Dean's Message to Our Community

22 Jul 2021    

Dear College of Law Community,

You may have heard about the proposed resolution to the Board of Regents regarding critical race theory. University President Ted Carter and the four Chancellors of NU’s campuses have released a related statement that I fully support. It is their role to work with the Board of Regents on behalf of the University, so I will not say anything here specifically about the proposed resolution and will rely on our university leadership to appropriately protect academic freedom and UNL’s commitment to diversity.

That said, I do want to speak to broader concerns that have been raised to me directly from members of the law school community. In doing so, I must emphasize that the Nebraska Law faculty is committed to teaching critical thought, analysis, and reasoning. These skills are foundational to legal education and effective lawyering, and in my view they cannot be taught in ways that ignore considerations of race, justice, and equality.

Examining theories and arguments from all angles - identifying their strengths and weaknesses - happens in each of our classrooms and will continue to happen in each of our classrooms every day. We will continue to discuss and debate our system of laws and the best ways to interpret those laws in light of our history and the impact of that history on today’s world. It is only through these types of rigorous exchanges that we will develop leaders who are truly inclusive and who fulfill our commitment to advancing justice. 

I hope your summer is going well. I am very much looking forward to your return in a few weeks. Until then, please take care and be well.