March 15, 2006

Cooley President Honored with Entrepreneur Award

President Don LeDuc

Cooley Law School President and Dean Don LeDuc has been given the Supporter of Entrepreneurship Award in the 12th annual Entrepreneurial Awards of Greater Lansing.

The awards were announced Wednesday, March 15, 2006
in a special ceremony at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Lansing.

The program is sponsored by the Greater Lansing Business Monthly, Andrews Hooper & Pavlik PLC, Capitol National Bank, GEE! Communications; Maner Costerisan & Ellis CPA, PC; Michigan Equities, Plante & Moran, Symbiosis International, The Radisson Hotel, TDS Metrocom, WILS 1320AM, and WILX TV-10.

LeDuc, who has served as president and dean of Cooley
since 2002, previously served the law school as professor and as dean.

Helen Mickens, Cooley's Associate Dean of Community Relations, who accepted the award on President LeDuc's behalf, said, "For over 30 years Don LeDuc and others have had an exciting and innovative vision for Cooley Law School. During that time we have seen Cooley and ourselves as good citizens in our communities. Don LeDuc has always encouraged faculty, staff, students, and alumni participate in community service and to give to others."

Under LeDuc’s tenure as president, Cooley has grown to become the largest law school in the nation with over 3,000 students, 317 full-time staff and 566 part-time workers on three campuses throughout Michigan. The school continues to admit three classes per year with students choosing among day, evening and weekend coursework.

Committed to the vitality of the communities Cooley is in, LeDuc has directed the build-out of the 10-floor Cooley Center, and has begun renovation of the Temple Building, both in downtown Lansing; overseen the creation of a campus in Grand Rapids, including construction of the Law Center and other major work there, and launched the start-up of a program at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich.

LeDuc, who is a firm believer in giving back to the community, sits on the United Way Board of Directors, served as Deputy Chair on the transition team for new Lansing Mayor Virgil Bernero, and actively leads Cooley’s support of over 40 worthwhile causes in Lansing, Grand Rapids and Rochester, Mich.

LeDuc was honored in 2002 with the Golden Pen Award by the Legal Writing Institute for his longstanding support of law school legal writing programs and teachers. Early in Cooley’s history, LeDuc was ahead of the times, becoming the first law school dean to put legal writing teachers on the tenure track. Over the years, he has continued to champion others in legal education in their support of legal writing teachers.

LeDuc shepherded a Professionalism Plan through Cooley which incorporates public service into the fabric of legal learning at the school.

Before joining Cooley, LeDuc served with the U.S. Department of Justice as a special attorney in the criminal division, working on the Organized Crime Strike Force in Detroit. He also served as the administrator of the Office of Criminal Justice Programs for the state of Michigan.

Founded in 1972, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country. Cooley has three campuses across Michigan in downtown Lansing, downtown Grand Rapids in west Michigan, and at Rochester/Oakland University in southeast Michigan. In addition to the juris doctor program, students at Cooley can also pursue an LL.M. in Tax or Intellectual Property. Find out more about Cooley Law School by visiting the Cooley Web site at www.cooley.edu