IU Maurer School of Law establishes scholarship and mentoring programs with Knox College, Georgia Tech

  • July 28, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON Ind. -- The Indiana University Maurer School of Law has entered into memoranda of understanding with Georgia Institute of Technology and Knox College establishing scholarship and mentoring programs for students from each school interested in pursuing legal education.

Each year the programs will offer at least two Knox College and Georgia Tech graduates admitted to the Maurer School of Law a scholarship amounting to about 50 percent of annual tuition, along with access to a formal mentoring program. Georgia Tech scholarship recipients will also be eligible to serve as research assistants 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.  

“I’m very pleased that the law school is partnering with two terrific institutions,” said Austen L. Parrish, dean and the James H. Rudy professor of law at the Maurer School of Law. "Knox College is known for its thriving academics and intellectual student body, which means Knox students are well-prepared to pursue graduate legal education."

Knox College, which The Huffington Post recently named as one of the "Top 10 Hidden Gems" in American higher education, is ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the nation for academic reputation, affordability and diversity.

“And we look forward to welcoming Georgia Tech’s outstanding engineering graduates to our intellectual property law program,” Parrish added. “In a world where technology and innovation touches every aspect of our daily lives, Georgia Tech students are particularly well equipped for success as law students.”

Parrish noted that an engineering degree provides a strong foundation for the study of intellectual property law, adding that the Maurer School of Law’s intellectual property program was ranked 20th in the United States in the 2014 edition of U.S. News and World Report Best Graduate Schools. Georgia Tech is one of the top research universities in the United States; its College of Engineering is consistently ranked among the nation’s top five in U.S. News and World Report; and it is rated among the top universities in the nation for graduation of underrepresented minorities in engineering, computer science and mathematics.

“Engineers work in the realm of industrial property and are often the first involved in creating a proprietary design or invention,” said Gary S. May, dean of the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech. “This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to obtain the knowledge to handle intellectual property, which is at the very core of what engineers produce. We also realize that there is a need for patent lawyers with a strong background in innovation and engineering, which Georgia Tech provides.”

"A career in law draws on the strengths of a Knox liberal arts education: critical thinking, analytical skills, persuasive speaking and writing,” said Laura Behling, vice president for academic affairs and dean of Knox College. “Knox graduates have gone on to become some of the nation's leading legal experts, arguing cases in front of the Supreme Court, advising presidents, and leading national and international law firms. We are excited to enter into this agreement with the Indiana University Maurer School of Law and look forward to providing Knox students and alumni with this opportunity to attend one of the nation's leading law schools."

Each year, Knox and Georgia Tech will nominate at least two students or alumni for admission to the Maurer School of Law, provided the applicants meet the law school’s criteria for admission and the LSAT and cumulative grade-point average requirements. 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. The programs will be open to all students and alumni of Knox College and the Georgia Tech College of Computing and College of Engineering, beginning with the law school’s 2014 entering class.

As one of oldest law schools in the country and one of the nation’s top public law schools, the IU Maurer School of Law has a history of developing deep relationships with other prestigious institutions in higher education, both in the United States and abroad. These are the third and fourth scholarship and mentoring programs the Maurer School of Law has established this year with undergraduate institutions. Other participating schools are Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind., and Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind.

Related Links

Indiana University Maurer School of Law

Indiana University Maurer School of Law

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Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgia Institute of Technology

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Media Contacts

Ken Turchi

Assistant dean for finance and administration

  • Maurer School of Law
  • Office 812-856-4044
  • kturchi@indiana.edu

Kay Kinard

Director of communications

  • Georgia Tech College of Engineering
  • Office 404-385-7358
  • kay.kinard@coe.gatech.edu

Megan Scott

Associate vice president and chief communication officer

  • Knox College
  • Office 309-341-7760
  • mscott@knox.edu