Students learn virtues of Dodge City, Wichita during career services visits
First-year law student Lin Lei listens intently as Melanie Wilson, associate dean for academic affairs, welcomes the Class of 2016 to Green Hall.
Class of 2016 brings diverse talents to KU Law It may be the smallest class KU Law has admitted in decades, but the Class of 2016 comes to Green Hall with impressive credentials, diverse backgrounds, and track records that forecast success. As of Oct. 5, the class included 106 students (an intentionally smaller class to more accurately reflect the demand for new attorneys in the marketplace). Sixty-one percent of them hail from Kansas, with the remaining 39 percent joining KU from other states. Women constitute 49 percent of the class, and minorities represent 18 percent. Ten students already have a graduate degree. Six have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, and one has served in the South Korean military. One student is a concert clarinetist; another is a former Big 12 basketball player; and a third is a former Kansas police officer. Some are the progeny of generations of lawyers; others are the first in their families to finish college, let alone to study law. “Law school is a marathon, not a sprint,” said Melanie Wilson, associate dean for academic affairs, in her opening remarks to the class. “Your knowledge and understanding will build over the weeks, over the semesters, and over the years. Today you take the first steps toward becoming a professional problem solver, someone who through hard work and skill development will hold the power to change lives and make a difference.”
Two programs inaugurated this fall generated awareness in Green Hall about communities across Kansas many students had never visited or considered. The KU Law Rural & Solo Program expanded its scope when 11 KU Law students attended the 2013 meeting of the Southwest Kansas Bar Association in Dodge City. Over two days in September, students met with leaders, attended programs, saw Chief Justice Lawton Nuss speak and receive his silver belly hat, and participated in interviews with as many as 10 firms from the region. They also learned how to two-step, a critical skill for any aspiring lawyer out West. October marked the launch of KU Law’s “24 Hours of Wichita” program. Twenty KU Law 1Ls were treated to a glimpse of Wichita, Kan. They stayed in the Old Town district, visited loft and condo living spaces, and enjoyed a wine reception at Oeno and a meal the next day at the Wichita Art Museum. The program is deliberately designed to celebrate the city while not broaching the subject of jobs. With no lawyer speeches, no firm visits and no formal functions, the program fulfilled its mission
of promoting the community and supporting the legal hiring needs of firms, businesses and community organizations in Wichita. Thank you to the Southwest Kansas Bar Association and Wichita’s firms and civic organizations, whose generous support made these programs possible.
Top: 2L Annette McDonough speaks with Chief Justice Lawton Nuss, L’82, of the Kansas Supreme Court during a social event in Dodge City connected to the 2013 Southwest Kansas Bar Association meeting. Bottom: KU Law students, staff and alumni enjoyed a visit to the Wichita Art Museum during “24 Hours of Wichita.”
KU LAW MAGAZINE 3