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Justin Miller Awards

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At the close of each academic year, Duke Law students are invited to nominate outstanding graduating students for the four Justin Miller Awards in the categories of Citizenship, Integrity, Intellectual Curiosity, and Leadership. A selection committee comprised of students, faculty, and staff select the winners from those nominated. Winners are announced and presented with the awards at the annual Graduation Gala. Their names are added to the awards plaques under the portrait of the former Law School dean for whom they are named, and books are donated in their names to the permanent collection of the Law Library.

Last year, the awards were presented to John W. Bolin for Citizenship, Matthew J. Bonness for Integrity, Stephen T. Smith for Intellectual Curiosity, and Christine E. Soares for Leadership. Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Jill Miller, a member of the selection committee, said last year’s committee was “overwhelmed by the number of nominations we received — from JD students in all three classes and from our LLMs. It's a testament to the impact our students’ actions have on their classmates, and the sense of community we all care so much about.”

Justin Miller, who was dean of the Law School from 1930-34, gave life to a vision for the Law School. His vision was one of mutual respect, defense of justice, ethical leadership, and intellectual challenge among our students. He hoped to produce not just good lawyers, but great lawyers. And he realized that the drive to achieve these goals must come from within, which is part of the reason why these awards are based solely on student nominations. For many students, receiving one of these peer-recognition awards is one of the greatest honors they could garner during their Law School careers.

Winners in 2002 were:

  • Citizenship- Corey A. Ciocchetti
  • Integrity- Carl C. Carl
  • Intellectual Curiosity- Daniel J. Foster
  • Leadership- Marcella A. Harshbarger

Nominations for this year’s awards are due to the Office of Student Affairs by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 12, 2004. Nomination forms are available to print or submit online. Any questions about the awards should be addressed to the Office of Student Affairs at student_affairs@law.duke.edu.