Rand Concludes Service as
UND School of Law Dean
By Rob Carolin, Director,
Alumni & Public Relations
UND School of Law
University of North Dakota President Mark
Kennedy said it best when he called the
UND School of Law a “cornerstone” of the
University of North Dakota.
and private funding for, and complete
construction of, a $14.4 million major
addition to and renovation of the existing
law school building.
Since 2009, this cornerstone program has
been by guided by the outstanding leadership
of Dean Kathryn R. L. Rand. On July 31,
Rand concluded her service as leader of the
state’s only law school. The project was ambitious both in scope
relative to the budget and in deadline.
Rand promised students they would be
displaced only for a single academic year.
With an extraordinary collective effort, the
building project was completed on budget
and on time, resulting in a state-of-the-art
professional education setting for UND’s law
students.
“I have been honored to give back to the
University that has given so much to me,”
said Rand, a 1990 UND graduate. “My
commitment to UND and the School of
Law won’t end with my deanship, as I will
return to my role as a full-time faculty
member.” Under Rand’s leadership, the law
school underwent one of the smoothest
reaccreditation processes and earned the
cleanest accreditation report in law school
history – the educational program, student
services, faculty, and library all met required
standards.
Rand, who also serves as the Floyd B. Sperry
Professor of Law, was selected as permanent
dean via a national search in 2011, following
successive appointments as acting dean in
2009 and interim dean in 2010. She was
the first permanent female dean in the
school’s 119-year history. Her nearly 10 years
of service as dean ranks her as one of the
longest-serving law deans in the country. Development of a new law curriculum is
another of the major accomplishments
achieved by Rand and the law faculty. In
recent years, UND Law has received national
attention for its curricular innovations and
distinctive programs, including the Rural
Justice Program.
A capstone accomplishment during
Rand’s tenure was her effort to secure state
Rand pictured with Chief Justice
VandeWalle after he delivered the
commencement address to the Class
of 2012.
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THE GAVEL
“This has been a labor of love for me,” said
Rand. “When I started as dean, I promised
to work on the building project, successful
reaccreditation, and supporting the faculty in
Rand giving the command to raise the
final steel beam at the topping off
ceremony held at the new School of Law
building construction site in November
2014.
Rand in her first photo as interim dean in 2009.
re-envisioning the curriculum. I’m delighted
to have shared in those successes.”
As North Dakota’s only law school,
Rand took to heart the importance of the
connection between the school and the state
it serves.
“Under her leadership, the law school has
developed a wonderful partnership with
the North Dakota courts and the State Bar
Association of North Dakota (SBAND),”
said Darcie Einarson, SBAND past
president. “She has helped to improve the
delivery of legal services in our state on a
number of levels.”
President Robert Kelley,
Dean Rand, and Drew
Wrigley cut the ribbon at the
dedication ceremony of the
new School of Law building
on Oct. 9, 2015.
Rand successfully officiated 10 law school
commencement ceremonies, which
included a total of nearly 800 graduates.