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Law schools are more than academic institutions—they are committed to serving our society.
Our mission is rooted in the belief that legal education of law students and our broader community is essential to a functioning society and to fostering civic knowledge and engagement.
As the dean of a public law school in Indiana, I am proud that our school both educates future lawyers—transforming law students into lawyers—and educates our community about the law.
The three pillars of IU McKinney’s strategic plan are student success, transformational research and service to the state of Indiana and beyond.
While the principal role of our law school is to educate students who will become the next generation of legal professionals who serve our city, state, nation, and world, providing education about the law to our broader and legal community is also an important component of our service to the state and national community.
As we prepare students to become ethical, thoughtful, and principled leaders, advocates, judges, businesspeople, and public servants, our responsibility extends beyond the classroom. In fulfillment of that role, we host educational gatherings open to the legal and public community.
Throughout this past month, our law school hosted a series of events that exemplify this role.
On Sept. 9, we welcomed Kellye Testy, executive director and CEO of the Association of American Law Schools, to deliver the James P. White Lecture on Legal Education.
Her remarks honored the legacy of the late Professor White who, during his 50-year career, was a national and international leader in legal education and a tireless advocate for academic excellence and access to justice.
Ms. Testy shared her knowledge, insights, and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing legal education today—from affordability to fiscal pressures to the promise and perils of technological advances. She reminded the audience that law schools must remain committed to their role of providing excellent legal education to our students.
Just days later, on Sept. 17, our law school commemorated Constitution Day with a faculty-led panel discussion of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions titled “Constitutional Duties, Wrongs, and Rights: Reflections on Current Legal Interpretations.”
The cases examined—United States v. Skrmetti, Trump v. CASA, Trump v. Wilcox, Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission, and Lackey v. Stinnie—address fundamental questions of civil rights, federalism, and the separation of powers.
These discussions are not merely academic; they are essential to helping our students and our community to understand the ways in which the law evolves and in which constitutional principles are interpreted and applied in real time.
Looking ahead, we are honored to host a special program on Sept. 26 in partnership with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
Titled “The 14th Amendment, Then and Now,” this gathering will explore the enduring significance of one of the Constitution’s most transformative amendments. Moderated by Judge James P. Hanlon, the panel will feature distinguished scholars including Kate Masur of Northwestern University and Steve Sanders of IU Maurer School of Law.
Our October programs will continue this practice of providing legal education and education about law.
On Oct. 3, our student-run Indiana Law Review will host its annual symposium, “Checks and Imbalances: A Discussion on the Separation of Powers.”
This timely event will bring together leading scholars from across the country, including our own Professor Gerard Magliocca, to consider the powers and limits of each branch of government and the implications for our system when one branch infringes on the other.
Later that month, we will welcome Jay Berman, former chief of staff to Sen. Birch Bayh, for the Annual Birch Bayh Lecture. Mr. Berman’s presentation, “Birch Bayh’s Senate Legacy: A View from Inside the Room Where It Happened,” will offer a rare window into the legislative process and the enduring impact of Bayh’s work, including his authorship of multiple amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Finally, IU McKinney is proud to launch a new Rule of Law lecture series. The inaugural program will feature a keynote address by Professor Akhil Reed Amar of Yale Law School. His talk, “Abraham Lincoln and the Rule of Law,” will explore the ways in which Lincoln’s leadership during the Civil War helped preserve the Constitution and the Union and helped shape the modern understanding of legal authority.
Professor Amar’s scholarship has been cited by Supreme Court justices in more than 50 cases, and his insights promise to inspire the IU McKinney community as well as members of the legal and broader community.
These events are not isolated occurrences—they fulfill our school’s role as a living resource for law-focused education, reflecting our commitment to fostering informed debate, encouraging civic participation, and promoting constitutional literacy.•
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Karen E. Bravo is the dean and Gerald L. Bepko professor of law at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
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