I am sittng in my office this morning, about an hour before we robe to march in the commencement procession.  It is always a moving experience, even during rain, snow and other bleak weather.  However, today we have bright cool sunshine - a magnificent Vermont spring morning.  The rain is not due to arrive until late afternoon.  The graduates, faculty and board of trustees line up on campus and then process (led by bagpipes) one block up the street to the town green.  A huge tent that seats 1,000 guests is set up on the green and most of the guests and town residents line the sidewalk, cheering and waving.

After the ceremonies, we all hug and greet families of our new grads and sample the great Vermont cuisine set up throughout the campus for the post-event receptions.  We are so proud of our grads, excited to see them move onward, yet will miss them on campus - until the new class enrolls this fall!

As the Admissions Dean, my first thoughts are always on the entering class.  I need the grads to move on so that there is room for “my” class to arrive - we need classrooms, parking, housing, etc.  It’s all the cycle of time.

Congratulations to all the grads - you have done well at VLS.  Now you are ready to go back into the work and do good.

This semester has gone by so fast.  The snow has melted (finally), the grass is green and flowers are blooming.  I had the snow tires taken off of the car last week, which improves gas mileage.

We are in the middle of exams.  It is 2:30 in the afternoon.  A 3rd year student just walked down the sidewalk with a 12 pack of beer and a bag of chips.  He must have just finished his last exam.  At the same time, a first year just walked by the office, bent over with a back pack loaded with books, a large thermos and bag of food.  She is headed to one of the designated study rooms for a marathon session.

As we begin to say farewell to the new graduates, the entering students are visiting the campus - becoming oriented to the area and settling on housing choices.  In Admissions, we still are balancing the candidates on the wait list.  I plan to begin reviewing these candidates again next week to get decisions out to them.

For the last 5 years, I have created a Yahoo page for the entering class, providing a forum for the new students to get to know each other on-line during the summer.  Many people have been telling me that I really needed to create facebook page for the class this year.  I had never used facebook, so kept putting it off.  Finally, I mentioned it to one of our network administrators and he said that he would look around to see what was already created for VLS.  To our delight, we found a page has been created by Brandon Gillen, a member of the entering class - and he has given me permission to share the information with the entering class.  So, you can now go to the facebook group:  Vermont Law School - Class of 2011.  Over the summer, we will continue to add campus photos, orientation information, housing updates, etc.

You haven’t heard much from the Admissions Office lately - and that is because we are reading files!  The application deadline was March 1; literally hundreds of candidates submitted application within a 2 day period at the deadline.  Then, all of their LSDAS resports arrived simultaneously in the office about March 20th.  They were delivered to the Admissions Office in a cart because they were too heavy to carry!  So, now we are reading files and getting decisions out in the mail as fast as we can.

So, what is happening with the wait list???  The first application deadline is April 18th.  Therefore, the last week of April, we will make decisions regarding how wait list files will be reviewed.

Thank you for your patience - We truly appreciate your commitment and interest in VLS!!

Last week financial aid awards were in the mail. Every admitted student with a complete application (FAFSA, VLS Institutional Application and 2007 Federal Tax Return) was packaged. We are now working on the next round of awards which should go in the mail by this Friday. It is not too late to get in your financial aid paperwork. If you have questions, please feel free to call, email or stop by.

What a day to write my first financial aid blog of the year. It is beautiful and I find myself looking outside and thinking Spring is coming! Inside, the Financial Aid Office is really busy, which is expected. Visitors are stopping by and the phones are ringing off the hook.

The award process has begun and by next week, we will have all applicants awarded who have complete files. Remember, a complete file requires you to submit a FAFSA and Institutional Application. We also need a copy of your 2008 Federal Tax Return.

We will continue updates on this blog as where we are with awarding. Please feel free to call us if you have questions. Enjoy your weekend!

Today is March 1st - Very important for several reasons.  First of all, today is the “suggested” deadline for applications to all programs at the law school.  The admissions office has been crazy this week as we man the phones and e-mails, responding to candidates who are submitted last minute applications.  We are explaining to one and all that the deadline is not “drop-dead”, we will still gladly accept applications that arrive in the office over the nest few weeks.  Please don’t spend a fortune on expedited mailing services.  If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to call the office next week.

Personally, I always hope that reaching March 1st means that we are headed toward Spring.  Yes, we have longer daylight hours - which is very nice.  However, the snow has not abated.  A new storm arrived from the west overnight, we have about 6 new inches of snow with another 3 or 4 inches predicted within the next 24 hours.  According to the local news report, February was the snowiest month ever in Vermont, with a total of 43 inches in Burlington.  Our area (about 70 miles southeast) always receives more snow because of higher altitude, etc.  However, the road plows have been out in force this morning and the roads appear to be very passable.  At the same time, I plan to not venture too far abroad today.  Lots of application files to read

I am not in the habit of watching the Today show in the mornings, but made an exception this morning.  They are broadcasting live from Sugar Bush, a ski resort about 40 miles north of the law school.  It’s a postcard perfect winter day in Vermont with temps in the single digits, a bright blue clear sky and many feet of beautiful white snow.  I only was able to see about 45 minutes before coming to work, but it was great advertising for the region!

In case you have not clicked on the “News” items on the website, we have lots going on at the law school!  Two exciting speakers are on campus this week.  Tonight is Professor Jerold Kayden from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.  He will be addressing Eminent Domain, Constitutional Review and Public Attitudes.  We all remember a local case in 2005 where a nearby city exercised it’s power of eminent domain to take a sing;e-family house against the will of the owner to advance citywide economic development interests.

Tomorrow night’s speaker is Bruce Babbitt, chairman of the board of the World Wildlife Fund and former interior secretary under President Clinton.  He is the keynote address for the two day symposium on Confronting Climate Change, sponsored by the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law and the Vermont Law Review, our two student journals.

The VLS Board of Trustees are on campus for a day-long board meeting tomorrow.  Many members of the board will participate in these two presentations.

I know that I talk about it quite a bit on the blog, but it is amazing each semester to see the inspiring calendar of speakers, events and programs we have on the campus.  Too much to absorb!

She said yes!!

Best wishes to Raven and Anselm for a long and happy life together.

As can be imagined, many romantic relationships are formed in Vermont.  During the cold dark months of winter, falling in love keeps the heart warm and happy.  We enjoy tracking the VLS couples - the Advancement Office even sends them homemade valentines cards.

One such couple is very special.  She was a student in the JD program, he worked in the community and was friends with a number of the students.  After she graduated they both ended up in DC where they both work.  He has fallen madly in love with her and wants to ask her to marry him.  We are all waiting for her Valentine’s Day response.

How Romantic!