Dear Alumni and Friends:

At a recent student forum, I gave an update on the state of the school. By traditional and ordinary indicators, I told the students, the state of the law school is very good. Rankings are up and look promising for next year, the bar pass rate exceeded 80 percent for the third year in a row, faculty appointments continue to inspire with the four most recent hires all being well-known scholars from law schools around the country, student opportunities in support of our mission abound, and fundraising-even in these difficult times-is keeping pace. Yet at the same time students are facing enormous debt, and jobs are scarcer than they have been in years as the legal profession confronts staggering change and critical challenges. In response, the law school is working overtime to support students, increasing loan repayment assistance and PILF grants, expanding international internship opportunities, and boosting financial aid. We have also established the Transitional Employment Program, designed to create part-time employment for recent graduates in the private and public sectors and here at the law school. We hope the program will provide recent graduates with some financial relief and help maintain their spirits as they navigate these difficult times. The bottom line is this: the law school and the legal profession will emerge from these challenging times better and stronger, as long as we keep our heads above water and don't lose our connection with the passion and vision that drive our work.

- Dean Jeffrey Brand