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October 25, 2005
Law Annex more visible in new location
It is becoming increasingly difficult to claim the recently-built Klas Center as Hamline’s most recent addition. A modern institution is always dynamic, constantly changing with the times, but the extent of such development always depends on the institution itself.
To see the university’s most recent new addition, one must walk a block off campus; in large white letters with a scarlet background, the words “Law Annex” greet people commuting and walking along Snelling Ave. The building has been officially ready since mid-August when the Hamline School of Law moved into the versatile space, which could one day also serve as a future extension for the CLA or one of the university’s graduate programs.
The Law Annex is affiliated exclusively with the law school for the moment, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t reason for people to celebrate the addition campus-wide. It seems the university is working harder than ever to better adapt to the needs of all its students.
The Annex provides space for law school affiliates for mediation and the Innocence Project. The extra room provided by the building better accommodates these programs, instead of being crammed into an already too-small campus. Clinical programs now have more space to carry out their daily duties. Within the complex, law students are assiduously working with real clients from Hamline’s community. In the program, students represent small businesses and non-profits in various situations while being advised and overseen by law professors.
This new building provides a concrete place for the students to meet with clients. The addition is also ideally located; the new Annex is much more conspicuous than it was before. The new law annex is situated conveniently close to campus on Snelling Ave., and the thousands of daily commuters also catch a glimpse of the complex as they pass.
This outreach of publicity into the community certainly pleases the law school. Assistant Dean of
Administration of Programs Anne Johnson said that not only does the facility provide more space for an already restricted institution, she also likes the idea of the increased visibility.
All schools at Hamline have struggled with limited space. “Every place on campus is basically maxed out, and the law school is no exception,” Johnson said. She said that all the schools would like to expand their limited space, but admits that the plausibility of expansion continues as an ongoing question.
“I’ll be anxious to know where we’ll be in five [or] ten years time with all the space concerns on campus,” Johnson said.
As the extent of the problems become known to more and more people, it seems that not everyone is quite as tenacious about solving them. Expanding a school amid a major city is no easy task; even if adequate space could be found for all the schools, it will certainly be no quick or easy job.
While not directly affected by the expansion, CLA Vice President of Finance and Treasurer Doug Anderson is elated about the annex as well.
Anderson said that while little is known about the future of any more extensions, the Facilities Committee of the Board of Trustees will be convening in the future to discuss where to go from hereč especially in light of the inauguration of President Linda Hanson. Next summer may be one of strategic planning, but nothing is concrete as of yet.
Posted by msveum at October 25, 2005 12:45 AM
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