YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021 · yaledailynews.com
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“The fact that insomnia is associated with depression suggests that sleep might help us deal with emotionally stressful or otherwise disruptive events.” MARIA KONNIKOVA RUSSIAN-AMERICAN WRITER
YLS modernizes legal curriculum with new Tsai Leadership Program BY EDA AKER STAFF REPORTER The Yale Law School opened a new chapter in its educational framework last Wednesday with the launch of the Joseph C. Tsai Leadership Program, which will train students in real-world leadership in the private and public sector. The new program aims to prepare students to tackle challenges in the 21st century through a combination of new courses and professional development opportunities. The program was made possible by alumni donations from Joseph Tsai ’86 LAW ’90, Clara Wu Tsai, Eugene Ludwig LAW ’73, Carol Ludwig, Michael Chae LAW ’97 and Alexa Bator Chae LAW ’97. The amount of the donations was not disclosed. The comprehensive leadership program has two components, the Chae Initiative and the Ludwig Program, which prepare students for leadership in the private and public sectors, respectively. “While our core model will not change, the Tsai Leadership Program will enable us to build on this legacy to broaden and modernize the curriculum for the 21st century, infuse the Law School with robust professional training opportunities, and harness the power of our extraordinary alumni community,” Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken wrote to the News. “Our aim is to train all our students for their last job, not just their first. We want to ensure that our graduates are broad-gauged thinkers prepared for the practical and moral decisions they will face no matter what career path they choose.” Gerken explained that this program comes as the result of numerous conversations she has had with alumni on trips across the country. She said that Law School alumni recognize that our changing society now requires graduates to have a broader knowledge base and professional skill set than they can get from a “traditional legal education.” The alumni who funded this program through their donations have led successful careers in their respective fields. Tsai is the co-founder and executive vice chairman of Alibaba Group. Chae is
currently the chief financial officer of The Blackstone Group. Ludwig is the former Comptroller of the Currency and founder of the Promontory Financial Group. Gerken said that the Law School already has an “inaugural slate of courses” being offered this year, and that they are actively hiring staff for the program. The program’s curriculum was shaped jointly by Gerken and Law School faculty, and voted on by Law School Faculty. The Law School’s Leadership Advisory Council, a group that includes Tsai, Ludwig, Chae and 20 other Law School alumni, was available as “thought partners” as Gerken and Law School faculty developed the curriculum, according to the Council’s website. Gerken emphasized that the Council is “not a governance body.” “Decisions regarding the curriculum have always rested with the faculty and will always rest with the faculty,” Gerken wrote. “As per our tradition, all courses — including those supported by the leadership program — must be voted through by the faculty.” The Tsai Leadership Program provides resources to enhance students’ skills and prepare them to be “changemakers” in their varying career paths, Gerken said. Building on the Law School’s traditions, Gerken said the program will help ensure that graduates know how to approach contemporary and future technological challenges. Law professor John Morley ’06 said that the program will enhance students’ “non-legal skills relevant to leadership” through individualized academic and career advising, as well as alumni mentorship aspects. “We have a simple model: teach our students to question everything,” Gerken wrote. “Ensure they think in rigorously analytic and ethical terms. Enable them to pursue an extraordinarily wide-ranging set of career paths. We believe that our core model — combined with this new, innovative program — will provide an opportunity for all law students that is not available anywhere else.” New courses in numeracy, ethical-decision making and organi-
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YLS announced a program that will expand opportunities for graduates to be better equipped to address global challenges. zational leadership will add to students’ real-world problem solving skills and professional experiences. Additionally, a new mentors-in-residence program, digital community platform, networking opportunities, boot camps and workshops will build long-lasting connections between students and graduates, according to the program’s website. The Ludwig Program prepares students for careers in public-serving institutions such as government and nonprofits, according to its website. “The civic sector is essential to address, and sadly, even more so given what we have seen in this country in terms of the declining well-being for low- and moderate-income Americans over the last 70 to 80 years,” Ludwig said. “And it’s something we are going to have to reverse to continue to have a civil society … I’m hopeful that the new generation of folks, through this program, will be better prepared to engage in public service than I was.” Ludwig said that, in his experience, the Law School approaches the future well-being of civic society with the “right questions” and “with a broad set of thought of leadership”. He added that this
approach, which will be enhanced by the Tsai Leadership Program, “is a special Yale combination” defined by “academic experience and rigor to be able to affect problems in a positive way.” While the Ludwig program hopes to increase and strengthen leadership in the public sector, the Chae Initiative’s focus largely lies in the private sector. According to its website, the initiative seeks to equip students with skills necessary to tackle modern day dilemmas and prepare them for careers in fields such as business, finance, consulting and entrepreneurship. “A Yale law degree is a versatile thinking and problem-solving degree and represents a crucial foundation for so many business leadership roles,” Chae said in a Law School press release. “The Chae Initiative provides students with a strong and practical grounding in business and financial skills and prepares them to engage in effective and ethical decision-making in a global business environment.” According to Morley, the Tsai Leadership Program will make Yale unique among law schools given Yale Law School’s ability to combine the
experience of alumni mentors whose achievements are “unparalleled in legal academia.” According to Morley, a committee of current Law School faculty members are able to suggest possible instructors for the program from outside the Law School. These instructors would then go through the Law School’s regular review process for all curricular instructors, he added. “The Program brings in top-flight academics and world-renowned experts to New Haven to provide students with the intellectual framework, working competencies, and core literacies they need to solve the problems of the future,” Gerken wrote. “We do not want to push our students into one career path or another. We want to light up the many, many paths available to them, empowering all of them to blaze their own trails and to make a positive impact on society.” Tsai’s other recent donations to the University have helped fund the Tsai Lacrosse Field House and the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale. Contact EDA AKER at eda.aker@yale.edu.
