2005 - 2006 Dean's Annual Report
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Capital University Law School 2005 - 2006 Dean's Annual Report Building on Our Momentum ... Securing Our Future Dean’s Message Dear Alumni & Friends, I am very pleased to share faculty are gaining greater notoriety as experts with you this year’s Dean’s in their fields, as evidenced by their numerous Annual Report, for it gives me appearances in the media and scholarly the opportunity to outline our publications. Our National Center for newly adopted strategic plan, Adoption Law & Policy was awarded the Ohio highlight some of our many State Bar Foundation’s 2006 Outstanding student, faculty and alumni Program of the Year Award. Our alumni successes, and thank our passed the July 2006 Ohio bar exam at the donors for their generosity in highest, first-time pass rate since 1997. In support of Capital University April, we held Alumni Weekend where we had Law School. the opportunity to honor alumni for their many achievements and recognize our The energy at Capital generous donors with the dedication of a new Dean Jack A. Guttenberg University Law School is donor wall. exciting and we are building upon it to implement our new strategic plan, To build upon this momentum and secure our Building on Our Momentum, Securing Our Future: future for generations to come requires greater Strategies 2010. This plan sets high standards and resources and the support of our alumni and goals for us to achieve by the end of 2010. They friends to help us achieve our goals. Securing include: Our Future demands that we all work together to create a strong law school, enhance our ■ strengthening and diversifying our student reputation, tell our many stories of success, body; and build lasting bonds with and actively ■ enhancing the student educational engage our alumni. Securing Our Future experience; demands that we create a strong culture of ■ refining an academic curriculum that philanthropy among our alumni and friends, if prepares our students for success; we are to fulfill the goals of our strategic plan. ■ increasing the size and diversity of our faculty; Successful implementation of our strategic plan ■ enhancing the quality of teaching and demands more of our students, faculty, staff, scholarship; alumni and friends. ■ enhancing the use of information It is an honor and an exciting time to serve as technology; dean of this Law School. I look forward to our ■ examining our programmatic focus; working together as we fulfill the goals of our ■ increasing the engagement of our alumni; strategic plan and advance Capital University ■ building our reputation; and Law School. ■ developing a culture of philanthropy. The Law School is building considerable momentum as we move into the future. We have many successes to celebrate. We welcomed a new, Jack A. Guttenberg talented class of incoming students this fall. Our Dean and Professor of Law Capital University Law School The Strategic Plan for Capital University Law School Building on Our Momentum ... Securing Our Future Strategies 2010 Our Mission We will strengthen society and our legal system by developing skilled lawyers who serve diverse communities well, by promoting professionalism and ethics, and by furthering discourse and knowledge. Our Core Values We are committed to: ■ the rule of law in a constitutional, democratic society; ■ excellent teaching and effective learning; ■ integrity, ethical conduct and service; ■ intellectual and scholarly engagement; ■ access to the profession for first-generation professionals; minorities and other underrepresented groups; ■ diversity in background and thinking; ■ mutual respect and support; ■ high standards of performance; and ■ innovation and resourcefulness. Throughout this year’s Dean’s Annual Report, please note the major Key Result Areas and Key Results of our strategic plan, which are not listed in any order of priority for they all are important to the Law School. Our Key Result Areas are nine major categories where the Law School seeks to advance its mission and core values. The identified Key Results for each of these areas are the most important outcomes the Law School is committed to achieving by the end of the 2009- 2010 academic year. To view the entire plan, the strategic work that is to take place over the coming several years, and to see our annual progress, please visit www.law.capital.edu/about/strategicplan.asp. Building on Our Momentum Student and Law School Success . 2 Faculty Success . 12 Alumni Success . 15 Securing Our Future Endowment . 22 Dean’s Council . 28 Heritage Society . 30 Schottenstein Challenge . 31 Dean’s Circle . 32 Honor Roll of Giving . 