As I sat on the plane on my way home, it occurred to me how far this Law School has come since its founding by Gleason Archer in 1906. The name Suffolk Law School reflected its initial aspirations, to educate students from the Boston-area to practice law locally.

While we still have a strong New England base of students (70 percent of our full-time students), we also draw students from throughout the United States, and from a wide range of foreign countries, including: Albania, Barbados, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, China, France, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Holland, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Nigeria, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, United Kingdom, and Vietnam. And, our graduates now practice in all 50 states and in 28 foreign countries.

I encourage you to read more about the increasingly global perspective of legal education in an article in the next issue of Suffolk Law, as well as on our Web site, www.law.suffolk.edu/academic/abroad.cfm.

APPOINTMENT OF PROFESSOR CHARLES KINDREGAN AS THE DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF LAW FOR RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP

Another significant change in the evolution of the Law School has been the increasing importance of faculty research. Suffolk continues to be a school that values excellent teaching and preparation for practice, along with this more recent emphasis on research and scholarship.

Research contributes to the improvement of the legal system and to the development of legal doctrine and public policy. It informs and broadens the perspectives for classroom instruction and discussions. Scholarship also helps spread the academic reputation and visibility of the Law School, reinforcing our efforts in admissions recruiting and career placement to build a stronger national profile and network of alumni.

A significant milestone in this progression of the Law School is the recent appoint-ment of Professor Charles Kindregan as the Distinguished Professor of Law for Research and Scholarship. This is the first time that a faculty member has been appointed to promote and facilitate research and scholarship at the Law School. Throughout his nearly 40-year career at Suffolk, Professor Kindregan has been a prolific scholar, producing a wide range of articles and books for both academic and professional audiences. He serves as an excellent mentor and role model, a true “teacher-scholar.” We greatly appreciate his willingness to serve the Law School in this important capacity.

he internationalization of legal education and the increasing importance of faculty scholarship are just two of many developments that we will be celebrating during the upcoming Centennial. This all began quite modestly in September 1906, when Gleason Archer started teaching young men about the law in his living room in Roxbury, Massachusetts. It was called Archer’s Evening Law School. One year later, he moved the school to Boston and founded Suffolk Law School.

The official ceremony launching the yearlong celebration will be a Centennial Convocation and Birthday Celebration on Boston Common on Thursday, September 21, 2006. International dignitaries, political and business leaders, University leader-ship and officials from New England colleges and universities, all in full academic regalia, will form a procession from Suffolk to the Common, where honorary degrees will be awarded to celebrated guests. The Birthday Celebration will follow, bringing together old friends and new for a day of fun.

The Law School also will be hosting many exciting events and exhibits throughout the Centennial year. The illustrious group of Centennial Speakers during 2006-2007 is highlighted by US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Distinguished Visiting Professor Akhil Reed Amar of Yale Law School (fall semester) and Distinguished Visiting Professor Martha Chamallas of Ohio State University Law School (spring semester).

We hope you will join us at these events. For further information about the Centennial plans for the Law School and the University, please visit www.suffolk.edu/centennial or call Associate Dean John Deliso at 617.573.8157.

CENTENNIAL NOMINATIONS

As part of the Centennial Celebrations at Suffolk, The Law School Centennial Committee is looking for graduates who, through their work in the law and the community, exemplify the mission of Suffolk Law. We ask for your help in identifying individuals from any point in our history so that we may honor them throughout the course of Suffolk’s Centennial Celebration.

We are interested in a broad view of contributions and service, so please feel free to identify Suffolk University’s "unsung heroes" as well as high-profile individuals. To nominate those whom you believe have contributed to the quality of Suffolk Law School.

Prior to the Centennial celebration, we will have some great alumni events this summer, especially if you are a baseball fan. We have two opportunities to see the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park: on July 17, join us as the Boston Red Sox take on the Kansas City Royals; on August 16, catch the Red Sox playing the Detroit Tigers. Due to the popularity of the games, we will be distributing tickets via a lottery system. For those other Sox, on July 23 join the Chicago Alumni Chapter as the White Sox take on the Texas Rangers in Chicago, Illinois.

Fans of minor league ball can also enjoy a game with fellow alumni. The New Hampshire Alumni Chapter invites you to watch the New Hampshire Fisher Cats play the Trenton Thunder on July 23. On July 30, join the Rhode Island Alumni Chapter as the Pawtucket Red Sox take on the Buffalo Bisons. In Lowell, you can watch the Lowell Spinners challenge the Tri-City Valley Cats on August 20.

If you enjoy the finer things in life, consider joining the Rhode Island Chapter for a wine tasting and reception at the Newport Winery in Middletown, Rhode Island on June 25. On July 15, the Boston Alumni Chapter invites you to enjoy a sunset schooner sail in Salem, Massachusetts. Later in the summer, the Boston Alumni Chapter will be hosting an afternoon at Tanglewood with a post-concert reception on August 13. Looking ahead to the fall, if you live in the Washington DC area, you might be interested in attending a Suffolk Law faculty panel discussion hosted by the Washington DC Alumni Chapter on October 18.

ANNUAL ALUMNI AWARDS DINNER HONORS DAVID J. SARGENT

Please make a special point to hold the date of November 16, 2006 on your calendar. The Alumni Association will hold its Annual Alumni Awards Dinner that evening, and the honoree will be David J. Sargent. It will be a wonderful opportunity to congratulate and thank him for his lifetime of service to the Law School and the University, as professor of law, dean, and now president of Suffolk University.

I hope you have a relaxing and refreshing summer, and I look forward to seeing you at these alumni events and Centennial programs.

Robert H. Smith

Dean and Professor of Law