Email from Robert W. Brown,
Dear Board of Managers, Faculty and Staff,
I am writing to inform you that UWLA has just received its formal action letter from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (“WASC”) granting accreditation to our institution.
This is an honor earned by you, from your efforts in this communal passion project; also a gift from you that you have now bestowed upon future generations of alums- some of whom have yet to even be born.
Our institutional mission is, “Through the strengths and virtues of education in the classroom, online or in life, UWLA provides opportunities that empower students of great diversity to live successfully inspired lives.” As all of you know, this is not a slogan for marketing, but rather evidence of our credo dating back to 1966 when UWLA was founded to “democratize the practice of law” by our founders.
It is heartwarming and professionally gratifying that WASC witnessed the evidence of our mission, as noted in the following quotes from the WASC Site Visit Team’s commendations:
“The life-transforming mission that is fully embraced by the faculty, staff, students and board of managers . . .”
“UWLA is clearly serving its social justice-driven mission to deliver quality, practice-oriented legal education to a diverse and underserved population with the aim to democratize the legal profession. Moreover, the commitment to the mission of faculty, staff, students, alumni and board members is commendable and sincere. The team was impressed with how many students, alumni, and adjunct faculty took time to come to campus to meet with the team.”
“The team commends the institution on the quality of the faculty; they are successful professionals in their fields, and the team was impressed with their level of engagement, particularly of the adjunct faculty who participate on faculty committees.”
[The] “Board of Managers’ commitment, involvement and depth of knowledge. The team commends how the board has expanded to include additional members, enhancing its diversity, energy and independence.”
Please know that your contributions have not gone unnoticed. UWLA, as an institution, is in your debt for what you have helped bring into fruition on this day.
UWLA has achieved many great milestones over its last fifty-two years. However, our past two years have witnessed a breathtaking and amazing transformation. UWLA may have been founded in 1966, but it has now been reestablished in 2018.
As most of you know, UWLA’s institutional success, and the fruition of its mission has been a passion project for me for the last twenty years. I knew that someday we would be able to achieve this great accomplishment, but it was only with the support and tremendous efforts of all of you that this was in fact realized. My thanks to all of you, for what you have done in this endeavor and what is still yet to come and in particular: Dean Frykberg and Dean Brown and all of our faculty and staff who labored so long and hard to demonstrate the pride and the passion for UWLA, its students and its mission.
Onward, and upward, and true to the line.
Robert W. Brown, ESQ
President