Why Come to Tahoe? (Part 2)

(Check out Part 1 here!)

Registrations are beginning to roll in for our Alumni weekend in gorgeous South Lake Tahoe on September 10-12, 2010. I'm excited to see so many that are planning to come, but I can't help but think that some of you are still on the fence. So - why would you come to Tahoe?

Here are a few answers from those that have experienced Tahoe:

The value of spending time with other Christians who have similar goals is immeasurable. The annual Alumni Association meetings have provided the opportunity to invest in an organization dedicated to supporting and continuing the mission of OBCL in the lives of alumni and current students, and the fellowship of Christians who are lawyers (and among whom you do not have to explain why you went to OBCL). There is a camaraderie among the OBCL family of alumni that you will find nowhere else. - Anita P.

My wife and I both found the 2009 Alumni Association meeting to be extremely edifying. We had just left our extensive network of friends on the east coast and had moved to California about 3 months before the meeting. It was a real encouragement to get together and fellowship with other Oak Brook graduates and their families....I highly recommend attending the Alumni Association meeting. It is a great time of fellowship, refreshment, and a great way to make sure that the school will be around for decades to come. - John O.

So don't delay! Register online today!

Taking Scholarship to the Next Level

Lots of lawyers and law students have good ideas. It's a much harder task to take those good ideas and put them on paper. It's harder even than that to take your paper, fine-tune and polish it, and get it published in a legal journal.

OBCL Alumni Lael Weinberger and Bob Renaud did just that with their article entitled "Spheres of Sovereignty: Church Autonomy Doctrine and the Theological Heritage of the Separation of Church and State." As if that wasn't good enough, their article is now going to the next level - the citation.

Getting cited in any article is an achievement, but getting cited by a noted constitutional scholar is above and beyond that. And getting cited by former 10th Circuit Judge Michael W. McConnell, who fits all of the above categories - well, you just don't get too much higher than that. So with that in mind, check out footnote 1 to Judge McConnell's paper entitled "Non-State Governance."

Congrats, Bob and Lael!

Board Update

Even with the craziness of summer upon us, the OBCLAA Board is steadily moving forward with preparations for the upcoming Annual Meeting in lovely Lake Tahoe -- and a slew of other projects!

Here are some highlights from the last Board meeting on June 15:

* Preparations for the 2010 Annual Meeting in Tahoe are in full swing. Brandon Stallings has set up a Facebook event page dedicated to the meeting. If you have any pictures from last year's meeting that you would like to contribute to the page, message Brandon. And be sure to RSVP!

For the first time ever, a hard copy of the announcement has been mailed out to all alumni, and online registration is available here. Now would be a great time to RSVP!!

As always, this conference will be a memorable time of refreshing, refocusing, and reconnecting with the OBCL community. If you've never made it to an Alumni Association event, coming to Tahoe would be a great first step! Don't forget to RSVP!!!

* Congratulations are in order to Charissa Sonntag, who will be getting married later this summer. Sadly for the Board, however, Charissa will be not be seeking reelection as the National Association and Accreditation Committee chairman. If you are interested or know someone who would be interested in serving in this position, please let the Board know.

* Adam York reported that the Student Relations Committee is working to supply mentors to all students preparing for the Bar exam. The Committee is also in the planning stages of establishing regional coordinators to get the word about OBCL out to local homeschool groups, debate clubs, and other potential sources for future lawyers.

* Paralegal Liaison Crystal Kinz asked for the Board's input on a plan to publish contributions from Paralegal Program graduates on the Alumni blog. The Board enthusiastically approved, and hopes to be adding additional paralegal content soon.

* The Board approved issuing funding to cover publication of new publicity brochures for the school. The old brochures had become outdated, most notably with their listing of old amounts for tuition.

This year promises to be the OBCLAA's most productive year yet! If you're not already, make 2010 your year to become involved.

(Oh, and remember to RSVP.)