As a third-year law student at Boston University, I read Wednesday’s article about the University of Texas and the University of North Carolina’s interest in our current dean, Dean ad interim Maureen O’Rourke (“School of Law dean ad interim being pursued by two other schools, April 12, p.1) with both interest and sadness. I am not at all surprised that other schools are clamoring for her, but I wanted to make it known that the students of BU Law are even more enamored with her.

Dean O’Rourke has poured herself into making the law school a better place. As a student, I particularly appreciate her constant attempts to strengthen the BUSL community, whether it is through coffee hours, interesting lectures, yoga classes or just sitting down with students and learning about them. Some of her accomplishments — such as the revitalization of the loan forgiveness program, the strengthening of alumni relations and the ascendance of BUSL in law school rankings — may be better known, but it is equally important for people to know that she has also helped foster a great learning environment and a student body that has pride and a vested interest in the continued excellence of the law school. Her dedication to ensuring that every student has a good experience at the law school is unparalleled. You can often see her going classroom to classroom ensuring that no student is too warm or too cold, as well as taking students aside if she hears or thinks that they are struggling or unhappy. In short, she has left an indelible mark on every student at the law school. I know I speak for many students when I say we really hope that the BUSL Dean Search Committee realizes what other prominent law schools have already recognized: Dean O’Rourke is too valuable to pass up. BU should offer her a permanent deanship. We all hope to see her when we return for our reunions.

Elad Roisman BUSL ’06