Dean Brand Profiled in San Francisco Attorney Magazine
Dec. 20, 2007 -- In the winter issue of San Francisco Attorney magazine, USF School of Law Dean Jeff Brand recounts a life-changing experience: While he was teaching at USF in 1993, six Cambodians arrived at the School of Law to continue legal training that had been halted by the Khmer Rouge regime. The following year Brand traveled to Cambodia and "became deeply engaged in international law and developing countries," he told the magazine. The focus of his research turned to international law, human rights, and constitutional law, and he was named dean in 1999.
Click the cover to read the full article on Dean Brand.
Brand is featured in the magazine, which is published by the San Francisco Bar Association, as part of a series of profiles of Bay Area law school deans. The profile highlights the progress the USF School of Law has made in recent years in upgrading facilities and sharpening its focus on mission.
"The focus is on academic excellence and rigor, and training great, skilled, ethical professionals," Brand said in the interview. "But we also emphasize an engagement in the community so students can have another lens to view the world."
In addition to the profile of Brand, the magazine featured USF School of Law Director of Admissions Alan Guerrero in a roundtable discussion on diversity in law school admissions. Speaking with administrators from other Bay Area law schools, Guerrero articulated the strategies the school has put in place to increase the diversity of the student body and improve retention. Students of color account for 44 percent of this year's entering class, he said.
"The reality is that the legal profession needs to reflect our community," Guerrero said. "In order for us to provide services to our community, people of color tend to be more comfortable going to people of color."
The magazine also includes a profile of Cupcake Brown '01, author of the bestselling memoir A Piece of Cake.
