Dean Speaks About Law School's Enduring Characteristics at Nov. 14 Dinner
Dean's Council Dinner The Nov. 14 event recognized the generosity and support of the Law School's alumni and friends and featured remarks by Dean Davison M. Douglas. Event photos by Gretchen Bedell.
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William & Mary Law School honored members of the Dean's Council during a dinner hosted by Dean Davison M. Douglas and Professor Kathryn R. Urbonya at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg on Nov. 14. The annual dinner recognizes the generosity and support of alumni and friends.* Click here for photos.
In his remarks at the gathering, Douglas recalled that advice he received from his college rowing coach seemed apt counsel to heed as dean. In rowing and in life, "you have to row your own race, not someone else's race."
Douglas outlined the characteristics that distinguish Marshall-Wythe from other law schools and that are key to the Law School's excellence and its continued success. In his words, they are "our non-negotiables, the things we must be committed to preserving."
The Law School's commitment to educating highly skilled and ethical lawyers is at the heart of its mission. "Despite the great importance of scholarly achievement and scholarly productivity in the life of every faculty member," he said, the faculty has "a deep commitment to the education of our students, both in the classroom and outside the classroom."
The intellectual vigor of the faculty is a second essential feature of the Law School. The law faculty today comprises "nationally and internationally recognized scholars who consistently publish high quality and influential scholarship and who help shape the development of our legal system."
A commitment to educating citizen lawyers who will play leadership roles in the world is, in Douglas's estimation, a third essential feature of Marshall-Wythe.
"William & Mary Law School has an incredibly rich tradition as the oldest law school in the United States," he said. "We've created for ourselves a compelling place in the legal academy with strong teaching, scholarly excellence, and the training of citizen lawyers who are committed to serving the greater good."
Anna P. Engh '89, president of the Marshall-Wythe Law School Foundation and partner at Covington & Burling LLP, presented Jefferson Cups, polished pewter reproductions of a cup designed by Thomas Jefferson, to guests at the dinner who were first-time members of the Dean's Council. She also recognized new members of Lifetime Giving Societies: the Thomas Jefferson Society (for alumni and friends whose cumulative gifts have totaled $50,000 to $99,999) and the Woodbridge Associates (for alumni and friends whose cumulative gifts have totaled $25,000 to $49,999).
*Editor's note: Dean's Council recognizes the generosity of gifts of $2,500 or more. Alumni who graduated in the previous four years may join Dean's Council for a gift of $1,000 or more; alumni who graduated in the previous five to seven years may join Dean's Council for a gift of $1,500 or more; and alumni who graduated in the previous eight or nine years may join for a gift of $2,000 or more.