School of Law Commencement ceremony is May 6
The School of Law will confer the degree of Juris Doctor (J.D.) during commencement ceremonies beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 6, at the Chester Fritz Auditorium. Fifty-eight candidates are eligible to participate in the ceremony. An additional nine members of the Class of 2017 completed degree requirements in December 2016.
The Class of 2017 is the last law class to realize the effects of the $14.4 million law building addition and renovation project. They came to Grand Forks knowing their law school building was closed and undergoing a major construction project. Their classes were scattered throughout campus in 10 different buildings, their faculty in four buildings and they used a temporary law library that was set up in the Strinden Center. This group persevered and will be recognized for their accomplishment on May 6.
The ceremony will be officiated by President Mark Kennedy and School of Law Dean Kathryn R.L. Rand. The candidates have completed a minimum of 90 credits of coursework including the required first-year curriculum and Professional Responsibility, in addition to completing a writing requirement and skills requirement.
The Class of 2017 is honored to have Paul LeBel, UND Law Dean Emeritus, former UND Provost and Law Professor, deliver this year’s commencement address. LeBel came to the University of North Dakota as Dean of the School of Law in May 2004. While Dean, he was a member of the State Bar Association of North Dakota Board of Governors and the North Dakota Bar Foundation Board of Directors. He served as UND’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs from 2009 to 2013, and then returned to teaching full-time at the School of Law until his retirement in June 2016. As Provost, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Norway in Moss, Norway. He earned a B.A. in American Literature from the George Washington University in 1971 and a J.D. from the University of Florida in 1977. Between college and law school, he served in the United States Air Force Air Weather Service for four years. He was elected to membership in the American Law Institute in 1993.
Additional details, a full commencement schedule and LeBel’s full bio can be found at http://law.und.edu/features/2017/04/commencement-s17.cfm
As the state’s only law school, the University of North Dakota School of Law produces well-rounded legal professionals with the necessary skill set to serve as effective, innovative, and ethical leaders in North Dakota, our region, and our nation.
