Welcome back! I hope everyone had a peaceful and relaxing break and that you are geared up to start 2017 with renewed energy and enthusiasm! We have an exciting semester ahead of us, with some great speakers and events coming up, and I hope you actively engage with all that the College of Law has to offer. Most immediately, our new Marvin and Virginia Schmid Clinic Building will be opening. It will provide a terrific space for the clinics, of course, but also for trial practice competition, seminars, and small group meetings. Once the clinics are fully settled into their new space, we will have some set times for non-clinic students to take a tour and see what our generous alumni donations have permitted us to build.
I also want to specifically speak to 1Ls, who are just receiving their first grade reports. To those who met their own expectations, congratulations! Please keep up your hard work. For those who are not as satisfied, which my experience tells me is almost everyone, please know that law school is a marathon, not a sprint. You have time to figure out how to course-correct before your final grade point average is determined. That might take the form of working harder, working smarter, or both. If you feel like you need help figuring out how to improve your grades, please feel free to talk with your professors and also to attend Dean Pearce’s skills sessions. There are substantial resources at the law school to help you get where you want to be with grades, jobs, and other lawyering skills. Please take advantage of them so that you can make the most of your law school experience.
I am looking forward to another semester as your Interim Dean. Please let me know if there is anything the College of Law can do to help you on your journey.