Connected Minds,Connected Cultures:\ Connected Minds

A L U M N I C O M M I T T E D A N D I N V O L V E DThe statement from thepodium sounded routineat first. “And nowwe have an important announcementto share with everyone … ”Several dozen April 11 th Board ofVisitor luncheon guests put down theirdessert coffees and leaned forwardpolitely, perhaps expecting to beinformed of some minor change to theafternoon’s packed schedule of meetingsand presentations.Which made the news that followedall the more exciting and unexpected:Jeff Moreland, Class of 1970, actingchair of the law school’s Board ofVisitors Advancement Committee andthe next chairman of the BOV, wasannouncing a $1 million gift in unrestrictedfunds from him and his wife,Nancy, to the Columbus School of Law.The Moreland family expressed apreference for the money to go towardhelping any student who is the sonor daughter of a D.C. police officeror firefighter — but beyond that onesmall stipulation, the funds can be spentwhere the law school determines it isneeded most, be it on scholarships,programs or salaries.Moreland’s gift, the largest from anindividual alumnus in the more than100-year history of the law school,struck his fellow members of the Boardof Visitors like a thunderclap. Risingtable by table, they thanked him with astanding ovation.The family’s ties to the law schoolrun deep. Two of their daughters aregraduates of the law school. The couplereturned to their native Washington afterJeff’s recent retirement as executive vicepresident for public affairs withBurlington Northern Santa FeCorporation. That made the decisionabout where to bestow the gift a clear call.“We all have lots of requests formoney. I wanted to give where it madethe biggest impact,” Morelandexplained to his fellow alumni on theBOV. “We as a board can have a bigimpact upon the law school over theBoard of Visitors Chairman Jeff Moreland,1970, set a new standard for alumnigiving in April 2008.next five years if we support it, promoteit and act in its best interests.”TurnaroundThe hope is that the dramatic newsof the Moreland family’s stunningly generousgift will be a harbinger of things tocome. Not just for increased financialsupport from alumni but also for a vigorousnew role for the Board of Visitorsitself. Reorganized and re-energizedover the past two years, due in large partto the efforts of Dean Veryl Miles andBrad Bodager, until recently the executivedirector of the Office ofDevelopment and Alumni Relations, the55-member board has seen a third of itsmembership turn over from 2007 to2008. Many younger alumni have joinedto lend their new ideas, energy andenthusiasm in furtherance of the fortunesof the Columbus School of Law.Highly successful practitioners all,today’s board members bring a realworld perspective to the position that isvital for building the kind of educationalfoundation that prepares students forwhat future employers want and expect.Some new members, such as J. Israel“We as a board can have a bigimpact upon the law schoolover the next five years if wesupport it, promote it and act inits best interests.”Balderas, 2006, offer the board and thelaw school an unusual blend of professionalpoints of view. After taking atime out to earn his J.D., Balderasreturned to a distinguished career inbroadcast journalism and is currentlythe morning news anchor for KFOX-TV in El Paso, Texas.Adviser, counselor, sounding boardand devil’s advocate — BOV membersmay play all of these roles at times. Manyorganizations feature someone, or agroup of people, whose function is to giveunvarnished feedback to the top decisionmaker. The idea is to offer the rankingadministrator a sense of what is workingand what may need improvement to keepthe ship sailing straight. The feedbackmay even sound like tough love at times,but it is prompted by genuine affection,says Robert B. Budelman Jr.,1962. “I amso appreciative of the legal education Ireceived that I welcome the opportunityto give something back to the law school.Sometimes you’ve got a precious jewelthat other people don’t see.”“America’s Premier CatholicLaw School”The first iteration of what wasnamed the Board of Visitors met on Oct.3, 1998, at the invitation of then DeanBernard Dobranski, more than 50 menand women gathered for an all-daymeeting at the Columbus School of Lawto take stock of the present and plan forthe future.The membership was composed oflaw school alumni chosen for theirdemonstrated leadership qualities andtheir strong knowledge and interest inthe fortunes of their law alma mater.Spring–Summer 2008 / C UALAWYER 5