Some times seem more consequential than other times. Everyone I have spoken with in recent months believes this one of those times.
At times of consequence and change it is comforting to remember the deep and nourishing relationships and structures around which our lives and our communities are built.
I am thankful for the students who choose to make the University of Arizona their home. This is not a decision for a day, or a week, or even for several years. This is a decision for life.
Our newest class of JD students is the most diverse in Arizona Law history. In their first semester they have demonstrated their distinctive character through a remarkable level of participation, excitement, and commitment to their larger community and the profession they
have joined.
And they have quickly learned the UA hand sign.
They are joined by an equally passionate, thoughtful, and diverse group of LLM, MLS, and SJD students.
And, in only the third year of the BA in Law, we are finding undergraduates with an equal commitment and their own extraordinary stories of why they have seized the revolutionary opportunity that we created with our partners in the School of Government and Public Policy.
I am thankful for the staff and faculty who are so deeply committed to our multiple missions -- to the classroom and all of the mentoring and advising that goes into excellent teaching, to the pursuit of knowledge, and to engagement with the world around us.
I am thankful for all of the many many alumni and friends of the college who are thrilled to see us in our second century, and who are equally excited by the traditions and solid foundation on which we build and the bold innovations to reshape legal education and to lead our profession.
Closer to home, I am thankful for my family, who allow me the time and space to pour my heart and mind into our amazing college, every day.
And, while Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect, I find myself thankful for all of these relationships and partnerships and friendships every day.
