Friday, June 15, 2007 7:35 AM
I've been meaning to mention this.
Last week, I ran across a post at MoneyLaw from Dean Jim Chen at the University of Louisville that included some thoughts that struck me as well worth sharing.
Consider my job, one dedicated to "the higher training and useful education of [my state's] aspiring youth." One day I should be so pleased to see this paragraph in any newspaper, of record or otherwise:
Today the University of Louisville graduated its latest class of law students. Every student admitted to the class of 20__ remained in good academic standing throughout her or his law school career and graduated on time. The diploma received by each graduate complemented another document, perhaps less formal but no less important in practical terms: a firm job offer. Ten weeks from now, the Law School expects all of its graduates to pass the bar exam. And although the Law School is proud to deliver many of its finest graduates into law firms, businesses, schools, and public agencies in this community, this year's class has found jobs from Alaska to Delaware. Indeed, one student will be studying as a Fulbright Scholar in Slovakia. Tomorrow as today, a law degree from the University of Louisville will be recognized as an emblem of quality, sea to shining sea and beyond the water's edge.
The latter paragraph, in particular, reads like a mission statement laying out the goals and aspirations for his tenure as Dean, which perhaps is his intention.
I wanted to call out this paragraph simply because I was so impressed by it. I don't know Louisville's goals and aspirations. I don't know Dean Chen's goals and aspirations. But, if they incorporate these thoughts, law students at Louisville (and the law school itself) are in good hands.
See Dean Chen's post, Variations on the themes of Miranda and the New York Times , for context and more on the subject.