January 2023 First Monday
Dear Alumni and Friends,
Happy new year! I hope you were able to find some time this past month to spend with family and loved ones and that you are feeling recharged after the holiday season.
December is always a busy time for the College, as we support our students through final exams, while also beginning preparations for the spring semester. I was so pleased to be able to celebrate four of our five December graduates at the fall commencement ceremony in Moscow. This was a particularly moving event because all four of these students were the first in their family to attend law school. When I became dean, many of you shared your own first gen stories, and the impact that being able to attend college and law school had not just on you, but on your families and communities. While much has changed about this place over the years, I want you to know that our commitment to this mission remains.
I want to thank you all again for your support in 2022, particularly in the last challenging month. The way this community rallies behind us during hard times is unique and sustaining, for all of us at the College, but especially for me personally. I am so grateful to be a Vandal.
Last month, we received a $4 million bequest to support scholarships from a loyal supporter of the College who wishes to remain anonymous. This gift will have a transformative impact on the lives of our students for years to come. If you would like to include the College of Law in your estate plans, please follow this link for more information.
https://myuidaholegacy.org/
I look forward to welcoming our students back to campus next week. We’ll be cheering on our National Moot Court team as they compete in the finals in New York City and gearing up to welcome the Idaho State Bar Commissioners for their annual visit to the College. We’re also celebrating the return of the Low-Income Tax-Payer Clinic in Boise, led by Professor John Hinton, which together with our VITA program with the College of Business, will provide service to hundreds of Idahoans this tax season. Lots happening and it is only January!
Yours,
Johanna Kalb
Dean and Professor of Law
Student Focus
Our National Moot Court team from Boise was outstanding at the regional competition in November. Daniel Frederickson, Laegan Meyers, and Marciella Sanford were coached by Judge Cynthia Yee-Wallace and took first overall, earning a place in the national competition in New York City later this month. Our team from Moscow, Jillian Greene, Katherine Loos, and Jeremy Reagan, were coached by Judge Megan Marshall and also did tremendously well, with Jillian and Jeremy sharing the award for best oral advocate. Congratulations to both teams, and good luck to Team Boise in New York!
Faculty Focus
Professor Linda Jellum represented the University of Idaho College of Law at the American Bar Association Administrative Law & Regulatory Section’s Fall Conference in early December. There she presented on two panels, “Developments in Administrative Law: Standard of Review” and “Adjudicatory Policymaking: Should it Still Be a Thing?”
Alumni Focus
Judge Jim D. Pappas, ’77, announced his retirement from the federal bankruptcy court last month. Judge Pappas has remained a loyal supporter of Idaho Law and served as an adjunct professor for many years, while also focusing his efforts on education within the legal community. Congratulations on an outstanding career Judge Pappas.
Later This Month
Idaho Law’s Trial Advocacy program will be featured in preLaw Magazine’s Winter Honor Roll, coming out later this month. Our weeklong, intensive program in Moscow helps make the 3L year at Idaho Law truly special. Be on the lookout when the magazine comes out in late January.