Message from the Interim Dean moment. This fall we welcomed an entering class of first-year students that once again led the state in both median LSAT scores and undergraduate GPA; we applauded the 90% passage rate among UC law graduates who were first time takers of the Ohio bar examination; and we celebrated many new faculty publications in leading law reviews and journals as well as the generous gift of a million dollars that established the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Institute for Justice.
February, 2005 Dear Alumni and Friends, Few law schools, particularly in recent memory, have shared the College of Law’s extraordinarily good fortune to have had one dedicated leader for 15 years. Indeed, the College’s national reputation for academic excellence is due in large part to Dean Joseph P. Tomain’s ambition, energy, and skill. Joe’s legacy includes a faculty of gifted teachers and distinguished scholars (17 of 23 were appointed during his tenure); a talented and hard-working administrative staff; a bright, enthusiastic, and diverse student body; and thousands of alumni and friends whose involvement and commitment to the College ensure our bright future. In recognition of Joe’s loyal service and outstanding accomplishments, the University’s Board of Trustees has honored him with the title of Dean Emeritus. And Joe’s appointment as the Wilbert and Helen Ziegler Professor of Law recognizes his national and international reputation as an eminent scholar in the fields of energy law and government regulation. The College of Law is also indebted to Kathy Tomain, for the many events she co-hosted, and for her warmth and graciousness throughout Joe’s deanship.
The College of Law has a very exciting time ahead, and the process of searching for a new Dean is generating significant national attention and publicity that benefits the law school and the entire university. The Decanal Search Committee includes Professors Paul Caron, Emily Houh, Mark Godsey, Betsy Malloy and Brad Mank; Law Library and Information Technology Director Virginia Thomas; third-year student Adrienne King; and alumni Daniel Carmichael, ’68, and Sharon Zealey, ’84; with Dean Karen Gould of the McMicken College of Arts & Science as Chair. The Search Committee, assisted by the executive search firm of Witt/Kieffer, is well on its way toward establishing a diverse pool of talented national candidates who are already, or who will make, excellent leaders of a law school. The Committee takes its charge very seriously and is pursuing its task with great resolve. The College of Law also is in the midst of aligning its goals with the goals of UC|21, the University of Cincinnati’s strategic plan for charting its academic course for the 21st Century. The UC|21 plan is an ambitious one, and its six primary goals— place students at the center, grow our research excellence, achieve academic excellence, forge key relationships and partnerships, establish a sense of place, and create opportunity—have long constituted initiatives and priorities of the College of Law. The College looks forward to working with President Nancy Zimpher and other university leaders in implementing the university’s plan to enhance its national standing and increase its contributions to the surrounding region and to society at large. I will keep you informed of developments over the next several months and I invite your input and participation.
I am honored and privileged to be leading the College during this time of transition. As this edition of COUNSELOR highlights, the College’s dynamic pace has not slowed down, not even for a 2
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Donna M. Nagy Interim Dean and Charles Hartsock Professor of Law