First Monday - June 7, 2004

In this issue:

• Commencement Address Challenges Students to Improve Access to Justice
• Law School and University Recognize Lawyers Who Make a Difference
• Faculty and Students Bestow Awards Within College of Law

Commencement Address Challenges Students to Improve Access to Justice

The Honorable Linda Copple Trout, Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court, told a total audience of approximately 900 that public service would be the new graduates' highest calling and, for many, the source of greatest satisfaction. The audience included 93 graduating students who, together with 13 graduates from the preceding fall semester, comprised the College of Law Class of 2004. The Chief Justice, noting the increasingly diverse membership of the American bench and bar, congratulated the College on improving the recruitment of women and students of color. As the legal profession comes more closely to resemble the society it serves, she said, each lawyer should seek out opportunities for service that will enhance public respect for the profession and give true meaning to the phrase "equal justice under law."

Law School and University Recognize Lawyers Who Make a Difference

• J. Dennis Faucher (UI Law '62) received the Award of Legal Merit, voted by the law faculty in recognition of distinctive achievements and service to the legal profession. Mr. Faucher, who practices in Philadelphia, is one of the nation's leading class action litigators, having secured nine-figure awards for clients in major securities and antitrust cases. He also has undertaken public interest cases including pro bono capital punishment litigation and the representation of Nazi-era slaves and forced laborers who recovered $5 billion from the Federal Republic of Germany and from German industry.
• James E. Rogers was recognized as the recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of Idaho for his philanthropy, and advocacy for excellence, in higher education. Mr. Rogers, a lawyer and telecommunications executive with homes in Las Vegas and Pocatello, is a proponent of devoting private wealth to the public good. Named by "Time Magazine" as one of America's twelve most important philanthropists, he has given approximately $300 million to higher education institutions, principally in the West. He also has donated his time, raising money for colleges and universities, and recently agreeing to serve, at virtually no compensation, as interim chancellor of the Nevada higher education system.
• Reginald Reeves (UI Law '52) was recognized as the recipient of an Alumni Hall of Fame Award from the University of Idaho for his personal generosity toward needy persons. Mr. Reeves gathers and provides food for community food banks, clothing for distribution to the poor, and books and computers for schools in Idaho as well as impoverished communities of Latin America. As an African American student at a time when racial exclusion existed in varsity athletics, and discrimination could be found in many of the shops and businesses of Moscow, Mr. Reeves demonstrated his generosity by spearheading a blood drive to benefit the whole community. During the 2004 law school commencement he told today's students to make a similar commitment to community service. "No matter how modest your circumstances," he said, "there is always someone less fortunate than you, and that person needs your help."

Faculty and Students Bestow Awards within College of Law

• Students received honors voted by faculty and by fellow students. Danielle J. Hunsaker received the faculty-established "Award of Legal Achievement," presented to the graduating law student with the highest cumulative grade point average. Patrick J. Geile received the "Spirit of the Class Award," presented by graduating students to a colleague who demonstrates values of the class that go beyond academic performance. Tiffany Joy Jensen received the "Outstanding Student Service Award," given in recognition of unselfish efforts on behalf of the law school community. Ms. Jensen, who served as vice president of the Student Bar Association, delivered the student address at commencement.
• The students also conferred awards upon members of the faculty. For the fourth time in the last five years, Professor Mark B. Anderson received the "Peter E. Heiser Award for Excellence in Teaching." The students presented an "Outstanding Faculty Service Award" to Professor Joann Henderson for her commitment to academic excellence, and to Professor/Dean Don Burnett for his dedication to student concerns.