First Monday - May 5, 2003

In this issue:

• New Appointment Adds Excellence and Diversity to the Faculty
• Renowned Philanthropist Supports Idaho Legal Education
• Law Library Posts Gains in Quanitity, Quality of Collection
• Hail and Farewell (But Not Goodbye)

New Appointment Adds Excellence and Diversity to the Faculty

Idaho law students soon will have an opportunity to study water law with a veteran of Northwest water rights litigation; to explore issues in Western natural resource management with a key player in federal-state-tribal relations; and to learn civil procedure from a distinguished lawyer with nearly three decades of experience in federal and state courts. All of these opportunities will materialize in the 2003-04 academic year, when Douglas R. Nash begins his new career as a full-time, tenure-track member of the Idaho law faculty. An enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe, Doug Nash is a graduate of the University of Idaho and of the University of New Mexico School of Law, where he was a staff member of the New Mexico Natural Resources Journal. In addition, he was a founder and executive director of the American Indian Law Students Association. He currently is of counsel, and head of the Indian Law Practice Group, at the regional multi-state firm of Holland & Hart. He is President-Elect of the national Native American Bar Association, and he will become President of the national organization in 2004.

Renowned Philanthropist Supports Idaho Legal Education

James E. Rogers, named by Time Magazine as one of the top twelve private philanthropists in the United States, is extending his generosity to the University of Idaho College of Law. Although not an alumnus, Rogers has shown interest in the College by serving on the Law Advisory Council and by participating as an active donor-member of the Dean's Economic Committee. Rogers now has deepened his commitment to the College by creating an annual "James E. Rogers Fellowship in American Indian Law." This fellowship is a vital component of the College's recent success in attracting a nationally recognized American Indian lawyer to the faculty. (See item regarding Douglas R. Nash above.) The fellowship grows out of Rogers' long-standing interest in tribal issues and institutions. At the University of Arizona, where his exceptional philanthropy has resulted in the law school being named for him, Rogers funded the creation of an LL.M. degree program in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy. A lawyer and businessman, Rogers resides in Las Vegas; he also has a home in Pocatello, and is a major benefactor of Idaho State University as well as other colleges and universities in the western United States.

Law Library Posts Gains in Quantity, Quality of Collection

In a report this year to the American Bar Association, the College of Law noted remarkable improvements in the law library collection. With assistance from the University's central administration, the College increased its expenditures on the law library collection from $358,197 in 1997 to $508,979 in 2002 - a rise of 42%. The expenditure per student also rose by approximately 33% during the same period. This increased funding has enabled the library to increase the overall number of volumes and volume equivalents by 15 %, the number of titles by 24%, and the number of serial titles (law journals) by 40%. Moreover, despite current budget constraints, the University's support has enabled the College to post a further increase of $98,840 to the collection budget in 2003. With these funding increases, the library not only has added to the size of the collection but also has enhanced the collection's quality by updating many reference titles, subscribing to new on-line resources, deepening the collection in rapidly growing subject areas such as international and immigration law, and expanding the availability of treatises, hornbooks and other instructional support. In response to this reported information, the ABA has affirmed that the College and law library satisfy ABA approval standards.

Hail and Farewell (But Not Goodbye)

The College this year has welcomed John J. Hasko, Associate Professor and Law Library Director, to the ranks of the tenured faculty. Professor Hasko, who came to the University of Idaho from Cornell University in 1997, was recommended and approved for tenure based on his teaching, scholarship and effective service in library administration (reflected, in part, by improvements in the library collection as mentioned above). The College also is saying thank you and farewell - but certainly not goodbye - to Professor Arthur Smith, who is retiring at the conclusion of the current academic year. Professor Smith has served with distinction for thirty years, focusing his scholarship and teaching mainly on natural resources law. Many past students also will remember that he served for many years as Associate Dean of the College. Art's faculty colleagues paid him warm tributes during his retirement dinner, which coincided with the opening session of the Law Advisory Council semi-annual meeting, on April 10, 2003. Professor Smith has indicated that, "after a little traveling," he will return and remain active in the law school community.