Concordia Law Celebrates Inaugural Commencement


Boise’s only full-term law school looks at year of accomplishments.

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Boise’s only full-term law school looks at year of accomplishments

LawBOISE, Idaho — Concordia University School of Law celebrated the commencement of its first graduates on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015.

Concordia University School of Law Dean Cathy Silak, a former member of the Idaho Supreme Court, believes these graduates embody the school’s ideal of servant leaders who are well-equipped academically and professionally.

“At Concordia Law, we emphasize that students need to be committed to their community, and I’m proud of the way these graduates are a part of that developing tradition,” Silak said. “The City of Boise and the State of Idaho will be well served by these excellent graduates.”

{pullquote}At Concordia Law, we emphasize that students need to be committed to their community, and I’m proud of the way these graduates are a part of that developing tradition     {/pullquote}

The 18 inaugural graduates from Concordia University School of Law represent the latest milestone for the Boise-based law school, after it earned American Bar Association provisional approval in June 2015.

An honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) was awarded to former Idaho Governor Cecil D. Andrus for his significant contributions in the area of civic leadership and social welfare. Wendy Olson, the U. S. Attorney for Idaho, was the keynote speaker and urged graduates to “persist, be courageous, and pursue justice.”

“It’s not often that you get to be the first at something,” said Ray Grooms, one of the graduates and the student speaker at Commencement. “I am proud that the respect that we enjoy wasn’t handed to us automatically because of the name of our school, but from our hard work. We had to earn it.”

Concordia University School of Law, which opened to students in 2012, is the only three-year law program to be offered entirely in Boise, the state capital and home to the Idaho State Supreme Court. Concordia Law’s mentorship program, in which students are paired with practicing attorneys and judges, as well as the emphasis on experiential learning, helps students gain valuable hands-on experiences to smooth their transition to the workplace. Concordia also emphasizes community service as part of its founding mission to develop engaged leaders for society.

This ceremony in Boise is one of five commencement ceremonies for the nonprofit, Lutheran, liberal arts university, including three in Portland last April and one in Johannesburg South Africa last January. Concordia University offers more than 26 undergraduate majors and five graduate degree programs.

For more information about Concordia University School of Law and the application process, please visit http://law.cu-portland.edu/apply.

ABOUT CONCORDIA LAW

Concordia University School of Law in Boise, Idaho, is part of Concordia University, a nonprofit, Lutheran, liberal arts university, based in Portland, Ore., with a mission of preparing leaders for the transformation of society. Founded in 1905, Concordia University serves more than 7,400 students through its College of Education, College of Health & Human Services, College of Theology, Arts, & Sciences, School of Management and School of Law. Concordia University School of Law and the George R. White Law Library opened to the inaugural class of students in the fall of 2012. For more information visit www.law.cu-portland.edu.

Contacts

Concordia University
Madeline Turnock, APR, 503-280-8550,
[email protected]