Reception Honoring December 2009 Graduates: Congratulations and Good Luck!

Recently the graduate program honored our December 2009 graduates with a reception at the DU law school. It was a wonderful evening enjoyed by nearly 60 graduates, current students, alums, professors, and other friends of our community.

These pictures illustrate the goodwill and camaraderie shared by all those who attended. A particular point of pride for all of us associated with the program is the vast diversity of our community. There were graduates at the reception from the following countries: Chile, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. And there were current students from the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Ghana, and the United States. And to top things off, we also had alums and other friends of the community from these countries: Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and the U.S.

It was a wonderful evening, which captured the community-minded nature of our students, alums, professors, and friends. Moreover, it was a vivid example of the vast diversity of our program, which includes students from every continent on the globe as well as students from the length and breadth of North America.

Two observations that I can make with all manner of confidence: Environmental and natural resources law and policy challenges and opportunities know no political or geographic boundaries. Moreover, the world's "best and the brightest" have chosen to study at the DU law school. Celebrations such as the one we enjoyed at this event remind all of us of the enduring nature of our broad community, and how resolving the issues that bring us together will always be compelling for the world at large.

A special thank you to Lucy Daberkow, assistant program director, who organized what was indeed a truly splendid evening. And also a thank you to Mochamad Kasmali, a December 2009 graduate from Indonesia, who supplied all of the photos in this posting.