KU Law Magazine is published biannually for alumni and friends of the University of Kansas School of Law. Green Hall, 1535 W. 15th St. Lawrence, KS 66045-7608 785.864.4550 Fax: 785.864.5054 www.law.ku.edu DEAN Stephen Mazza Editor & Designer Mindie Paget kulaws@ku.edu 785.864.9205 Contributors Mike Krings, Sandy Patti, Sarah Shebek, Arturo Thompson Photos Jason Dailey, Nick Krug, Mindie Paget, Bill Petros, Steve Puppe, Earl Richardson, Sarah Shebek, KU University Relations PRINTING Allen Press, Lawrence, KS CORRECTIONS A photo caption in the Spring 2012 issue misidentified the Hon. Mary Beck Briscoe, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, who helped judge the moot court finals in April. Another story misspelled Chancellor Clarke Wescoe and omitted the name of his wife, Barbara Benton Wescoe, who shared in donating the “Tai Chi Figure” in front of Green Hall.
KU Law supports environmental sustainability by purchasing renewable energy certificates (green tags) through the Bonneville Environmental Foundation that offset carbon emissions from producing the KU Law Magazine.
Letter from the Dean Hillary Nicholas looked into the eyes of ancient Egyptian deities painted on a temple wall in Cairo and knew she wanted to go to law school. Her background in archaeology and her passion for preserving antiquities led her to KU Law, where she hopes to study intellectual property and become a crusader for the protection of cultural artifacts. Hillary is one of four students you’ll meet in this issue who saw a problem in the world, realized her strengths and interests aligned with solving it, and decided pursuing a legal education was the next logical step in becoming the type of advocate who could devise a meaningful solution. Our job is to make sure KU Law fosters an environment where students like Hillary can realize their full potential and springboard into fulfilling careers. That’s why scholarships are the No. 1 priority in our capital campaign – followed by faculty support, program enhancements and building improvements. Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas officially launched in April, and we are well on our way to meeting the law school’s $20 million fundraising goal. Thanks to the amazing generosity of our alumni, we have raised more than $14.7 million. You can learn why some of your fellow KU Law graduates have been inspired to give on pages 34-35 and browse the full donor report for fiscal year 2012 starting on page 36. I like to note that donors whose giving capacities range from less than $100 a year up to $1 million have contributed to the campaign total. Working together, we can provide lasting benefits to future students and ensure that a KU Law degree continues to be synonymous with excellence. Outstanding faculty members constitute a large part of that reputation. We celebrate their research and writing in this issue (page 16), hitting mere highlights of the important contributions they make to legal scholarship and policy. The National Academies commissioned Professor Andrew Torrance to study the field of synthetic biology and recommend how the law should deal with the rapidly evolving science in the years to come. And one of our newest faculty members, Elizabeth Kronk, recently published an article exploring the problems standing in the way of energy development on tribal land and proposing two solutions. This type of scholarship directly benefits our students, who are learning the law from authorities in their respective fields. Being challenged in KU Law classrooms leads students to “think like a lawyer,” a skill that former Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson, L’84, extolled in his acceptance of the Distinguished Alumni Award (page 27) and one that prepared Larry Welch, L’61, to lead the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for 13 years (page 24). KU Law has been and will continue to be a place where thoughtful advocates and leaders are born.
Stephen Mazza Dean and Professor of Law