IU Maurer Law School, Purdue Engineering to offer scholarship, mentoring program

October 16, 2014  


WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Indiana University Maurer School of Law and Purdue University's College of Engineering have established a scholarship and mentoring program for engineering students interested in pursuing a law degree.

Each year the Purdue Intellectual Property Law Scholars program will offer at least two graduates admitted to the Maurer School of Law scholarships amounting to approximately 50 percent of annual tuition, along with access to a formal mentoring program and a research assistant position in the law school's Center for Intellectual Property Research.

The scholarship will reduce the cost of law school tuition over three years by $45,000 to $75,000, depending on the student's residency and other factors. 

"Purdue's College of Engineering is consistently ranked in the top 10 engineering programs in the country, and we're thrilled to deepen the already strong connections between Purdue, the law school and our Center for Intellectual Property Research," said Austen L. Parrish, dean of the law school and James H. Rudy Professor of Law. "The competencies learned through Purdue's top-notch engineering program and the powerful analytical abilities and lawyering skills developed through study at the Maurer School of Law equip our graduates to be extremely effective intellectual property lawyers as well as leaders in law and business. This collaboration is another way for IU and Purdue to attract and keep the very best and brightest students in Indiana."

Leah Jamieson, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering at Purdue, said: "The College of Engineering looks forward to providing our graduates with this opportunity to earn a degree through IU's highly regarded Maurer School of Law. This partnership within Indiana offers a unique avenue for our graduates to combine their engineering talents with another set of skills to work toward making a difference."

"For me, it's an honor to oversee this partnership," said Mark D. Janis, Robert A. Lucas Chair of Law and director of the Center for Intellectual Property Research. "The possibilities are endless for new work at the intersection of engineering education and intellectual property law education.

"And this partnership is personal. I'm a Purdue chemical engineering grad and an Indiana law grad. I can't begin to describe how thankful I've been to have the power of those combined institutions behind me, and I can't wait to help make similar opportunities available to many, many more Purdue students."

Each year, Purdue will nominate at least two students and/or alumni for admission to the Maurer School of Law, provided the applicants meet the law school's admission criteria. Other indications of future success, such as prior academic performance, letters of recommendation, past professional and other experience, and desire to study at the law school also will be considered. Applications will be accepted beginning with the law school's 2015 entering class.

The Center for Intellectual Property Research houses the law school's new pro bono intellectual property clinic, which has been certified by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Law School Clinic Certification Pilot Program, a distinction claimed by fewer than 25 percent of the nation's law schools. The clinic expects to support innovators affiliated with the Indiana University Research and Technology Corp., the Purdue Foundry, Rose-Hulman Ventures and NSWC Crane, among others. 

Writer: Judith Barra Austin, 765-494-2432, jbaustin@purdue.edu

Sources: Leah Jamieson, lhj@purdue.edu

Mark D. Janis, mdjanis@indiana.edu

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