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Purpose

The purpose of the Wayne Law Alumni Wall of Fame Award is to acknowledge graduates and former faculty and staff of Wayne State University Law School whose extraordinary professional success and contributions, profound positive influence on Wayne Law, and high degree of character and integrity are recognized by their peers.

The Wayne Law Alumni Wall of Fame Award is the highest award presented by Wayne State University Law School. This distinction is awarded with great care to either alumni who have distinguished themselves by contributions that they have made in their own particular field of work, or in the betterment of humanity or to former faculty and staff who have had a significant impact on the Law School.

The Wayne Law Alumni Wall of Fame was established in 2016 through the generosity of E. Powell Miller, Wayne Law class of 1986, in honor of the Miller family.

Nominations

Nominations will be received at any time.

Nominations for the 2024 Wall of Fame are due no later than November 1, 2023.

Selection committee

All nominations will be carefully considered by the Wayne Law Alumni Wall of Fame selection committee consisting of the chair of the Wayne Law Board of Visitors executive committee, two appointed mem­­bers of the Wayne Law Board of Visitors, the chair of the Board of Visitors' Alumni Relations Committee, the dean, a senior faculty member, a senior major gift officer and the alumni relations officer.

Guidelines

Candidates must have earned a law degree from Wayne State University Law School no less than 10 years prior to consideration, have served at Wayne Law for no less than 20 years prior to consideration or served as dean no less than 10 years prior to consideration.

After the inaugural year, no more than five individuals shall be inducted annually.

Nominees can be living or posthumous; No more than one deceased nominee will be inducted in any one year.

Nominations will be sought via college publications, electronic means and special communications.

Once nominated, an individual will remain available for consideration by the selection committee in subsequent years.

The selection committee considers all information included with nominations in making its decisions.

The selection committee will be cautious when considering candidates, at the time of nomination or selection, who hold an elected political office.

Criteria

Evidence for meeting the criteria can come from detailed information about the candidate's credentials, achievements, the impact and implications of those accomplishments, public awards and honors, and outside sources such as published articles and previously aired video or audio. Nominations shall be assembled by the alumni officer and the Dean's Office and then submitted to the selection committee. To be selected for the Wayne Law Alumni Wall of Fame, a candidate must meet the following criteria:

The candidate must have reached and remained at the pinnacle of his or her field for a period of time sufficient to demonstrate perseverance and maturation and/or must have effected a profound positive influence on Wayne Law in the years since his or her graduation.

Professional success and significant contributions must be recognized by his or her peers as having reached and remained at the pinnacle of his or her field and/or having a profound positive influence on Wayne Law. Professional success and significant contributions to a specialty aren't achievement enough to warrant nomination to the Alumni Wall of Fame.

The Wall of Fame honor isn't given so much in recognition of an office or position held, but rather for the actual merit of the individual's work in his or her chosen field of endeavor and professional leadership. Candidates must have exhibited a high degree of character and integrity.

Past Wayne Law Wall of Fame inductees