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Phi, as well as honors from the law students themselves, including Graduation Banquet speaker in 2012 and 2019 and Commencement Hooder from 2012 to present. He has also remained active in the state’s law community through SBAND as a member of the Joint Committee on Attorney Standards, presently serving as committee chair. Since 2011, he has coordinated and moderated the Vogel Lecture program for the SBAND Annual Meeting, as well as presented. McGinniss has also been involved with the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of North Dakota and SBAND’s District Inquiry Committees through various trainings, reviews, and discussions of the lawyer discipline system. Stepping into the Role of Dean McGinniss says he believes legal education should focus on the success and well-being of students in the short-term as well as long- term impacts, including bar passage and preparation for professional life. “I strongly embrace the reality that changes in our national and regional landscape for legal education, and for higher education generally, will require continued innovation and flexibility in both the content and delivery of courses, yet always consistent with sound principles of effective teaching and learning.” His areas of focus as he steps into the role of dean include restoring clinical education to the school’s curriculum, while also extending its reach and service to western North Dakota. In addition, McGinniss would like to increase support for the school’s Rural Justice Program and expand field placements to locations across the state. “I also aim to expand our energy law curriculum, as well as other courses that will help meet the legal needs of our state, such as additional criminal and family law electives.” McGinniss says he will also work closely with the UND Alumni Association and Foundation to increase merit-based scholarship endowments. “This will help in recruiting and retaining students from North Dakota and elsewhere to continue teaching and training the next generation of North Dakota lawyers and judges.” Facing the Challenges While the law school faces many challenges, McGinniss says the need to recover from the deep and consequential impacts of significant budget cuts in recent years and a very competitive environment for recruiting and retaining law students in the region are at the top of his list. “I intend to approach these challenges by being a strong and effective advocate for us among all of our stakeholders about the critical importance of North Dakota’s Law School to the future of our state and in providing the benefit of legal assistance and justice for its citizens, and being a servant leader who builds a positive and rewarding culture at the UND School of Law that will promote the dedication of each person, student, staff, and faculty to our common enterprise of excellence in legal education.” The Future McGinniss says he has great confidence in the future of the UND School of Law because of the support the school has consistently McGinniss joined the faculty at the School of Law in 2010. received. “I have great confidence in the generous and gracious support we have from our alumni and our bench and bar, who love UND and are committed to helping us succeed, together, in overcoming the challenges we face,” he says. “It will require a total team effort from all who care about the law school and its future, and I am fully committed to providing the best leadership I can to draw out the very best from everyone in this worthy endeavor.” “I am humbled and honored by this opportunity to serve and lead our UND School of Law,” McGinniss continues. “We are proud of our culture of caring about students and their success and our strong bond with the North Dakota legal community. With the help of our alumni and our bench and bar, we will continue to provide excellence in legal education for the good of our students and our state.” MAIXNER INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES “Real” investigative experience gained from being employed for 37 years as a Special Agent with the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation Offering thorough and professional services that include: • Case review • Case investigation • Exceptional interviewing skills • Polygraph services DALE MAIXNER NDPI #550 [email protected] 701-721-7306 Minot, N.D. SPRING 2019 13