A worker walks by the Wolf Law Building. (Photo/Patrick Campbell)

As construction of the Wolf Law Building continues, the CU School of Law welcomed a new Natural Resources Law Center director and a new class of first-year students this month.

Mark Squillace was announced as director of the Natural Resources Law Center on Aug. 10. Squillace will help to grow the center's research, educational programs and interdisciplinary connections with other university departments. Prior to joining CU, he served a three-year term as the Winston S. Howard Professor of Law at the University of Wyoming College of Law. He is a former Fulbright scholar and the author or co-author of numerous articles and books on natural resources and environmental law.

On Aug. 16 more than 160 members of the class of 2008 officially began their CU Law careers during an orientation program at the Fleming Law Building. This highly qualified group from over 90 colleges and universities marks the end of an era for the Law School, with the 178,000 square-foot Wolf Law Building scheduled to open in time to welcome the class of 2009 next fall.

"This will really be a launching point for the school," said Julie Levine, CU Foundation director of development for the Law School. "The faculty, the students and the quality of our programs have always been great and now we will have the facility to match all of that."

In continued support of the building project, the Law School is preparing for the final phase of its private fundraising campaign, hoping to exceed the roughly $3.2 million dollars needed to reach its $12.8 million goal.

"This past fiscal year was the most successful fundraising year in the history of the school, but we've got a big year ahead of us," said Levine. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our alums to be a part of the building, so our appeals over the next year, in addition to our more targeted approaches, will include a broad appeal to everyone."

For additional news and information about the Law School, visit www.colorado.edu/law.