34 1 Building on Our Momentum Capital Graduates Place Third in State for Ohio Bar Passage Congratulations to Capital University Law School graduates! Capital graduates taking the July 2006 Ohio bar exam for the first time passed at a rate of 87 percent. This pass rate was the third highest in the state and was two percentage points above the state-wide average for first-time takers. “This success is due to the incredible hard work of our graduates, as well as the efforts of our faculty and staff,” says Dean Jack A. Guttenberg. “The Law School faculty has implemented a number of changes and created a number of programs for our Celebrating their passage of the Ohio bar exam are students to be successful and well-prepared as they Benjamin Partee, L’06; Sara Carlson, L’06; and Chad enter the legal profession. Our strong bar Dworkin, L’06, with Kate Graham, P’77, L’82, president performance this year is one indication that these of the Alumni Association. programs do positively impact the success of our students.” Since 2004, the Law School has: “The practice of law is rigorous and so is the legal Created small section courses for all first-year education at Capital,” says Guttenberg. “We have students, providing each student with one- excellent students and excellent faculty, and they to-one faculty interaction; worked hard to achieve this success. I congratulate each and every one of them.” Scheduled all first-year and bar-tested courses three days per week, providing students with more frequent contact with 2010 Key Results faculty; Improving Student Academic Enhanced our legal writing and research Performance program by requiring every third- and fourth- year student to enroll in Legal Drafting, a 1. Above the state average for first-time takers on the course that focuses on document drafting; Ohio bar exam and annual improvement in the percentage of all exam takers passing the Ohio bar. Enhanced our academic support programs by retaining a full-time professor of 2. Preparing students for career success through: Academic Support, H. Macy Favor Jr., L’93, a. increase in student writing skills and opportunities. T’97, and required academic support and b. specialized instruction in statutory construction second-year Legal Analysis for students who and interpretation. If necessary, develop and are at risk of not succeeding in law school; implement curriculum revisions to increase such instruction at various points in each student’s Retained Yvonne L. Twiss, L’98, as professor legal education. of Bar Services, and under her direction, c. expanded curriculum offerings that enhance created one of the first in the country for- students’ ability to use law-related technology. credit bar courses – Advanced Bar Studies, a course that provides students with an 3. Offering at least double the number of annual in-house intensive, substantive review of selected presentations to faculty on current issues and advancements in teaching and testing. legal material routinely tested on the Ohio bar exam and uses problems and exercises in 4. Providing specialized academic support to those a bar exam format; and students identified as most at risk of being unable to successfully complete law school without such support Under Twiss’ direction, provided our students and having faculty agreed-upon, objective with an array of services focusing on the measurements of the effectiveness of each academic successful completion of the bar exam. support program. 2 Capital University Law School 2006 Commencement and Hooding Ceremony Graduates, family and friends packed The Capital Center on the Bexley campus on Saturday, May 20, 2006, for the Capital University Law School Commencement and Hooding ceremony. Approximately 200 J.D. students The Hon. Nathaniel R. Jones, and 22 graduate students from the LL.M. and M.T. Judge for the U.S. Sixth programs received their degrees. Circuit Court of Appeals from 1979 to 2002, gave the Commencement address. Judge Jones was presented with an honorary doctor of laws degree. Law School Registrar Leslie C. Gardner received an honorary doctor of laws degree for her 25 years of exemplary dedication, 2006 Class Gift Committee members (left to right): commitment and Adrienne Dorbish, Elizabeth Laudeman, Chad Crumbaker, exceptional service to Mark Hatcher, Karee Laing, J.P. Ward, Tiffany Hostetler Capital University Law and Lorri Posani. Not pictured: Mellissia Fuhrmann and School, its students and Andrew King. faculty. “Before you became a lawyer, you were a citizen. Your citizenship duties and obligation dictate that you carry your learning beyond the classroom and the courtroom to the town halls and the neighborhoods — that you join in the debate so necessary in a democracy to help inform and shape opinions with regard to the Constitution and Bill of Rights. That is the glue that holds together our society.” ~ The Hon. Nathaniel R. Jones, May 20, 2006 3 Building on Our Momentum Law School Welcomes New Class The Law School welcomed an academically First Year Class Profile – Fall 2006 strong, new class of 248 students for fall 2006; they represent a wealth of diverse knowledge, Full-time Enrollment 181 experience and interests. Part-time Enrollment 67 This year’s class was selected from one of the Total Applications 1,537 largest applicant pools in the school’s history, # Applications Accepted 681 although it did represent a slight decrease in States Represented 16 applications (5.5 percent) from last year.