revenues for the funding of student assistance and program development.
The law school is delighted that the Honorable Owen Panner, Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, has agreed to be our 1999 commencement speaker. Judge Panner is a nationally respected judge who has been a good friend and supporter of our law school for many years. He has employed several of our graduates as clerks and interns, and is a true leader in our profession.
Jim Huffman
Dean and Professor of Law