♪♪♪ >> ERIC: EARLIER THIS SUMMER THE MITCHELL HAMLINE SCHOOL OF LAW ANNOUNCED THAT CAMILLE DAVIDSON WOULD BE TAKING OVER LEADERSHIP AS THE SCHOOL'S NEW PRESIDENT AND DEAN.

DAVIDSON, THE THIRD PERSON TO HOLD THE POSITION, COMES TO THE UNIVERSITY FROM LEADING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY SIMMONS LAW SCHOOL AND A LONG CAREER IN ACADEMIA AND PRIVATE PRACTICE.

SHE JOINS US TODAY AS STUDENTS ARE COMING BACK TO CAMPUS FOR THE NEW SEMESTER.

WELCOME TO "ALMANAC."

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE.

>> Eric: TELL US ABOUT THE BLENDED LEARNING PROGRAM, WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN A MAGNET FOR YOU.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO, MITCHELL HAMLINE SCHOOL OF LAW STARTED THE BLENDED LEARNING PROGRAM.

IT IS NOT AN ONLINE PROGRAM.

WHAT IT IS IS SOMEWHAT OF A HYBRID MODEL.

STUDENTS COME TO CAMPUS TWICE A YEAR.

SO THEY COME TO CAMPUS THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL, WE CALL THAT PREP WEEK.

THEY HAVE INTENSIVE CLASS WORK, THEY MEET THEIR PROFESSORS IN PERSON, THEY MEET THEIR COHORT OF STUDENTS.

SO THAT WHEN THEY GO HOME, AFTER THAT WEEK, THEY'RE ABLE TO ENGAGE IN ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING.

AND THEN TOWARDS THE END OF THE SEMESTER, THEY COME BACK AGAIN FOR AN IN-PERSON COMPONENT OF THEIR EDUCATION.

SO IT'S A WONDERFUL BLEND OF SELF-PACED ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING, ALONG WITH THAT FACE-TO-FACE ENGAGEMENT THAT IS SO IMPORTANT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LAW SCHOOL.

>> Cathy: SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT LAW SCHOOL, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, THE MAIN FOCUS IS GETTING THE LEGAL KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU NEED, BUT THERE'S SOME CRITICS WHO SAY, A LOT OF SCHOOLS ARE NOT HELPING LAW STUDENTS BUILD THE PRACTICAL SKILLS THEY'RE GOING TO NEED, ESPECIALLY NOWADAYS AS ATTORNEYS.

A LOT OF TECHNICAL SKILLS ARE NEEDED.

ARE YOU DOING THAT?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT OR ALMOST 125 YEARS.

SO AS WE GET READY TO CELEBRATE 125 YEARS OF MITCHELL HAMLINE, WE STARTED AS THE St. PAUL COLLEGE OF LAW, AND FROM THE VERY BEGINNING WE HAVE BEEN ENGAGED WITH AND BEEN LEADERS IN PRACTICAL EDUCATION.

WE CALL IT PRACTICAL WISDOM, WE SAY WE'RE GOOD IN THEORY, EVEN BETTER IN PRACTICE.

WHETHER OUR STUDENTS ARE IN THE BLENDED PROGRAM OR THE IN-PERSON PROGRAM, WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CLINICS, FOR EXTERNSHIPS, FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK IN VARIOUS LEGAL OFFICES THROUGHOUT THE TOWN, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE AND THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY FOR THOSE WHO ARE BLENDED.

>> Cathy: I BET YOU'VE HEARD OF THIS PHRASE THAT LAW FIRMS ARE LOOKING FOR T-SHAPED ATTORNEYS NOWADAYS.

WITH, AGAIN, THE OBVIOUS SKILLS YOU NEED, BUT THERE SEEMS TO BE A MULTIDISCIPLINARY SET OF SKILLS YOU NEED NOWADAYS.

WHAT IS THAT, EXACTLY?

>> SURE.

I THINK WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE, NOT ONLY TO THINK AS ATTORNEYS, BUT WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING.

WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE -- THAT WE ARE TRAINING LAWYERS WHO ARE CULTURALLY COMPETENT.

THAT MEANS THAT THEY ARE EMPATHETIC, THEY UNDERSTAND THAT, WHILE THE CLIENTS IGHT NOT BE LIKE THEM OR COME FROM THE SAME BACKGROUND, THAT THEY HAVE THE SKILLS AND TOOLS THAT THEY NEED TO ENGAGE IN DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS.

>> Eric: ONE OF YOUR JOBS IS TO RAISE MONEY.

>> INDEED.

>> Eric: AND TELL US HOW YOU LANDED THIS $10 MILLION WHALE DOWN AT SIU?

>> EVERYBODY WANTS TO KNOW THE SECRET TO THAT SAUCE, I TELL YOU.

>> Eric: THAT HAD TO HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY.

>> IT WAS THE BIGGEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY, WITHOUT A DOUBT.

IT'S CALLED RELATIONSHIPS, I THINK ONE PERSON AT A TIME, ONE CONVERSATION AT A TIME.

AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING SINCE I ARRIVED HERE JULY 1st.

JUST GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE, GETTING TO MEET THEM, LISTENING TO THEM, UNDERSTANDING WHAT DRIVES THEM, WHAT MAKES THEM HAPPY, WHAT THEY ENJOYED ABOUT THEIR LAW SCHOOL AREER, WHAT THEY'RE ENJOYING ABOUT PRACTICE.

AND THEN SORT OF MATCHING WHAT RESONATES WITH THEM WITH THE IDEAS OF WHAT THEY MAY HAVE FOR THE INSTITUTION.

ACTUALLY THE $10 MILLION DONOR WAS NOT AN ALUM, BUT WAS A PRACTICING LAWYER IN THE REGION WHO REALLY RESONATED WITH THE MISSION OF THAT SCHOOL, WHICH IS VERY VERY SIMILAR TO THE MISSION OF MY CURRENT INSTITUTION, MITCHELL HAMLINE, AND THAT IS TRAINING ATTORNEYS TO SERVE THE REGION.

AND AT MITCHELL HAMLINE WE KNOW WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THE MORE THAN 50% OF THE DISTRICT COURT JUDGES ARE ALUMS, SO MANY OF THE PRACTICING LAWYERS ARE ALUMNI.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT RESONATED THERE, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT RESONATES HERE.

>> Eric: WELL, WELCOME.

WISH YOU ALL THE BEST.

BRING THAT MONEY HOME.