Public Interest Task Force
Mission
The University of Colorado Law School Public Interest Task Force is a group of faculty, administrators and students engaged in the ongoing project of developing and supporting public interest opportunities for all members of our community. The Task Force seeks to engage the remarkable energies and publicly minded goals of our students, faculty and administration to advance the Law School's commitment to public service.
History
In the spring of 2006, the CU Law School faculty and administration approved a Strategic Plan to guide the school's development over the coming years. The Strategic Plan begins with a Mission Statement emphasizing the three goals of Teaching, Scholarship and Public Service. With regard to Public Service, the Law School's Mission declares:
We believe that our faculty and students all have obligations to the Law School, the University, the profession, and the local and global communities for the privilege of being part of an honored endeavor. Moreover, a commitment to service is an ingredient of a full and satisfying life. Accordingly, we will contribute our time and talents in pursuit of our mission in ways that match our individual interests and abilities. As a public institution with a tradition of public service, we will strive to instill in our students an awareness of a lawyer's civic responsibilities and opportunities to serve and lead.
To ensure that this central mission of the Law School received the attention and institutional support necessary to its success, the administration created the Public Interest Task Force in the summer of 2006.
Goals
- Recommend ways to encourage increased participation by our students and other community members in pro bono and public interest projects
- Promote the Loan Repayment Assistance Program and other financial incentives to increase the availability and feasibility of public interest careers
- Assist students who want to pursue public interest careers by supporting the efforts of the Career Services office to this end
- Expand Law School support for teaching and scholarship in public interest law
Public Interest Task Force Members (2006-2007 Academic Year)
Professor Norm Aaronson
Donald Andrews (1L)
Professor Emily Calhoun
Professor Ann England
Erin Gilmer (2L; Public Interest Student Association)
Professor Melissa Hart
Melanie Jordan (1L; LRAP)
Michael Levy (2L)
Mark Loy (3L; Lend-a-Law Student)
Karen Trojanowski, Assoc. Director, Public Sector & Externships, Career Services
Andra Zeppelin (2L; Student Bar Association)
For more information about the Task Force, please contact Melissa Hart.
