Chair's Column
continued from page 2
basis, filed an amicus brief in on behalf of the College in the Wellness International case. Both cases raised important issues relating to the jurisdiction of bankruptcy courts and the efficient administration of bankruptcy cases.
Education. The College has updated the administration of its highly regarded international law course given at twelve law schools in the United States and Mexico. The course is now housed at St. John's University Law School and will be administered by Professor Ray Warner. The International Committee chaired by Charles Case, has formed a new Supervisory Committee to oversee the recruitment of law schools and remote faculty members so as to increase the participation of Fellows in the process; to create a new financial model for the course; to review the course from a strategic perspective; and to explore a partnership with the International Insolvency Institute.
More than 100 Fellows now belong to the International Committee. The College is funding an update of the Second Edition of "International Cooperation in Bankruptcy and Insolvency Matters," written by Bob Wessels, Bruce Markell, and Jason Kilborn, and will host its International Fellow dinner at the annual meeting on Saturday, March 14, 2015.
The College's domestic education programs are continuing throughout the
country. Almost every Circuit has had a College-sponsored educational program over the past two years. Under the leadership of Rich Mikels, more than 70 Fellows have actively driven the work of the Education Committee in running these programs. Programs sponsored by the College include the following: Ponzi schemes; bankruptcy issues facing state court judges; consumer bankruptcy practice; chapter 9 (municipal debt adjustment); chapter 15 (cross-border cases); and a novel bankruptcy negotiation competition. To educate law students about bankruptcy practice, the Committee has also created materials that will be available to students throughout the country. At virtually all educational programs, the College has funded social events for Fellows.
Other Developments.
• The College has funded the publication of Ken Klee's updated book on bankruptcy cases in the U.S. Supreme Court; it will be published by year end and will be available to Fellows at a substantial discount.
• The Distinguished Service Award Committee has selected Richard Levin and Ken Klee as the 2015 recipients of its Distinguished Services Award at our Annual Meeting in Washington on March 13, 2015; both of these Fellows were the principal draftsmen of the Bankruptcy Code and have had distinguished careers over the past 35 years.
• The National Bankruptcy
Archives, housed at the University of Pennsylvania, will continue to be supported by the College despite the withdrawal of funding by LexisNexis; we continue to search for alternative sources of funding.
• The Foundation, chaired by Mark Bloom, will now oversee the Pro Bono Committee chaired by Jim Baillie, and fund its grants with support from the College; this will enable the Foundation to consider future long-term projects for the Committee.
• The new Finance Committee, chaired by Treasurer Melissa Kibler Knoll, has helped develop our 2015 budget, a new insurance program and a new expense reimbursement policy; for the next year, it will work to consider new sources of revenue.
Strategic Planning. Stephen Lerner is chairing the College's Strategic Planning Committee, which is tasked with helping the Board chart the College's course over the next decade. The Committee has just circulated to all Fellows a thoughtful survey probing our views on admissions, governance and leadership. We expect a preliminary report in early 2015.
* * *
These are only the highlights of the College's activities. We welcome your continued suggestions and thank you for your many contributions.