As we wrap up the semester, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the incredible speakers who joined us this fall and share a preview of what’s ahead in the spring.
This semester, we celebrated two inaugural chair lectures, an important tradition that honors scholarly achievement and its lasting impact on our academic community. On Oct. 8, Janet Levit delivered her inaugural lecture as the Frederic Dorwart Chair, exploring the status of reproductive rights on campus, with commentary from Stacey Tovino. On Oct. 25, Johnny Parker presented his groundbreaking work on insurance law in Oklahoma as the Richard F. Chapman Chair. These lectures remind us that chair positions represent a lifetime of scholarship and service, and their inaugural talks mark milestones in the pursuit of academic excellence.
On Oct. 18, we hosted the Seymour Lecture featuring Professor Maria Kohlar of Oklahoma City University, who spoke on felony murder, transferred intent and their implications for the criminal justice system. This lecture series, established by Judge Stephanie K. Seymour’s former clerks, continues to honor her legacy by spotlighting emerging scholars whose passion reflects her own.
November brought two dynamic events: Andrew McCanse Wright, partner at KL Gates and editor of Just Security, discussed the evolution of congressional investigations; and Amy Privette Perko delivered the Justice Dana Kuehn Lecture on NIL and its impact on collegiate athletics, followed by an engaging conversation with our first-year students.
We closed the semester with the B.C. Franklin Lecture featuring Judge Timothy Walmsley, who examined the Ahmaud Arbery case, followed by a thought-provoking panel with John Whittington Franklin, Tiffany Crutcher and Maurice Ruffin. The next day, Mr. Ruffin shared insights from his acclaimed book “The American Daughters.”
All of these events were open to the public and eligible for CLE credit, reinforcing our commitment to community engagement and professional development. In all, we welcomed more than 650 people to campus to share in these events. I want to thank Dick Risk for his continued support of the law school and for making these events possible.
Looking ahead, we have an outstanding spring lineup:
- Kevin Washburn (Berkeley Law) – Tribal Ecology (Date TBA)
- Steve Vladek (Georgetown) -The Shadow Docket (Mar. 3)
- Tulsa Law Review Symposium – Tribal Economic Growth featuring Kathryn Rand (UNLV) (Mar. 6)
Please mark your calendars and join us for these exciting conversations.
Thank you for helping make this semester a success. We look forward to continuing these important dialogues in the months ahead.