GREEN HALL NEWS The spring of 2006 was full of achievements for students and faculty in the Tribal Law and Government Center. Stacy Leeds, associate professor and director of the Tribal Law and Government Center, received a promotion with tenure to full professor. In addition to teaching and directing the work of the center, Leeds is currently serving as interim director of the KU Center for Indigenous Nations Studies. In 2005, the university began a joint
Professor Stacy Leeds
degree program in law and indigenous nations studies,
American Student Association’s
which allows students to earn both a law degree and
local chapter, and was a recipient
a master of arts in indigenous nations studies.
of the National Collegiate Minority Leadership Award. In addition to
In other news, a new publication, Indigenous Nations
her activities with NALSA, she
Journal, being produced by the law school in
also works in KU’s Tribal Judicial
partnership with the indigenous nations program, will
Support Clinic, and volunteers her
publish its debut issue in December 2006.
time at a local kitchen providing
Leeds joined the KU law faculty in 2003 after serving
meals for the homeless.
as assistant professor and director of the Northern
NALSA is a nationwide
Plains Indian Law Center at the University of North
organization of both native
Dakota School of Law. Her law teaching career began
and non-native law students,
at the University of Wisconsin School of Law where she received her LL.M. as a William H. Hastie Fellow. She received her bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and her law degree from the University of Tulsa.
committed to promoting the study Elizabeth Cook, L’06
of law by Native Americans. They also promote the overall study and
Elizabeth Cook is a graduate of
development of Indian Law and
Davenport University in Traverse
the success of Indian law students.
In April, the School of Law learned that the National
City, Michigan. She served as the
Native American Law Students Association named
treasurer for the KU chapter of
The KU NALSA students were
Elizabeth Cook, 3L, its Third Year Law Student of
NALSA. In addition, she has worked for
selected in May as “Organization
the Year, and Sarah Craker, 2L, its Second Year Law
Michigan Legal Services as a research
of the Year” for the 2005-
Student of the Year.
assistant and for her own tribe, the
2006 Student Involvement and
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and
Leadership Center Student
These prestigious awards were given at the annual
Chippewa Indians, as a law clerk. She
Organization Awards. The award
Federal Bar Association’s Indian Law Conference
graduated in May with a certificate in
was presented at a ceremony in
in Albuquerque, New Mexico in April. Each award
Indian Law.
the Kansas Union.
is voted on by the National NALSA executive committee.
Sarah Craker is a graduate of Missouri Southern State College in Joplin, Missouri, where she founded the Native
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Sarah Craker, L’07