[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18625]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2130
     CELEBRATING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF RICHARD L. AYNES, DEAN OF THE 
                   UNIVERSITY OF AKRON SCHOOL OF LAW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Sutton) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, today it's my honor to rise to recognize 
Richard L. Aynes.
  On June 30, Richard Aynes concluded his term as dean of the 
University of Akron School of Law after 12 complete years, the longest 
tenure of any current law dean in the great State of Ohio and longer 
than 184 of the 196 deans at ABA accredited schools. His dedicated 
service is especially gratifying to me, as I earned my juris doctorate 
from the University of Akron School of Law.
  Since 1921, I and more than 6,000 people have selected the University 
of Akron for law school. With Richard Aynes serving as dean, newspaper 
headlines acclaimed our law school as ``on the move'' and as having 
``raised the bar.'' Today, as Richard ends his service as dean, he 
leaves the University of Akron School of Law as one of the top 50 law 
schools in the Nation. That is a great accomplishment.
  Under Dean Aynes' leadership, applicants to the School of Law 
increased from 1,621 in 1995 to 2,230 in 2006, while the student-to-
faculty ratio decreased. Those of us fortunate enough to live near 
Akron have always known and recognized the greatness of our law school, 
but Dean Aynes successfully spread that appeal throughout the Nation.
  The 2006 student body is composed of students from 37 States. He also 
oversaw the expansion of innovative programs to deal with our changing 
world. The School of Law now boasts the world-renowned Center for 
Intellectual Property Law and Technology, and I'm proud that my alma 
mater is the first school in the State of Ohio to offer a master of law 
in intellectual property law and one of only 17 such programs across 
the country.
  In a true testament to his devotion to both law and education, I'm 
pleased to report that Dean Aynes will return to the law faculty in the 
spring semester of 2008 to teach and publish. In this role, he will 
continue his tireless efforts towards the progress of the school and 
will profoundly touch the lives of future lawyers and our community. It 
is in recognition and gratitude that I rise today to honor this great 
man.
  And finally, Mr. Speaker, on a personal note, I want to express my 
deep personal appreciation for the compassion he extended to me during 
a challenging time that I faced during my experience at the University 
of Akron School of Law. You see, Mr. Speaker, during the first year of 
my legal studies, we received the sad, sad news that my father was 
suffering from lung cancer, and I shall always appreciate the 
compassion and the help that Dean Aynes and other caring professional 
faculty at the law school extended to me. It was that compassion and 
encouragement that made it possible for me to spend precious time with 
my dad in those precious final days of his life while continuing on 
with my legal studies and on a path that would lead me here to the 
United States House of Representatives, where I have the extraordinary 
honor to put that education to work in service to the fine people of 
the 13th District of Ohio.
  Thank you, Dean Aynes, and may your commitment and achievements 
continue to inspire and motivate countless generations.

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