Albany Law Celebrates Graduates, Faculty, Professionals at 155th Commencement
Date: 05/22/2006

Albany Law School faculty, staff, and graduates and their families gathered Friday, May 19 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), Saratoga Springs, N.Y. for the School's 155^th Commencement. Of the 265 graduates, 254 received the Juris Doctor (J.D.); nine the Master of Law and Letters (LL.M.); and two the Master of Science in Legal Studies (M.S.). 

Graduates were addressed by Michael Garcia—U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and class of 1989 valedictorian—who offered his personal trade secret for success: "Whichever road you choose, uphold the high standards of the bar, remember where you came from, and, as much as you possibly can, enjoy the adventure."

Garcia's 16-year career has led him to numerous victories in counter-terrorism and national security, including the convictions of four Al Qaeda members who conspired with Osama Bin Laden in the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania; the World Trade Center in 1993; and the planting of bombs aboard American passenger airlines in the Far East.

"They were terrific cases because I believed in what I was doing," said Garcia, who throughout his career has been nominated by President George W. Bush to the posts of Acting Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, among other titles.

Graduates were also briefly addressed by The Honorable George Bundy Smith, Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals, and this year's recipient of an Albany Law School honorary doctor of law degree.

"This is a singular honor and one I will always cherish," Smith said. "Being a lawyer is a privilege and one of its singular demands is service."

President and Dean Thomas F. Guernsey surprised three faculty members for their contribution in each of the respective award categories:

• Professor Stephen Gottlieb was awarded the Albany Law School 2006 Distinguished Educator for Excellence in Scholarship. Gottlieb's work over the past several decades includes original and influential studies in constitutional law, law and social change, and jurisprudence. His book on the Rehnquist Court has earned him national recognition as a constitutional law scholar.
• Associate Lawyering Professor Alicia Ouellette was awarded the Albany Law School 2006 Distinguished Educator for Excellence in Service. Her commitment of time, energy, enthusiasm, expertise and passion for her work were most recently demonstrated as she performed pro bono work in preparing a 46-page amicus brief that was formally filed recently in the Court of Appeals on behalf of 132 New York law professors in support of same-sex couples who are seeking the right to marry. She was also recognized for her tireless efforts to implement the J.D./M.S. Bioethics joint degree, offered in conjunction with Albany Medical College, The Graduate College of Union University and the nationally acclaimed Alden March Bioethics Institute.
• Professor Timothy Lytton was awarded the Albany Law School 2006 Distinguished Educator for Excellence in Teaching. In addition to holding significant academic achievements, including a book published by the University of Michigan, Lytton is described by his students as a brilliant, funny and caring professor who generates excitement and curiosity among his students, and often as one of the best professors they've ever had.

Dean Guernsey also announced the elevated rank of the following faculty from associate professors to professors with tenure:

• Stephen Clark
• Patrick M. Connors
• James Thuo Gathii
• Lenese C. Herbert
• Gregory Mandel

Faculty members Jenean Taranto and Evelyn Tenenbaum were elevated in rank from Associate Lawyering Professors to Lawyering Professors.

Professor Gregory Mandel was named Albany Law School's Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship, a newly-created position for the school.

Professor James Thuo Gathii was named the Governor George E. Pataki Professor in International Commercial Law.

The awards portion of the ceremony ended with the Friend of the Class of 2006 award, presented to Henry Clay, a cafeteria employee, by Teodoro Siguenza, President. The Class of 2006 chose Clay for his commitment to Albany Law students' nutrition and health, an important aspect during their time on campus for the past three years.

Siguenza also presented the Class Gift, a $7,000 endowment to the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP)—a loan subsidy/loan forgiveness program for recent graduates who enter the public interest field. Siguenza said that class contribution this year was 43 percent.

Click here to view the full program from Albany Law's 155^th Commencement.

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