Dear Members of the Santa Clara Law community,
I hope you have found some respite from the record heat waves hitting California this summer. The intensity of the season reminds me of the important work that continues throughout the season, including the summer academic session for our students taking summer courses, bar studies and the bar exam for our graduates who will sit for the exam, and summer planning happening throughout campus as our faculty and staff prepare for the new academic year.
As we continue to make great progress in achieving our strategic objectives, I am so pleased to welcome our new University Provost, Jim Glaser. Provost Glaser is an extremely thoughtful and successful academic leader, and has already provided tremendous support, guidance, and inspiration for our entire law school community. We are very blessed to have him as our new partner!
Over the past week, I had the pleasure of gathering with fellow deans from law schools across the country at the annual ABA Law Deans conference that took place in Seattle, Washington. We brought our collective energy and insights to the table as we planned for the coming opportunities and challenges that confront legal education. I also enjoyed a smaller gathering with my fellow dean colleagues at Jesuit law schools. Special thanks to Dean Tony Varona at Seattle University School of Law for hosting our terrific network of Jesuit law deans.
Next week, approximately 200 of our recent graduates will sit for the CA Bar Exam. Your support and words of encouragement go a long way–I invite you to join me in applauding our graduates for their commitment and focus during these long, hot summer months. Special thanks goes to our incredible faculty, staff-educators, and mentors in the Office of Academic & Bar Success for accompanying our graduates throughout their journey through law school and during the grueling months of bar study and preparation.
Among our many distinctive strengths, one that I am deeply proud of is the professional formation of our students. I am excited to see the continuation of our 1L Coaching Teams after an incredibly successful launch last year. Once again, we reached out to our vast and strong alumni network and, true to our mission, so many of our wonderful alumni responded to the call to participate. In just a few short weeks, we will be welcoming a wonderful new class of 1L’s to campus–including our full time J.D. students and our second cohort of Flex J.D. students–for an engaging week of orientation activities to kick off their journey into the legal profession. The week will conclude with our annual Convocation Ceremony where our incoming class will take the Oath of Professionalism and meet and network with a distinguished group of alumni who will join them at a networking reception.
With warm regards and tremendous gratitude,
