Message from the Dean
Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow. William Pollard
Dear alumni and friends,
Our efforts are paying off. This fall we welcomed an enormously talented entering class of 176 new students selected from 2,900 applications. Our volume of applicants rose by over 10% this year even though nationwide it declined by an average of over 12%. We also welcomed well over 100 new graduate law students — many of whom are already lawyers in another country — who are pursuing LL.M. or Ph.D. degrees. We will continue to look for innovative ways to advance the quality and the reputation of our program. Our faculty is working hard to expand their influence on pressing issues of the day through their scholarship and research. We are expanding opportunities for students to gain a wide range of critical skills — not only in the traditional areas of legal reasoning but also in increasingly important areas of leadership development, project management, scientific and technological literacy,
quantitative and financial analysis skills, and advanced skills in legal writing/drafting, counseling and negotiations, and advocacy. Our efforts will better assist graduates in making a successful transition from student to highly competent legal professional in an increasingly competitive and demanding market. As our profession continues to evolve, we are also seeking ways to engage in dialogue with our many constituents about the “new normal.” For instance, WSBA Executive Director Paula Littlewood and I presented a first in a series of Web chats on October 2, 2012 regarding the legal profession. For the full transcript, visit www.wsba.org. Paula and I are planning a Town Hall on November 29, 2012 at the WSBA CLE Center. Visit our Web site for more details. In the meantime, you can be sure that UW Law will not rest easy on its past success; we will remain ever mindful that we must prepare our graduates for our collective future. Enjoy this issue celebrating innovation. Our 2011-2012 Report to Donors is also included, and I remain grateful for your generous support of our mission and our programs. fa l l 2 012
Much of our progress is due to our spirit of innovation. While our 113-year history is a distinguished one, we cannot rest upon our past successes although we rightly celebrate them. We see the major structural changes underway in our profession as opportunities to better serve society. Our world craves the leadership that our graduates provide in all areas of law, business, and public service. We are constantly refining our program of education to provide students with the tools for success in today’s complex global environment.
WSBA Executive Director Paula Littlewood with Dean Kellye Testy
Kellye Y. Testy Dean, UW School of Law James W. Mifflin University Professor
uw law
We live in interesting times. The past three years have been turbulent ones for higher education and for the legal profession. When I began my tenure as dean in 2009 amid steep economic challenges for our state and nation, I asked that we seek not to “just hold on” but to gain momentum so that we could really soar once we found smoother air. I am not sure that our air is going to be smooth any time soon, but we are accomplishing a great deal together. Thank you for all that you do to fuel our momentum.
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