NORMAN — On Sept. 26, the University of Oklahoma College of Law hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony dedicating the new Inasmuch Foundation Collaborative Learning Center, housed in the school’s law library. The cutting-edge space is named in recognition of Inasmuch Foundation’s generous $1.5 million gift to create the center.
“Because of Inasmuch Foundation’s generosity, we now have this 21st century space that serves as a critical element of our Digital Initiative,” said OU College of Law Dean Joseph Harroz Jr. “In 2014 we became the first law school in the nation to launch a college-wide initiative focused on equipping our students for success in the digital age. We began with the common platform of an iPad, given to each of our students at no cost, and built a comprehensive training curriculum around its use. Now, we have a physical space that builds upon our Digital Initiative’s success, devoted to using technology as a way to connect students to one another and prepare them to positively impact the people and societies they will one day serve.”
Located in the main entrance to the college’s Donald E. Pray Law Library, the center represents a transformation from traditional legal research and study to 21st century skills development and collaboration. The space features two virtual reality stations; four new multimedia study rooms; a flipped seminar classroom; a fully-equipped computer lab with dual-monitor stations; moveable whiteboard desks and stands; Brody WorkLounges; a “genius station” for research support; a café; and cooperative learning spaces for student collaboration.
With an earlier gift to the OU College of Law in 2008, Inasmuch Foundation provided critical funding for four multimedia study rooms in the law library. Warmly received by law students and faculty, these rooms are utilized for a myriad of purposes, including small-group classes, moot court competitions, group study sessions, collaborative staff meetings, employer interviews and video-conferencing. The four rooms logged nearly 4,000 uses by the student body in one academic year.
The study rooms’ success and the well-received Digital Initiative launched in 2014, the first such initiative by a law school in the country, demonstrate the OU College of Law’s leadership in legal education in the digital age. The Inasmuch Foundation Collaborative Learning Center represents the next decisive step in ensuring students have the technology, facilities and training necessary to become technologically-proficient legal professionals.
Founded in 1909, the OU College of Law is Oklahoma’s premier law school. OU Law offers small sections and class sizes that encourage a strong sense of community; accomplished faculty with international expertise; and a state-of-the-art facility equipped with the latest technology. The OU College of Law is the academic home of more than 500 students enrolled in the juris doctor program, the John B. Turner Master of Laws Program, the master of legal studies program and various dual degree programs. For more information about OU Law, visit law.ou.edu.
