The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law announced a new initiative on\u00a0Tuesday\u00a0to establish a goal\u00a0of 100 percent bar passage and 100 percent professional employment placement among its new law school graduates.<\/span><\/p>\n The announcement by S.J Quinney College of Law Dean Robert Adler came at the grand opening ceremony for the University of Utah\u2019s newest building on campus, a state-of-the art law school designed to enhance innovation in legal education, bolster community service and provide students with new opportunities for skills training. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Gov. Gary Herbert and U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch joined University of Utah President David W. Pershing and Adler in dedicating the facility. Other dignitaries also attended the dedication of the building.<\/span><\/p>\n Adler said the initiative builds on the law school\u2019s already high bar passage rate of 90 percent and professional employment rate of 92 percent for the Class of 2014 \u2014numbers that are significantly higher than other national averages across the country among law students.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur students deserve no less,\u201d said Adler. \u201cThis initiative will be backed up by very concrete strategies to give students every opportunity and every tool to succeed.\u201d According to Adler, those strategies include<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>practicing lawyer mentor to every student through the college’s Mentor U program; n<\/span>ew incubator programs and rural lawyer placement to help graduates connect with employment opportunities in underserved communities; and a<\/span>n intensive student-faculty learning opportunity for every student through one-on-one or small group work will also be happening more at the law school.<\/span><\/p>\n But Adler noted that affordability is also a major strategy in meeting the 100\/100 goal, so students can focus on studying and graduate with less debt. The law school recently funded at $1.4 million endowment to fund scholarships for environmental law students and new scholarship funds to honor law school alumni and emeritus faculty.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>The law school\u2019s impressive facility will help to lead U students into a new future as they pursue a legal education, said Pershing.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis new, sustainable home for the S.J. Quinney College of Law is the embodiment of the exceptional and innovative education that will be offered within its walls. It will facilitate additional clinical programs, experiential learning, collaborative research and community engagement, while providing an impressive gateway to the U campus,\u201d said Pershing. \u201cWe are grateful and excited for this stunning new resource at the University of Utah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The grand opening of the building recognized the completion of the building, which has been under construction for two years. It is designed to be a LEED platinum building, an acronym that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The designation is awarded to buildings that meet standards of being green efficient in their design. The U\u2019s law school is the first on the West Coast designed to earn such a designation.<\/span><\/p>\n The Alternative Visions Fund of the Chicago Community Trust, a longtime supporter of the college\u2019s Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment, provided $4.5 million towards the purchase of sustainable building infrastructure. As a result of this generous support, the college has been able to incorporate sustainability features that will serve as examples to other building projects on the campus of the University of Utah, the community, and the nation.<\/span><\/p>\n These features and methods include:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n The building will also incorporate passive energy strategies that reduce overall energy consumption through the performance of the building:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0In addition, the building will also achieve energy savings through the integration of more efficient energy-using systems including:<\/b><\/p>\n The building has already garnered two awards for its innovative features. Lead architect Sean Thompson of the VCBO\/Smith Group architecture team received a Community Justice Award from the Disability Law Center for the building\u2019s universal accessibility design. Energy engineer Steve Connor from Coleman Engineering was also a finalist for the Governor\u2019s energy innovation award for its unique use of groundwater to help air condition the building using groundwater from a campus well.<\/span><\/p>\n Besides its environmental merits, the new building will be used to expand the college\u2019s already substantial commitment to community service and community-engaged learning. University of Utah law\u00a0students provided almost\u00a040,000 hours of\u00a0volunteer pro bono and clinical service during the 2014-15 academic year. The new building will enable the school to continue this tradition\u00a0by providing\u00a0facilities for direct client interaction.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLegal education is increasingly moving in the direction of applied, hands-on learning,\u201d said Adler. \u201cWe have been a leader in that area for many years, but in ways that balance legal theory, doctrine, and analysis with practical skills. This new facility will allow us to build on that excellence with dedicated simulation training facilities, room for our service learning programs, and cutting edge technology for skills training.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The $62.5 million building will provide accessibility for people with a full range of disabilities. Located at the southwest corner of campus across from the Rice-Eccles Stadium Light Rail (TRAX) station, the building will establish a welcoming gateway for visitors to the campus.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAlumni, students, and the community are thrilled about the beautiful new building for the College of Law, and are particularly proud of the sustainability efforts put into its LEED design,\u201d said Michele Ballantyne, president elect of the S.J. Quinney College of Law Alumni Board of Trustees. \u201cThe one-of-a-kind classrooms, study, and program areas will provide an atmosphere where the students can thrive and the college\u2019s programs can flourish and become even more visible nationally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The building has received generous support from the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation, the University of Utah, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Alternative Visions Fund of the Chicago Community Trust as well as a growing number of law firms and individual donors.<\/span><\/p>\n Big-D Construction\u00a0completed work on the 155,000-square-foot building.<\/span><\/p>\n At Tuesday\u2019s event, Gov.Herbert and Sen.Hatch praised the University of Utah and the S.J. Quinney College of Law for preparing the state\u2019s future legal community.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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