Since becoming dean, I have been fortunate enough to meet or speak with literally hundreds of you. You have all made me feel most welcome. I have also been extremely impressed by the enormous impact that Arizona Law grads have had regionally, nationally, and even internationally, as leaders in law, government, business, and community service.
I would like to thank those of you who have brought the James E. Rogers College of Law to its current position of national prominence and reputation. For a decade, Dean Toni Massaro and the faculty, along with your help, continuously elevated the quality of our educational product, building on almost one-hundred years of rigorous skills training, intellectual challenge, and service to the profession. Make no mistake about it: your investments in the Arizona Law community continue to yield tremendous results.
Alumni make a positive difference at this institution in many ways. However, the most immediate way to help us maintain, and even enhance, the quality of our instructional programs is by making a gift to the Arizona Law Fund.
Each and every dollar you give to the Fund stays at the College to support our students, faculty, and programs. Contributions to the Fund help us to close the gap between tuition and our annual operating expenses - a gap that is growing due to dwindling state support, the increasing need for student financial aid, and the escalating costs of recruiting and maintaining the best faculty. The Arizona Law Fund is a critical component in our commitment to continue the upward trajectory of the last decade, despite the challenging economic environment.
I urge each of you, therefore, to consider making a contribution at whatever level you are able. Every gift, regardless of amount, matters. However, gifts of $1,000 and more annually qualify you for one of several Arizona Law Fellows recognition categories, and you will be honored as such at a special Fellows event next fall. If you are recently graduated, you may become a member of one of the various Arizona Law Fellow categories at lower giving thresholds.
I hope to meet many more of you in the coming months, and to talk about the ways that, with your help, we can sustain and advance our mission. I'm proud to be a part of the Arizona Law community and committed to rewarding the trust and confidence that the University of Arizona community and you have placed in me.
With best regards,
Dean of the College and Samuel M. Fegtly Chair in Commercial Law
Updated: 09/12/2011