A letter to the Space, Cyber, and National Security Law Program Community from Elsbeth Magilton:
I have been the Executive Director of the Space, Cyber, and National Security Law program at the University of Nebraska College of Law since September of 2012 – almost 13 years! Starting this summer, I’m stepping away from my leadership role within the Space Law program and moving solely to a lecturer teaching position with the College.
While I’ll no longer be a part of the program’s leadership, I’ll be in our classrooms teaching ‘U.S. Space Law and Policy’ and will continue to supervise student research and concentrations in the area. My research also continues, centered on space law and experiential legal education, spanning multiple grants and several articles presently in progress.
This is all to say, I’ll still be a part of the Space, Cyber, and National Security Law Program, teaching and researching, but will leave behind the critical work of managing, promoting, and developing the program. Our faculty Director, Professor Jack Beard, and our Associate Director Lauren Bydalek, have the task well in hand. It’s been a pleasure to work with this team over the past few years. Associate Director Bydalek will be supported by Associate Dean Tasha Everman, who has stepped in to oversee this work, as well as serve as a resource to our alumni and students. Dean Everman is longtime supporter of the space law program and I’m so touched by her willingness to shift back into a more active role in the program.
In 2022 I added the role of Director of Externships to my work and started teaching, but I held on to my Executive Directorship in space law. However, now is the time to focus more fully on teaching and contributing to this community in different ways. As our Externship program’s inaugural Director I have developed a new experiential learning curriculum for law students. I teach the general externship course, the nonprofit board service course, and my real passion project, a ‘Public Speaking for Attorneys’ class.
I am so excited to focus the entirety of my work directly on serving our students and this scholarly community!
I am so grateful to the founding director, Professor Matt Schaefer, for giving me the chance back in the summer of 2012, and to Dean Richard Moberly and Associate Dean Molly Brummond for being my supporters and guides for so many years here.
To our other faculty, alumni, and partners – thank you for your trust, cooperation, energy, and interest over the years. I don’t even have the words.
I will still be in D.C. this fall at our conference, but this time only as a panel moderator. Not as an organizer, student guide, or host. I’ll do my best to stay in my chair.
