Law school receives $200,000 endowed labor law scholarship

A new endowed scholarship will benefit Seattle University School of Law students interested in labor and employment law.

King County Bar Association President James A. Andrus presented a check for nearly $209,000 to establish the Mary Ellen Krug Award. The late Ms. Krug, a Seattle attorney, was a distinguished labor law practitioner and chair of the Labor Law Section of the American Bar Association. The scholarship will be awarded each year to a Seattle University School of Law student who has both a strong interest in and ability or promise in labor and employment law and who embodies the professionalism and collegiality for which Mary Ellen Krug was known.

Dean Annette Clark accepted the check from Andrus on behalf of the law school at a luncheon at the law school. Other members of the KCBA’s Labor & Employment Law Section joining them were Cliff Freed ’84, who has for many years been the driving force behind the establishment of this award; the Honorable Anne Senter, who chaired the section, Professor Melinda Branscomb; and Geoff Boodell, current chair of the section.

The gift is one of the largest scholarship endowments the law school has received.

“The timing is especially fortuitous because the development of scholarships for our students is a top priority, particularly during these difficult economic times,” Clark said. “It is particularly heartwarming to recognize the advocacy and generosity of alumni like Cliff Freed.”

Associate Dean for Advancement Susan Ahearn noted the ongoing, significant and important partnership between the school and the local bar.

The Mary Ellen Krug Award will be conferred at the annual Pacific Coast Labor and Employment Law Conference in May, 2010.

Advancement team welcomes two new members

Two seasoned fund-raisers have joined the Office of Advancement at the School of Law.

Michael Sherman was named director of development. He recently moved to Seattle from Philadelphia,  where he was assistant director of development and alumni relations at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Prior to Penn Law, Michael spent a year at Santa Clara University, working as a development, marketing and compliance assistant in their athletics department.

He is a co-founder of GearHippo.com, a content and classifieds website for Bay Area outdoor sports enthusiasts, a business he started after graduation from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Michael Sclafani is the new director of annual giving. He spent the past five years as director of annual giving at Columbia University Teachers College. Prior to Columbia, Michael served for four years as director of annual and reunion giving at Pace University; before Pace, he spent three years as director of annual support programs at Stevens Institute of Technology. Michael was introduced to annual giving while a student at Marietta College in Ohio, where he spent all four undergraduate years as annual fund phonathon manager. In addition to a B.A. from Marietta, he also has a master of public administration degree from Seton Hall University. 

“We are thrilled to have these development professionals on board,” said Associate Dean for Advancement Susan Ahearn. “Their background and expertise will prove immensely helpful as we continue to build a comprehensive advancement program for the law school.”