Dear S.J. Quinney College of Law alumni and community,
First and foremost, I would like to wish you a very happy new year. We have so much to celebrate this year as we begin to return to normal activities, and I am grateful to each of you for the concern and compassion you’ve shown each other. Together as a law school community, we have weathered the ongoing challenges of the pandemic—and my hope is that we continue to demonstrate this collective spirit in the years to come.
This past year we were honored to recognize the 20th anniversary of the law school’s naming gift from the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation. The quality of resilience is a defining part of Joe Quinney’s legacy, and recently we’ve seen that resilience across our law school community. We are also reflecting on the many ways that our naming gift has shaped the college over the past two decades.
The S.J. Quinney College of Law is stronger than ever. We continue to see our national reputation grow. Our centers and programs have received stellar rankings, and our new student applications continue to rise. Our bar passage rate and employment numbers are among the best in the country. We have exciting new programs and events that benefit the legal profession and society at large. This momentum is a result of the tremendous teamwork of our faculty, staff and alumni—working together, we are enhancing legal education and scholarship.
The cover story in this issue of Res Gestae is reflective of the many changes that have happened here. We’ve chosen to focus on the growing role of women at our college, the advancements that women have made in the legal field, and the challenges that still remain. The story is timely: This year we crossed a milestone with a student body that is majority female—for the first time in our 108-year history.
We celebrate this accomplishment and acknowledge other milestones we are working towards. We still have work to do in increasing opportunities for diverse and underrepresented populations in the law school, and I sincerely appreciate your ongoing efforts to help us realize those opportunities. Your support, in turn, inures to the benefit of our law school, the bar, and the public.
I hope this issue of our alumni magazine provides a snapshot of the many exciting things happening at the law school. We are a dynamic institution with a significant history and a bright future. I sincerely appreciate each of you for the impact you have on the law school, our students, and your communities. My best wishes to you and your loved ones for a peaceful and happy 2022.