Western Law Alumni Magazine Issue 4 -2009 : Page 2
A Message from the Dean WITH A LAW DEGREE AND AMBITION (AND A WILLINGNESS TO WORK HARD!), ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. DEAN IAN HOLLOWAY COLLECTIVE MEMORY IS THE GLUE THAT HOLDS ANY COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND ANNIVERSARIES ARE THE MEDIUM BY WHICH A COMMUNITY DEVELOPS ITS SENSE OF MEMORY. That is why it is such a delight to write my message for the 2009 issue of our alumni magazine. We have just begun a year-long celebration of the law school’s Golden Anniversary, and this year’s magazine aims to give all of us who belong to the Western Law family an opportunity not only to indulge in nostalgia, but also to know our community a little bit better. We invited alumni, former deans, and current faculty and students to off er their own refl ections on their time at Western Law. Not surprisingly, one of the themes that emerged from their quotes was the emphasis on the law school as a community, a place where lasting friendships are formed. And to accompany those memories, we have (with the kind assistance of Western’s photo archivist Alan Noon) dug up some wonderful images from the law school’s past. This year’s magazine also covers a tremendous amount of ground in terms of the present. I was particularly pleased when we decided to profi le alumni who have used their legal education not to become leaders of Bench or Bar, but rather as the foundation of an entrepreneurial career in business. When I talk to prospective law students, I often say that one of the great things about a law degree is that it opens so many doors. These profi les stand in wonderful proof of the fact that with a law degree and ambition (and a willingness to work hard!), anything is possible. 2 2009 WESTERN LAW ALUMNI MAGAZINE Western Law has become a much more research-focused school of late. In this issue we’re giving you a glimpse of some very interesting research being done by Professors Craig Brown and Sara Seck on the legal challenge of reckoning with the eff ects of climate change. We also profi le Prof. Robert Solomon and the important work he is doing on impaired driving legislation, and we highlight exciting developments taking place in the area of public law and legal philosophy. The great Nova Scotian statesman, Joseph Howe, once said “a wise nation preserves its records, repairs its great public structures and fosters national pride and love of country, by perpetual reference to sacrifi ces and glories of the past.” This year’s magazine is in its own way an echo of Howe’s admonition. Western Law is a great school. But as the pages that follow show, what makes us great is not only our present, but also our past. As a closing note, I am pleased to tell you that the 2008 Western Law Alumni magazine received an award from the International Association of Business Communicators. That was a tribute to all who are involved in the production of the magazine, especially Susanna Eayrs, our Communications Offi cer. Of course I’m biased, but thanks to her, we now have one of the very fi nest law school magazines in North America. Happy Anniversary! Dean Ian Holloway
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