MISSION
As a founding member of the school’s Board of Governors, John Carr ’72 , director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, said the law school is blessed with a community that brings the mission to life. “The law school and its leadership have been persistent and consistent in advancing its critical mission, building a culture of community, pursuing excellence and serving students during times of financial stress, changes in the legal environment and during the global pandemic,” Carr said. A MISSION-CENTERED LAW SCHOOL When talk started in the ’90s about reestablishing a St. Thomas law school (the first iteration was launched in 1923 but lasted only a decade due to the devastating effects of the Great Depression), a feasibility study was performed. It was discovered that a new school would need to be unique to appeal to those in the Twin Cities and beyond. What would make the school different? A mission melding the professional nature of law education with the faith-based values of a Catholic university. At the time of the school’s founding, Carr was a leader on Catholic social teaching for the U.S. Bishops’ conference. He remembers the first Board of Governors meeting as “surreal.”
“There was a vision, an initial plan and a lot of hopes, expectations, challenges and obstacles,” Carr recalled.
“But the leadership of the university and
new law school moved quickly, and this idea and mission began to take shape and actually happen.” The law school received several hundred applications for its inaugural academic year, coming from at least 30 states and a dozen countries. When 120
Students pose for a group photo at the School of Law Commencement Ceremony on May 16, 2021, in St. Paul.
and Harmon Place that included the light-filled Schulze Grand Atrium, Frey Moot Courtroom and the Chapel of St. Thomas More. Two decades after its opening, more than 2,000 students have graduated with law degrees. “I’ve been a part of a number of boards and been involved in a few institutional startups, but my very small part in watching this law school grow from a promising idea to a 20-year-old thriving community of faith and learning, justice and law is one of the best things I have ever been close to,” Carr said. BUILDING A COMMUNITY Sarah Brenes ’08 J.D. was drawn to the law school because of its reputation of holistic lawyering and its commitment to social justice.
students showed up to Terrence Murphy Hall on the Minneapolis campus in 2001, Thomas Berg , James L. Oberstar Professor of Law and Public Policy, said it proved there was demand for a school with a faith-based mission and a focus on social justice. “Many students are drawn to the mission,” said Berg, a School of Law founding faculty member. “That wouldn’t be the case if the mission were narrow and sectarian. Virtually everyone who was part of the founding faculty had tenure at well-established law schools ranging fromNotre Dame to Missouri. They came for the exciting prospect of developing a mission-based school.” In 2003, the law school moved across the street to its newly constructed home on 11th Street
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“The law school and its leadership have been persistent and consistent in advancing its critical mission, building a culture of community, pursuing excellence and serving students during times of financial stress, changes in the legal environment and during the global pandemic.” – JOHN CARR
Summer 2021 Page 21
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