Law Faculty and Assistant Dean Recognized for Leadership and Service

Lawyering Professor Aliza Kaplan, Director of the Law School’s Criminal Justice Reform Clinic and Assistant Dean for Diversity and Academic Resources, J.B. Kim were honored by Lewis & Clark’s Student Leadership and Service (SLS) Award Committee for their leadership skills and dedication to service on the law school campus and in the community.

The SLS Awards are run by the Student Leadership and Services office and honors students, faculty, staff, community partners, and student organizations who have shown exemplary leadership and service during the school year. Originally for the College of Arts and Sciences only, the awards now honor faculty, students, and staff at all three Lewis and Clark campuses.

“We saw these awards as a chance to unite the entire Lewis & Clark community on all three campuses around leadership and community,” stated Harold McNaron, Director of Student Leadership and Service. The annual awards ceremony in April is a chance for the entire Lewis & Clark community to come together and honor each other.

The SLS committee consists of representatives from the undergrad campus, law school campus, and graduate campus and selects the award recipients by ranking the nominations received in each category. Each year the committee brainstorms what leadership and service mean to them and that becomes the criteria utilized for ranking award nominees. This year the committee described leadership and service as “a process for collaborative positive social change and honest commitment to showing up and supporting others without personal gain.”

“I am honored to be receiving an award for just doing my job,” stated Professor Kaplan, who received the Outstanding Faculty Award. “My favorite part of being a professor is my students and my former students. They inspire me every day on so many levels.” Professor Kaplan is the first law school professor to receive this award.

J.B. Kim, who has run the Academic Enhancement Program for the past 12 years, received the Outstanding Staff Award. Kim enjoys her work, helping to recruit and retain diverse law school students, and the law school community at Lewis & Clark. “I help support students in crisis, strengthen academic skills, and work to improve diversity and equity on campus,” Kim stated. “I love working with our students. They are smart, funny, and passionate. I learn so much from their experiences and perspectives.”