Intersections: The School of Law & the University

INTERSECTIONS

A CONVERSATION WITH ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT IOANNIS N. MIAOULIS

RWU President Ioannis (Yannis) Miaoulis and I enjoy a terrific working relationship. We recently got together to discuss some important “intersections” where the University and the School of Law can build and enhance areas of cooperation and collaboration.

A MORE AFFORDABLE EDUCATION

Dean Bowman: Yannis, one of the things that first attracted me to Roger Williams University is your focus as president on interdisciplinary collaboration. That approach, in my opinion, truly represents the future of higher education—and in particular, of legal education.

President Miaoulis: I agree, and I see RWU Law as one of the University’s most important assets. I believe your deanship offers great potential for taking full advantage of the law school’s coexistence with RWU’s other schools and colleges. Breaking down the barriers between schools will help us develop some really unique programs at the intersections. That’s an added value that Roger Williams is uniquely capable of offering, and one that will ultimately set us apart from other institutions.

Bowman: We’ve already got a good foundation to build on at the University and RWU Law, but there are so many other possibilities I’m excited to explore. We have an opportunity here to provide more degree programs, more certificate programs, and more early admission programs—which will, in turn, benefit more and more students going forward. efforts. It benefits the University by attracting stronger undergraduate students, it benefits those students by creating a more seamless transition to law school, and it benefits the School of Law by providing more students who are better prepared to excel. Everyone’s a winner.

Bowman: It also lowers the cost of education. It means that students can both deepen and broaden their education, earning valuable degrees in less time and beginning their careers sooner. The 3+3 early admission program is an exciting place to begin thinking about how we can coordinate our programs even more effectively, both at the undergraduate and the law school level. And in a significant way, those explorations have already begun.

Miaoulis: Absolutely. The School of Law’s joint degree programs—the Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration program comes to mind as one terrific example—have already benefited both undergraduate and law students.

Bowman: Yes, our JD/MBA program is a powerful combination of degrees. We also have a fantastic JD/Master of Science in Historic Preservation in collaboration with the School of Architecture, Art and Historic Preservation. Those programs, together with our Juris Doctor/Master of Science in Cybersecurity program with the School of Justice Studies, have drawn some very passionate students to RWU Law.

Miaoulis: That really highlights the interdisciplinary quality we’re trying to build. Because when a student joins Roger Williams University as an undergraduate, then gets early admission into law school and pursues a joint degree, they end up with three degrees in less time and at a lower cost than it would normally take to get two degrees.

Bowman: That also demonstrates how seriously we take affordability. Over the next several years, I’d like to see more dually listed courses across

different colleges, so that we’ll have more and more students from the School of Law and students from our other colleges sitting in the same classroom. It could then be extended even further—to more experiential learning placement opportunities for more students, and more job placements as well. RWU Law has many wonderful connections through its alumni network that can provide great opportunities for our students to launch their careers in ways that will—thanks to the collaborative and interdisciplinary approach we’re discussing—give them a real advantage in their careers. I really believe that, going forward, we will see more and more of these collaborations blossom.

Miaoulis: Another affordability factor worth mentioning is the Sibling Discount. There are a lot of parents, many of them alumni, who send several children to Roger Williams University and/or RWU Law simultaneously. To help make that a bit more affordable, we offer a 10 percent tuition discount for the first and second sibling, 20 percent for the third, and 25 percent for the fourth—and beyond, in theory at least!

Bowman: These sorts of generational connections are just now starting to play a role at the School of Law, too. Our first class graduated 25 years ago this year, and we look forward to seeing more secondgeneration students soon!

CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE

Miaoulis: Another important driver of collaboration is our establishment of what we call our Centers of Excellence—in areas such as the Blue Economy, Real Estate, Food Policy & Science, and other areas that infuse entrepreneurship with innovation. These University-level Centers, which will engage multiple colleges and programs across Roger Williams University, will help attract and retain excellent students who come to RWU for their undergraduate degrees but stay for law school as well. the Real Estate Center of Excellence, and they are very excited about it. Property is one of the oldest areas of law. It touches on so many legal subjects: construction, real estate management, community development and revitalization, zoning, affordability of housing, coastal resiliency. The list goes on and on.

Miaoulis: During my first year here, before COVID struck, I realized that some of our most successful alumni had built their careers around real estate, and that programming in this area could be a real opportunity for us. In the months that followed, we put together teams—spanning the School of Law, the School of Business, the School of Engineering, Computing and Construction Management, and the School of Architecture, Art and Historic Preservation. And we began an ongoing process of designing unique and realistic programs that draw upon all of these disciplines.

Bowman: There are so many ways for lawyers to engage, and for RWU Law to support them. It’s a perfect way to develop collaboration across disciplines in a way that’s immediately relevant to our students, our alumni, and the communities we serve.

Miaoulis: And let’s talk about the Blue Economy. Growing up in Greece, I spent almost all my summers on the water—fishing, sailing, scuba diving, the whole thing. I’ve always had a great affinity for the ocean and the sea. And for me, one of the most attractive assets of Roger Williams is its location on this beautiful peninsula

“Our Centers of Excellence, which will engage multiple colleges and programs across the University, will help attract and retain excellent students who come to RWU for their undergraduate degrees but stay for law school as well.” - RWU President Ioannis Miaoulis

on Mount Hope Bay. Even before I formally took office here, I understood that RWU has all the necessary ingredients to be an international leader in the Blue Economy. We have outstanding marine biology and aquaculture programs. Our architectural faculty does a lot of work on the impact of rising sea levels; our engineering faculty works on wind energy. And, of course, we have one of the nation’s top maritime law programs.

Bowman: Indeed we do, and the Blue Economy Center of Excellence plays to some of RWU Law’s key strengths, such as the Marine Affairs Institute. It’s an exciting opportunity to engage in initiatives that will greatly benefit the local community while also expanding the University’s national and global reputation and impact.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING

Miaoulis: Our conversation wouldn’t be complete without discussing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. These are values embedded throughout the University’s new Strategic Action Plan. And the School of Law has been a leader—not just within the University, but among other law schools as well. When the ABA accreditation team visited earlier this year, they spent quite a bit of time telling me just how impressed they were with all the good work that’s happening at the law school in this area.

Bowman: We are proud to be at the forefront of the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging work being done in legal education. For example, we’re one of very few law schools now requiring a course on race in the law. We piloted the course last spring, and it became part of the required curriculum this fall. It has been very well received by students.

Looking forward, we’ve been deeply involved in programming, strategic planning, and direct engagement with our student affinity organizations and Student Bar Association as leaders in these efforts. We’ve formed a Diversity Strategic Plan Steering Committee that is comprised of students, faculty, alumni, staff, and School of Law Board members, to provide us with guidance and ensure that we hold ourselves accountable and maintain transparency, acknowledging our successes as well as those areas where we need to do better.

IN CONCLUSION

Bowman: On a personal note, one thing I did not know about you until I arrived at RWU is what an amazing chef you are. Really fantastic. So any time you want to invite me to your home for dinner, you know the answer will always be yes!

Miaoulis: And I didn’t realize that you were such a talented woodworker! And since the carpenter who was supposed to work on my cabin just bailed on me…

[Laughter.]