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V O L . X X I N O. V I I I A P R I L 2 0 , 2 0 1 5 22 sleeves and say, 'What can we do? What can we do diff erently?' ese folks can change on a dime! at's unheard of in a public institution [laughing], so that is really fabulous. is is a faculty and a staff who are hungry to meet the challenges. And that's why I call it an 'opportunity.' ese are people who are hungry and entrepreneurial. You couldn't ask for anything better. And then you get to what makes any law school exceptional: the students. e students I've met here are stellar, sophisticated and self-directed. So we have here all of the components for a successful law school. And it's my responsibility, as administrator, to do the creative mosaicking of all of those compo- nents to achieve that goal. MB: How would you defi ne a successful law school? DC: A successful law school takes seriously its responsibility to make sure its program of legal education is current. It prepares students not only to practice law but to be part of a team and to be a value-added resource to an enterprise. It empow- ers its students to think entrepreneurially about their career paths, their professional endeavors. And it teaches students how to do that sustainably, by balancing professional responsibilities with per- sonal interests. Finally, I would defi ne a successful law school as one that is highly integrated, highly networked with all constituents in the community, especially when it's the only law school — and a public school, as we are — in the state. What I've found upon being here and speak- ing with the faculty, staff and students, the con- stituents and the friends of the law school, is that they all believe Maine Law serves that important role of being the steward of the conscience of the legal community. at comports very well with my value system. MB: Is there anything the law school can or should be doing to address the problem of succession in some of the state's small towns where there's a single law practice run by one or more lawyers who are ready to retire? DC: Yes. It's that 'Northern Exposure' question: How do encourage young people to consider locating in areas some might consider to be remote? One of the ways you respond to it is that you create loan forgiveness opportunities — or loan under- writing, if you will. Part of the succession planning would involve helping law students reduce their debt load, and be able to go out to these places and perform those needed services. Another way of tackling that debt forgive- ness model is to create a rotating fellows program, post-graduation, where law school graduates would serve three to six months in federal, state and local agencies; and then, three to six months in local law fi rms; and then, three to six months with a nonprofi t, non-governmental organization, or even a startup. In this fellows program, which I'm projecting needs to be a paid program, the money is there to be used to underwrite this debt- forgiveness model. en we have to pitch this to Maine indus- try leaders and tell them, "If you support this, this is going to benefi t all Mainers." It's that public good notion again — because, ultimately, it's their employees and middle managers, it's their suppli- ers, who are going to need legal representation, from one of our graduates. is 'enrollment-to-employment' initiative is meant to respond to the need for succession planning throughout the greater Maine legal community. If we can underwrite those rotational educational experiences for our graduates — and at the same time help them reduce the debt they've incurred by being in law school — we could actually entice them to go out beyond Portland, to service the greater Maine community. MB: What are some of the other initiatives you might be pursuing? DC: Another initiative is to seek out prospective law students very early. And that means creating part- nerships with our public schools, so that we begin to mentor high school age students and become part- ners in their career development and planning well before they enter undergraduate school. We're also working on an initiative with the Muskie Institute. We are reviving our master's in public health and J.D. program. My new associate dean for academic aff airs, Jennifer Wriggins, is going to be off ering health law as a precursor to that. J M C , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . Over The Years, Banking Has Changed Tremendously. Our Commitment To Maine's Financial Institutions Has Not. 1-800-564-0111 | eatonpeabody.com Augusta | Bangor | Brunswick | Ellsworth | Portland We represent all types of cooperative, mutual and stock financial institutions and their a‹liates and subsidiaries. We provide corporate, operational, regulatory and governance advice and assistance, including mergers and acquisitions, complex compliance matters and sophisticated commercial lending. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E

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