Sunday, December 16, 2007
Moneylaw
Louisville Law School Dean Jim Chen over at Moneylaw recently posted a meaty reply to a short post I made last month at Law School Innovation. Jim's response was three times longer (and four times more articulate and thoughtful) than my original post, and he explores the nexus between innovation and fundraising from a much better perspective than I can offer.
His response also highlights the interest with which many of us are watching what Erwin Chemerinsky is up to out at UC-Irvine. As Jim notes, Dean Chemerinsky enjoys a rare combination: Supporters with deep pockets and no alumni, as yet. Chemerinsky has said that his priority is hiring top faculty, and it will be fascinating to see how this compelling leader accomplishes that goal. Few of us will be able to resist comparing his efforts to those of his ideological opposite, Kenneth Starr, who has lead neighboring Pepperdine to striking gains in academic rankings. I've had the pleasure of speaking on academic panels with both men (at different times), and based on those experiences will not be surprised if both schools do very, very well over the next decade.
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A side story about Ken Starr,
When I was a student at Pepperdine, I had the privilege of meeting him on four seperate occasions. The second was after watching him practice moot oral arguments for a death-penalty appeal, the third was when I received my certificate in dispute resolution and the fourth was when he spoke with a small group of about thirty pre-law students in P.A.D.
Though gracious, his humility in those encounters pales in comparison to the first. One day I was standing at a shuttle station with a friend when a car with a faculty sticker pulled up. He asked if where we were going and if we needed a ride. We told him the business school and he asked if it was anywhere near the law school. Before we could say anything he said, "The campus is small. Hop in."
We did and the whole time he admitted he was new in town and didn't know where anything was. He asked us about town and made small talk. When he dropped us off four or five minutes later, we said thank you and drove away. It wasn't until the second meeting that I knew it had been Ken Starr.
Looking back, very few people would have taken the time to drive us and even fewer would have failed to let us know how lucky we were to be in the presence of greatness. I mention this only to say, regardless of what he is done at the law school, he is one of the most humble and generous leaders I've ever met.
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When I was a student at Pepperdine, I had the privilege of meeting him on four seperate occasions. The second was after watching him practice moot oral arguments for a death-penalty appeal, the third was when I received my certificate in dispute resolution and the fourth was when he spoke with a small group of about thirty pre-law students in P.A.D.
Though gracious, his humility in those encounters pales in comparison to the first. One day I was standing at a shuttle station with a friend when a car with a faculty sticker pulled up. He asked if where we were going and if we needed a ride. We told him the business school and he asked if it was anywhere near the law school. Before we could say anything he said, "The campus is small. Hop in."
We did and the whole time he admitted he was new in town and didn't know where anything was. He asked us about town and made small talk. When he dropped us off four or five minutes later, we said thank you and drove away. It wasn't until the second meeting that I knew it had been Ken Starr.
Looking back, very few people would have taken the time to drive us and even fewer would have failed to let us know how lucky we were to be in the presence of greatness. I mention this only to say, regardless of what he is done at the law school, he is one of the most humble and generous leaders I've ever met.
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