The Maurer School of Law at Indiana University in Bloomington has announced its partnership with the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, to create the Julian Bond Law Scholars program. Selected scholars must be high-performing law students who are deeply committed to causes of social justice and inequality.
“Applicants of all races are automatically considered by the admissions office for the scholarship as part of their admission to the law school,†said Greg Canada, assistant dean of admissions at the Maurer School of Law, in an e-mail.
Bond would no doubt approve. A co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Bond was a prominent civil rights leader, legislator, and NAACP chair. According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, he was also a long-time faculty member at the University of Virginia. Bond died in 2015.
According to the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, the law school has a long history of graduating students who are committed to equality and justice. It is ranked 25th in the nation and No. 1 in Indiana. The Southern Poverty Law Center describes itself as “dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society.â€
Here’s more from JBHE about this exciting offering:
Each year the program will provide one Julian Bond Law Scholar with a scholarship equal to a minimum of 50% and up to a maximum of 100% of tuition. In addition, scholarship recipients will be offered a summer externship upon completion of their first year of law school, with a $4,000 stipend to cover living expenses; and a research assistantship during their second or third year with a law school faculty member.
“The Julian Bond Law Scholars program is a perfect fit for our school because of our significant faculty commitment to research and teaching in the areas of civil rights and social justice,†said Austen L. Parrish, dean of the law school and the James H. Rudy Professor of Law.
H. Timothy Lovelace, an associate professor of law at Indiana University, added, “I’m thrilled that we’ve established the Julian Bond Law Scholars program to honor an American hero and my mentor. The Julian Bond Law Scholars program will provide a new generation of justice-minded students a unique opportunity to connect their personal, scholarly, and professional interests in civil rights.â€
To learn more, visit the Indiana University Maurer School of Law website here.