Become a DEI Champion
Western Michigan University Cooley Law School (WMU-Cooley) has a long history of being an institution with a diverse and inclusive student body that we work hard to maintain. We believe that the student body we educate should reflect the communities they will serve.
While the legal profession has struggled to be inclusive in its hiring practices, WMU-Cooley has continuously been a champion at educating a diverse group of future lawyers. Now, we are inviting organizations committed to access to justice to help us in our mission to ensure that all qualified students, regardless of their background or life situations, are able to pursue a legal career.
| Legal Profession[1] | WMU-Cooley[2] | |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 37% | 60%[3] |
| Total Minority | 14% | 43.2% |
| African American | 5% | 22.4% |
| Hispanic | 5% | 4.5% |
| Asian | 2% | 2.8% |
| Mixed Race | 2% | 12.9% |
| Native American | <1% | <1% |
Bring About Change
Be a part of the movement to truly diversify the legal profession by being a WMU-Cooley Law School DEI Champion. Your endorsement of our mission of equitable access to legal education will help ensure that the legal profession will, in fact, reflect our country’s diverse population. We have much work to do and we need your help. A DEI Champion will support our students and the institution through curricular enhancements, recruitment efforts, scholarships, diverse hiring practices, and more. Chairpersons for this important endeavor are Ms. Christina Corl from the Plunkett Cooney law firm, and Mr. Aaron Burrell from the Dickinson Wright law firm.
We would deeply appreciate your becoming a WMU Cooley DEI Champion through a contribution to the 2021 campaign. Organizations may choose from one of four levels, with selected benefits as described below:
Giving Levels
Champion - $25,000
Recognition: Leader level benefits plus recognition in a full-page ad in the ABA Journal.
Leader - $10,000
Recognition: Identified as a Founding Member Diversity Champion. Advocate level recognition plus recognition in a full-page ad in the National Jurist Magazine.
Advocate - $5,000
Recognition: Supporter level recognition, plus featured in a targeted WMU-Cooley social media campaign
Supporter - $2,500
Recognition: Year-long prominent recognition on the WMU-Cooley website. Recognition in WMU-Cooley’s semi-annual alumni magazine. Invitation to WMU-Cooley annual donor events and celebrations.
Your organization’s generosity will secure a more diverse student body while promoting a diversity of thinking and ideas in the classroom, and, ultimately in the legal profession. Only then can we move to a more just society.
We hope we can count on your support as we ALL RISE for this important initiative.
For more information about how you can become a partner DEI Champion, please contact Donor Relations at 517-371-5140 ext. 2014, or [email protected].
[1] ABA Profile of the Legal Profession, American Bar Association Report, 2020
[2] Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, ABA 509 Report, 2019 (most recent)
[3] July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020, IPEDS Report