President's Blog: From the Heart

By Eric F. Spina

(University of Dayton President Eric Spina delivered these remarks at the School of Law's 50th anniversary celebration on April 5.)

Good evening! And a warm welcome to all who have come together to celebrate the School of Law’s 50^th anniversary and reaffirm its mission of preparing future lawyers and professionals to serve the common good.

It’s wonderful to see graduates of the first entering class after the law school reopened in 1974. A big round of applause for these trailblazers!

I am especially delighted to welcome back Dean Lisa Kloppenberg, who, when she assumed the deanship, was one of only 24 women leading law schools across the nation. As dean, she introduced the first accelerated five-semester law degree in the nation and re-ignited a greater spirit of service in students, who performed pro bono hours in record numbers under her leadership. I also want to acknowledge Andy Strauss, who is unable to join us tonight because he’s out of the country. During his recent eight years as dean, he spearheaded many curricular innovations, including one of the nation’s first accredited hybrid J.D. programs.

Over the years, several faculty members have stepped forward to serve as interim deans — Dennis Turner, Vicky VanZandt, and now Chris Roederer — and I want to thank each of them for their leadership, dedication, and stewardship of the School of Law during times of transition.

Where would we be without our amazing alumni, who are the backbone of the local legal community, respected judges at all levels, partners in leading law firms, elected public officials, Supreme Court petitioners, esteemed legal scholars, and pre-eminent industry leaders? One of our graduates even served as general counsel for the Olympics.

All these achievements, as well as yours, are a testament to the strong foundation laid here by the faculty, and we are incredibly proud of all you’ve accomplished. You are an inspiration to our students.

At the University of Dayton, the practice of law is not merely a profession — it is a calling. We have carved out a niche as a place where future lawyers are not only committed to professional excellence but also to making the world more just and equitable. This is the Marianist philosophy in action — and it’s a philosophy we can trace not just 50 years, but for more than a century.

Indeed, we cannot reflect on where the School of Law stands today in the landscape of legal education without revisiting its humble beginnings. This is a school that has always taken to heart the Marianist commitment to adaptation and change.

The School of Law opened in 1922 as a night school. Over the next 13 years, it produced 173 graduates with a strong bar exam pass rate. The School unfortunately closed in 1935 because of financial difficulties, a victim of The Great Depression.

Fast forward 40 years to the 1970s. At that time, Dayton was the largest metropolitan area in the state without a law school. President Father Charles Lees sought to remedy that. Just as we do today, whenever we need support for important initiatives, the president turns to alumni and community supporters for help. One of those supporters was Virginia Kettering, a generous Dayton philanthropist who stepped forward with nearly half of the $1.1 million required to cover the school’s start-up costs. I love her rationale for the gift: “A million dollars doesn’t sound exorbitant when one considers all the social implications.”

Thanks to her foresight — and the tireless work of a committee that included Judge Walter Rice — the school met its fundraising goal and reopened on the ground floor of UD’s library. Professor Dennis Turner taught the first class that morning in the law school’s only classroom. He was one of six faculty members hired to teach 161 first-year students, half of whom were married and nearly a third of whom came from out of state. Let’s give Judge Rice and Professor Turner a round of applause. 

Father Raymond Roesch, UD’s president at the time, set the tone for the School’s mission when he said, “Our interest is not merely in providing, under private auspices, opportunities for the acquisition of legal expertise, worthy though this goal may be. Rather, we see herein an exceptional opportunity to promote justice, social as well as individual — and thus to help humanize society.”

Did you notice Father Roesch used a bit of legal lingo? “Herein” — you don’t hear that word often in casual conversation!

I can point to countless milestones in the School of Law’s history over the past five decades, many of which have been made possible through the generosity of our alumni and friends.

Of particular note is a moment in 1991 when 1929 graduate Joseph Keller handed a $5 million personal check to UD President Brother Ray Fitz. That generous contribution jumpstarted fundraising for a new School of Law building. When the magnificent Keller Hall opened in 1997, it was equipped with 400 miles of wiring, making it one of the most high-tech law schools in the country.

Today, your gifts through the We Soar Campaign continue to have a profound impact — supporting scholarships for students in need and the Law Faculty Excellence Fund, which helps us recruit and retain outstanding faculty.

Finally, the support we’ve received tonight through sponsorships and gifts is a powerful reminder of how our graduates and the Dayton community have consistently stepped up to strengthen this institution and elevate its reputation. Thank you!

As we look ahead, we know that the School of Law will need to remain agile to meet the many challenges that face our country, higher education in general, and legal education in particular. We also know that our alumni, friends, and the local legal community will be critical to future opportunities and successes, including creation of opportunities for students and financial support of our enterprise.  With that support, we will continue to recruit students who are passionate about using their degrees to make a lasting difference in the world. And our graduates will always inspire us with their lives of great purpose and integrity.  

Congratulations on this significant anniversary — and thank you for being part of this extraordinary journey!

(Photo credit: Knack Photography)