Dominguez tapped as NHPD chief, Rush-Kittle as CAO BY SOPHIE SONNENFELD CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Mayor Justin Elicker appointed Renee Dominguez as New Haven’s first female chief of police on Wednesday. He also appointed Regina Rush-Kittle as the city’s new chief administrative officer, or CAO. Dominguez has served as interim chief since March, when former New Haven Police Department Chief Ontonel Reyes retired from the force to head security at Quinnipiac University. As interim chief, Dominguez has overseen the seizure of hundreds of guns tied to shooting and domestic violence-related arrests, led recruitment for new officers across the city and, in April, defended cops displaying the “Thin Blue Line” flag, arguing that it represented solidarity among law enforcement officers. Elicker also appointed Rush-Kittle as CAO, a position
that oversees the police, fire and public works departments for City Hall. Both positions must be affirmed by a vote from the full Board of Alders in a confirmation process that Elicker said will begin Monday. “These are two incredibly experienced leaders and together they’re going to greatly contribute to our efforts to reimagine public safety,” Elicker said at a Wednesday morning press conference. Over the past five months, he said he has seen Dominguez lead with “passion and determination.” Elicker noted Dominguez’s leadership of the department through a nationwide rise in violent crime, losing an officer on the force and in “holding officers accountable to maintain the integrity of the department.” “Chief Dominguez has proved herself as a strong leader and the right person for the job,” he said. Elicker also pointed to Dominguez’s role in assisting the city
in the creation of a Community Crisis Response Team under the new Community Resilience Department that Elicker proposed in August. “The chief has always been willing to step up and partner with us to make sure those initiatives are successful,” Elicker added. Dominguez began her career in law enforcement 22 years ago and has been with the NHPD since 2002. In her time with the NHPD, Dominguez has served in a number of roles including patrol officer, K-9 handler, hostage crisis negotiator, patrol sergeant, district manager of Westville, Fair Haven and Newhallville, and assistant chief of patrol operations. Dominguez has two daughters, who are six and three years old, and her husband is an officer with the Bridgeport Police Department. “We will not hold that against you,” Elicker joked at the press conference.
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Dominguez has served as Acting Chief of the New Haven Police Department since March 2021.
Elicker called Dominguez’s appointment “historic,” explaining that she is not only the first permanent female chief in New Haven but also the first of any “major city” in the state. “It says that the chief has worked hard in a career that has traditionally been dominated by men,” he continued. “She has risen through the ranks, earned the respect of her colleagues and community members all while managing the responsibilities of being a mother.” Dominguez began working in law enforcement at age 21. “My entire adult life has been dedicated to serving the community,” she said. She said that one of her “best times” in the department was working as the Westville-West Hills District Manager for two and a half years. In her years as the neighborhood’s top cop, Dominguez got engaged, married and had kids. “At the time I thought running a district was difficult,” Dominguez said. “Little did I know what was in store for me over the next six years.” Reading to children at kindergartens and preschools around the city and making personal connections with residents through her time in New Haven, she said, have also been significant moments for her. If approved by the alders, Dominguez said she aims to reduce violence in the community and to rebuild the ranks of the department by filling open slots. “It means for all the little girls and it means for all the women in the New Haven police department and everyone in the community who wants to be a police officer, you can do it,” Dominguez said. “Come on over, we need you.” Congratulating Rush-Kittle, she added, “We’re going to be a powerhouse of females.” At the press conference, Fire Commissioner and Bethel AME Church Rev. Steve Cousin
recalled partnering with the NHPD for a house renovation community service project. He remembered that Dominguez was the first to arrive. He said he was impressed by her dedication. When the Fire Department lost firefighter Ricardo Torres Jr. and Fire Lt. Samod Rankins was injured in an incident in May, Cousin said Dominguez displayed empathy. “She stayed right there with us and did not leave until we left. This is who we want as our leader.” “We need conviction, compassion and empathy,” Cousin said. “Those qualities are in full with Chief Dominguez.” Elicker said the search for the next CAO was long but “worthwhile.” Rush-Kittle, the Elm City’s next CAO, began her law enforcement career with the Connecticut Department of Correction and then as a police officer in Middletown. She then served with the Connecticut State Police for almost 30 years and served in the U.S. Marine Reserves. Rush-Kittle was deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, for which she was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. Since 2019, Rush-Kittle has served as deputy commissioner of the state Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Elicker said that as he made calls to leaders across the state about Rush-Kittle. He heard many compliments about her leadership and work. “The cultural diversity and the history of this vibrant city inspire me in my commitment to New Haven, the board of alders and the community,” Rush-Kittle said at the press conference. As CAO, Rush-Kittle said she is looking to support collaboration between public safety departments in the city. If approved by the board of alders, Rush-Kittle’s start date is Dec. 6. Contact SOPHIE SONNENFELD at sophie.sonnenfeld@yale.edu .
