RES IPSA ONLINE • SPRING 2012
COVER STORY:
California Western and Dean Steven Smith
Commitment to Students: Inspiring Excellence, Achievement

Dean Smith and the Hon. Irma E. Gonzalez join the 2010 Kennedy Scholars as they meet with Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy (second from right)

The exciting news came this past March: National Jurist magazine recognized California Western as the 20th best law school in the nation for bar performance in relation to LSAT scores. In addition, for the fourth straight year, California Western posted the highest bar pass rates among San Diego's three law schools.

It was the satisfying culmination of years of effort by Dean Steven Smith, faculty, and staff to boost student performance by enhancing the educational environment at California Western through special bar review programs, a renewed commitment to diversity, and an emphasis on attracting academically outstanding students through a variety of new scholarships.

While the bar performance effort yielded spectacular results, the impact of the drive for diversity has been equally important and meaningful to California Western. During Smith's tenure, the school has become a leader in law school diversity, with entering classes always consisting of at least 30 to 40 percent students of color or from ethnic minorities, as well as other groups, including LGBT and older students, according to Marion Cloete, director of Diversity Services.

Once the students arrive on campus, they are greeted with an array of support programs that help them connect with local diverse bar associations and other legal organizations as well as arrange internships and individual mentorships with diverse lawyers and judges. California Western is reaching out to an even younger diverse audience through its innovative program, A.I.M. for Law (Achieve, Inspire, Motivate), a collaboration with San Diego State University and UC San Diego.

"We created A.I.M. for Law two years as a way to help empower students from underrepresented or economically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue a legal education," Cloete says. "It's an exciting program because it combines classroom instruction and mentorships and gives students an early look at the benefits of a career in law, as well as what it takes to enter and perform in law school. We are thrilled that we just had our first student from the program accepted at California Western."

Scholarships have also enhanced the student makeup, and none more so than the Kennedy Scholars program, named in honor of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy after he dedicated California Western’s new law library in 2000. Kennedy Scholars are chosen from the highest performing applicants academically and they receive full tuition, a summer clerkship, and a trip to Washington D.C. to have lunch with Justice Kennedy and observe the court.

For Eden Yaege, '07, general counsel at Square One Development in San Diego, becoming a Kennedy Scholar not only shaped her academic career but life after law school as well.

"Being named a Kennedy Scholar was an honor and it did influence me to choose California Western over other law schools," says Yaege. "What I didn't realize is the a huge impact it would have on my life and the lives of my fellow Kennedy Scholars. When we met with Dean Smith he told us that to whom much is given, much is expected. To me, that means it’s my responsibility to turn around and help both my alma mater and my community.

"That's why I'm serving as a mentor for a law student and why I became a member of our Alumni Association Board of Directors. I see the Kennedy Scholars program as an amazing investment by California Western because it not only encourages excellence; it also inspires all of the scholars to become leaders in their community. I know our ability and eagerness to give back to help people wherever we can, will be a lifelong source of pride and satisfaction for all the Kennedy Scholars."

BOB ROSS // RES IPSA ONLINE

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