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Mississippi College School of Law Marks 40th Anniversary


Mississippi College School of Law Dean Wendy Scott speaks at ceremonies June 9th to mark the institution's 40th anniversary.

Mississippi College School of Law supporters joined the tribute Tuesday to a vibrant Jackson institution celebrating 40 years of service to the legal community.

No longer advertised as the Best Kept Secret in the South, the MC School of Law has seen its national and international reputation grow. Its graduates work in all 50 states and serve in many countries around the globe.

“I believe this will be a fantastic year for the MC Law faculty, staff and students,” law dean Wendy Scott said in opening remarks to launch year-long activities on the Jackson campus.

Resolutions from Gov. Phil Bryant, the Mississippi Bar and Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber just added more icing to the cake. Events to spotlight four decades of excellence at MC Law will extend until May 31, 2016.

Founded in 1935, the former private Jackson School of Law was purchased after six years of negotiations and became designated the Mississippi College School of Law on June 9, 1975. It was a year when Gerald Ford served as the nation’s president, and the movie “Jaws,” the Steven Spielberg thriller, was a huge hit at the box office that summer. William Waller served as Mississippi’s governor at the time.

Over the years, MC Law graduated 4,688 men and women. They serve in all branches of the U.S. Armed Services, work as prominent members of the judiciary and represent legal clients in small towns and big cities alike.

MC Law School traces its roots back to the main campus in Clinton where classes were held during its first few years before moving to its headquarters at East Griffith Street in downtown Jackson.

Fulfilling the institution’s Christian mission, MC Law students provide free legal services to the needy and enormous assistance to the region’s community with its Family & Children’s Advocacy Program, MC President Lee Royce noted. Thousands of children and families have been served in recent years.

Its perspective is truly global with overseas study programs in Germany, France, Mexico, China and South Korea.

From a financial standpoint, MC Law produces a major economic impact in Mississippi’s capital city, just blocks from the Capitol, Royce said.

With 123 full-time and part-time faculty and staff, Mississippi College Law School generates about $30 million annually.

The Mississippi College vice president for academic affairs, Ron Howard played a part by teaching many of the students on the Clinton campus who later earned MC Law degrees.

“This is a thrill for me,” Howard said. “I’ve gotten to see MC Law grow up.”

Support from groups like the Mississippi-based Robert Hearin Support Foundation, especially during the early years, was critical for the growth of MC Law School.

“It was not easy to launch MC Law,” Howard said.

The founding dean of the MC Law School, Mary Libby Payne, joined the ceremonies. She read a few passages from her 2012 book “A Goodly Heritage: A Memoir of the Mississippi College School of Law,” as supporters listened at a reception.

Receiving national accreditation from the American Bar Association was among the biggest challenges facing the law school during its first few years, Payne said.

Former MC Law School dean of admissions Pat Evans recalls the campaign that once billed the Jackson-based institution as the “Best Kept Secret in the South.” There were even MC Law T-shirts printed with that slogan years ago.

But MC Law graduate and university trustee Amanda Green Alexander of Jackson insists that campaign is no longer needed. “The word is out.”

While proud of the first four decades, MC Law leaders point out the best years are yet to come.