I recently chaired my last meeting at UIC Law with adjuncts who teach intellectual property, privacy, and technology law courses. I thanked them for taking time out of their busy day jobs to share their insights and experience with students. Adjuncts are the backbone of these courses and, from the feedback I received over the years, equip UIC Law students with important practice-ready skills that make them sought-after. Many do well after graduation and hold important positions in industry, nonprofits, practice, and government.

I introduced Gary Friedlander, who took over the IP, tech, and privacy program at UIC Law last Friday. Gary will also teach a course in global privacy law. The adjuncts introduced themselves and gave him a warm welcome. Several adjuncts have decades-long experience. Others just joined UIC Law as part of the program’s recruitment campaign to broaden and deepen its adjunct pool and continue to offer students the best in class education for many more years.

I fondly remember my first adjunct meeting about six years ago, shortly after I took over from Emeritus Professor Doris Long, who now also serves as an adjunct. You can see her in the more recent group picture we took together, dressed in red. We all looked a little younger then!

It is fitting as I pass the baton to Gary that we remember these important relationships with our adjuncts that helped the law school establish its reputation year by year, course by course, and student by student.