Dreams Will Come True, Students Can Now Earn a J.D. Degree at

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Warm Welcome Given inMetropolitan DetroitThere is also plenty of excitement at Cooley’s OaklandUniversity campus over the availability of the fulldegree program.“The ability of our students to take all 90 credits atthe Oakland University campus means that they cannow take full advantage of the opportunity to focus ontheir studies and to interact with the faculty, staff, andtheir fellow students here at OU on a daily basis, andcan help us create a real law school community, whichwas much harder to do when everyone was on theroad back-and-forth to Lansing,” John Nussbaumer,associate dean of Cooley’s OU campus, said. “Weare already seeing this in the increased student trafficon the faculty floor in O’Dowd Hall, the number ofstudents studying in the library, the renewed interestbeing shown in student organizations, and the turnoutsfor our Career and Professional Developmentprograms,” he added.Nussbaumer also said it means that Cooley’s OUbasedstudents “can for the first time take full advantage”of their J.D.-L.L.M. programs in taxation andintellectual property and their new M.B.A.-J.D. andM.P.A.-J.D. degree partnership agreements withOakland University. “We expect these programs togrow as our partnership with OU develops, particularlyin the area of business incubation and start-up here inAutomation Alley,” he said.The biggest impact on the metropolitan Detroit area,Nussbaumer said, “will be the increased opportunitiesfor people from all walks of life to pursue the dream ofearning a law degree, particularly people with job orfamily responsibilities who cannot attend lawschool full-time, and people from the many diversecommunities in the Detroit area.”The less fortunate in the metropolitan Detroitarea also are expected to benefit from the fulldegree program at Cooley’s OU campus. “Wecan really develop the pro bono and clinicalopportunities that our students want and need,which will help the less fortunate,” Nussbaumerexplained. “We are already working on thingslike mentoring programs for at-risk high schoolstudents in Pontiac and clinical programs forsenior citizens and victims of domestic violencethat will touch the lives of those in need.”“We can really develop the pro bono and clinicalopportunities that our students want and need,which will help the less fortunate.”Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Pattersonexpressed congratulations on behalf of OaklandCounty government and himself for the establishmentof the full degree program at the OUcampus. “Please know that I am an enthusiasticsupporter of Cooley’s presence on the OU campusand in Oakland County,” he stated in a letterto Dean Nussbaumer. “Our judicial system and lawenforcement operations will certainly be enhancedby your extended presence here, and our citizenswill benefit from the clinical programs you plan tooffer. County government looks forward topartnering with Cooley, just as we have withOU,” Patterson wrote.The news about the full degree program alsomade Oakland University President Gary Russihappy. “We’re pleased that area students can4 BENCHMARK TRINITY 2006
Students can now take full advantage of the opportunity to focuson their studies and to interact with the faculty, staff, and theirfellow students here at OU on a daily basis.now get their law degree at Cooley’s OaklandUniversity campus,” he said. “By making acomplete legal education available to area residents,we are providing accessibility to an advanceddegree program that has not previously beenavailable in this region.”Oakland University Vice President for AcademicAffairs and Provost Virinder Moudgil said, “Thisprogram not only provides area residents with achance to get their law degree, it also providesadditional opportunities for OU students andprofessional development opportunities for OUfaculty and staff. This is another example of apartnership grounded in our core value ofacademic excellence.”The current enrollment at Cooley’s OU campus,which first offered classes in 2002, is 435 students.The facilities, which are centrally located in O’DowdHall on OU’s main campus, include a full law schoollibrary, a computer lab, large and small classrooms,all served by a wireless computer network, plusoffices for faculty, administrators, and staff. Theyalso include two high-tech, 40-seat classroomswith cross-campus videoconferencing capabilityto connect all three of Cooley’s campuses. Thefuture at this Cooley branch is so bright thatCooley officials have begun discussions with OUleaders regarding a permanent new facility ontheir campus.Cooley Continues to ExcelCooley Law School also recently completed a majorexpansion and renovation of its Lansing campus andnow has more than 400,000 square feet of space inservice. There are 3,000 students enrolled there.Cooley’s rolling admissions system that acceptsstudents and begins incoming classes three times ayear; the ability of Cooley students to earn a lawdegree by taking classes part-time, full-time, or juston the weekends; the high quality of its faculty andprograms; and now the ability to earn a J.D. degreeat any of its three campuses can be expected tocontinue to draw increased numbers of students.2006 has certainly been an outstanding year forThomas M. Cooley Law School. In addition to beingable to offer the full degree program at all threecampuses, the American Bar Association in Augustselected Cooley as a winner of the E. SmytheGambrell Professionalism Award. The ABA notedin its award that Cooley was chosen for “outstandingachievement in the design and implementationof a model professionalism program.”The Higher Learning Commission - North CentralAssociation also granted the school continuingaccreditation for the next 10 years. The commissionteam that visited the school said in its report:“The Thomas M. Cooley Law School is a qualityinstitution that is grounded in its mission. Theschool has a clear sense of what it is and whereit’s going.”“The Thomas M. Cooley Law School is a quality institution thatis grounded in its mission. The school has a clear sense of whatit is and where it’s going.”With this rich tradition of excellence in legal educationand outstanding service to both students andcommunities, Thomas M. Cooley Law School canbe expected to set new benchmarks in the yearsahead. With this rich tradition of excellence in legaleducation and outstanding service to both studentsand communities, Thomas M. Cooley Law Schoolcan be expected to set new benchmarks in theyears ahead.BENCHMARK TRINITY 20065
Page 2 and 3: featureMore Career DreamsWill Come
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Page 8 and 9: DisabilityIncome Insurance:What Eve
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Page 22 and 23: school newsGerald Fisher,Associate
Page 24 and 25: alumni mattersletter fromthe alumni
Page 26 and 27: alumni mattersTexas Alumni Scholars
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