Institutional Advancement Newsletter – Nov/Dec 2023

IA Goes to Washington!

The 2024 AALS Annual Meeting is just around the corner: January 3-6, 2024, in Washington, D.C. There is still time to register for several days of great Institutional Advancement programming, as well as access to the full AALS meeting schedule.

In particular, don’t miss the IA Business Meeting on Wednesday, January 3 at Noon. Please plan to join us to vote on our bylaws update and the incoming slate of section leaders. The proposed 2024 executive committee slate includes:

And on behalf of our 2023 IA section co-chairs Liz Field (GW Law) and Stephanie Silvestri (Seton Hall Law) and their executive committee, thank you for your participation in the section listserv, monthly webinars and socials, summer virtual conference, and for supporting our section’s efforts to modernize our bylaws. It has been an incredible year of professional camaraderie and growth, and we look forward to seeing many of our colleagues in person next month! Read on for registration details, accolades, and more.

Upcoming Events

AALS Annual Meeting – Defending Democracy
January 3-6, 2024
Marriott Marquis, Washington, D.C.

We look forward to the networking, relationship building, and celebration that comes with bringing the community of law school institutional advancement professionals together in person. Please note that while advanced registration is available until January 2, and onsite registration will be available at the meeting, the hotel reservation deadline is December 19.

Advanced Registration (rates available until January 2)

AALS Annual Meeting – IA Section Schedule

Wednesday, January 3

Developing a Major Gift Program & Creating Transformational Giving Culture | 8 – 9:40 am

Engaging Alumni Across Different Generations, Experiences, and Affinities | 10 – 11:40 am, Co-Sponsored by Student Services

Section Business Meeting | 12 – 1 pm

Thursday, January 4

What Administrators and Faculty Members Need to Know About Working with the Media | 8 – 9:40 am

Friday, January 5

Fostering Diversity in Legal Education: From Recruitment to Graduation & Beyond | 10 – 11:40 am

Sustaining your Community Through National or Global Issues | 2– 3:40 pm, Co-Sponsored by Balance & Well-Being Legal Education, Law School Deans, and Student Services

Institutional Advancement Around the Country

Our IA Section members are hard at work around the country. We invite you to share photos from your events, travels, and other happenings! To be featured in an upcoming newsletter, submit your pictures with brief captions to Robin Langhans at [email protected].

American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL) recently welcomed Kelly McCarthy as its new Associate Dean of Advancement. Her extensive experience and success in fundraising, strategic planning, and alumni engagement set the stage for a promising chapter in the advancement of AUWCL. Welcome to the wild world of law school advancement, Kelly!

We look forward to working with you.

And a warm welcome to our new IA Section discussion list members!

Way to Go!

Congratulations to the University of California, Berkeley – School of Law! Its magazine earned the 2023 Best of District VII Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education for Publishing Improvement. You can check out the magazine’s eight most recent issues here: https://transcript.law.berkeley.edu/.

We don’t believe in thankless work, so please send us a note about a job well done, an accolade for a colleague, or a successful event or project you or your team has recently undertaken! You can submit kudos to celebrate yourself or a colleague on this quick and easy form.

Sharing Is Caring

November/December Sharing Topic – Year-end Gratitude & Greetings

Does your law school share end-of-year print, digital, and social media gratitude or greetings with your external constituents? Whether you send something to alumni, donors, or the entire law school community at Thanksgiving, the holidays, or the start of a new year, IA section members are invited to share copies of their designed mailings, emails, or social media posts on the Section Sharing Sheet on the Institutional Advancement Website!

Professional Development

Good Read

Ahead of the Curve: Calling Her ’a Force and a Standard,’ Legal Academics Pay Tribute to Justice O’Connor, Christine Charnosky for Law.com

After hearing of the death of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on Friday, Christine Charnosky, legal education reporter for Law.com, reached out to the legal community for comment and quotes poured in honoring the former Supreme Court justice. “I received so many responses that speak so well for themselves that I don’t feel the need to comment further,” wrote Charnosky.

Good Listen

Always Be Courageous: An Interview With Twyla Carter, Original Jurisdiction podcast with David Lat

Twyla Carter is the attorney-in-chief and chief executive officer of The Legal Aid Society (LAS). Before taking the helm at LAS, Twyla worked as a public defender and at the ACLU, making a name for herself as a leading advocate of bail reform. The first Black woman and Asian American to lead The Legal Aid Society in its 147-year history, Carter has devoted her entire career to public-interest work.

Good Watch

Sandra Day O’Connor | 60 Minutes Archive, CBS News

In 2004, Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female member of the U.S. Supreme Court, told Scott Pelley how her appointment to the country’s highest bench had an “incredible ripple effect” on women. The retired associate justice died on December 1 at the age of 93.

Did You Know?

Did you know that you can watch recordings of past Section on Institutional Advancement webinars on the section’s webpage? Click on the Webinars & Webinar Replays link at the bottom of the page. Recordings of June’s AALS Institutional Advancement Conference are also available here.

Questions? Comments?

Feel free to reach out to your 2023 IA Section Officers and Executive Committee:

Access past newsletter issues and archived webinars on the Institutional Advancement website