WMU-Cooley Law School affiliation subject of next Keystone Breakfast

KALAMAZOO—The president of Western Michigan University and the chair of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s board of directors will be the next presenters as WMU continues its 2013-14 Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series.

Dr. John M. Dunn, president of WMU, and Lawrence P. Nolan, chair of the Cooley board, will speak at 8 a.m. Friday, March 28, in 2150 Schneider Hall, delivering a presentation titled "The WMU and Cooley Law School Affiliation."

The event is free and open to the public and begins with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Reservations are required and can be made at wmich.edu/business/keystone-rsvp or by calling (269) 387-6059. Free parking is available in the nearby Fetzer Center parking lot.

WMU-Cooley affiliation

In 2013, WMU entered into an affiliation agreement with Cooley, paving the way for the law school to become the WMU Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Serving as a platform for a variety of new programs, the affiliation will help leverage both schools’ common commitment to access, applied research and professional preparation in a way that will benefit current and future students, alumni of both schools, and citizens of the region.

The affiliation agreement builds on a long and successful relationship between the two schools that includes existing graduate dual-degree programs and shared physical facilities for a time in the Grand Rapids area. Cooley and WMU already offer three dual degree programs leading to:

• A Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration degree,
• Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration degree, and a
• Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work degree.

John M. Dunn

Dunn was named president of WMU in July 2007. Among the principal initiatives of Dunn’s presidency are a heightened commitment to globalization and sustainability and the collaborative affiliations with the Thomas M. Cooley Law School and the WMU School of Medicine. As an active participant in state and community efforts, Dunn focuses on quality-of-life issues and enhancing economic development.

Lawrence Nolan

A graduate of Cooley’s inaugural class in 1976, Nolan was elected as chair of Cooley’s board of directors in June 2012 and has served as a board member for more than 32 years. Nolan supports the law school financially as well as mentoring students and presenting on civility and professionalism to students during orientation. Graduating from WMU in 1971, Nolan earned a degree in English with a minor in business administration.