Scholarships: Paying It Forward

It was an easy ‘yes’ to the request.”

In 2009, Jon Cole ’76, was asked if he would endow a scholarship at the law school in honor of his mentor, Professor Doug Newell. Last spring, another student of Newell’s, Dan Harmon, gave a matching grant of $100,000 to add to the endowment.

“It was an easy ‘yes’ to the request,” remembers Cole. “My firm was flourishing as one of the leading professional liability defense firms in Southern California and I felt it was time to acknowledge the role of Doug Newell and the law school in my success. There is no way I would be where I am today without Doug’s teaching.”

Cole, a successful trial attorney and founder of Nemeck & Cole, started in law school with little idea of his intellectual abilities. “I was one of the lowest-ranked students in my class,” he said. “I didn’t know I possessed any skills in the law until I prospered under Doug’s tutelage. He taught me how to be a lawyer, to tackle cases, to analyze them and use my talents.”

The Doug Newell Scholarship is one of 28 endowed scholarships that have helped ease tuition costs for many students.

Donor-supported scholarships make the critical difference. They encourage students to choose Lewis & Clark and make it possible for many to stay and graduate with a reduced financial burden. Donors who endow a new scholarship, or contribute to an existing scholarship make a direct impact on a student’s life.