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Patrick Shoulders, ‘78 was awarded the William G. Baker Award at this year’s “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” competition in Indianapolis in December 2008. The award, presented by the Indiana State Bar Association (ISBA), is given to an attorney or member of the ISBA who has shown outstanding dedication to citizenship education. Shoulders has been involved in “We the People” for more than 20 years in a variety of roles, serving as chairman of the Indiana State Bar Association’s Citizenship Education Committee and working with the state coordinator of the program to expand funding and recruit volunteers. In addition, Shoulders has judged the hearings at the district, state and even national levels and acted as the keynote speaker a number of times. Shoulders also has volunteered his time to work with the local schools to prepare them for the competition.

William G. Baker, ‘70 is a New Castle, IN attorney and one of the “founding fathers” of the program who has been instrumental in furthering the program’s goals.

Patrick Shoulders is a Trustee of Indiana University and a partner in the Evansville, Indiana firm of Ziemer, Stayman, Weitzel & Shoulders, LLP where he concentrates his practice in litigation. He has been elected to membership in the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has also been elected to the Federation of Insurance & Defense Council and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Shoulders is a co-chair and founder of the Trial Advocacy Skills College presented annually by the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum. He is a past chair of the ISBA’s Litigation Section and a past council member of the its Appellate Advocacy Committee. Shoulders was recognized in the 2005 and 2006 e ditions of Indiana Super Lawyers as one of the top 50 lawyers in the State of Indiana and has been included as an Indiana Super Lawyer in each annual publication since the magazine began. He has achieved an AV certification rating from the Martindale & Hubbell legal directory, an elite peer rating recognizing him as performing at the highest level of professional excellence based on ethical standards and legal ability. He is also a frequent presenter for the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, the Indiana School Board Association, and the Evansville Personnel Association.

He has served the legal profession as President of the Evansville Bar Association, as Chair of the Litigation and Citizenship Education Committees of the ISBA , as Chair of the Fellows of the Indiana Bar Foundation, and as a member of the State Bar Associations Board of Governors from 1998-2000. He is the recipient of the Evansville Bar Association’s highest honor – the James Bethel Gresham Award, in recognition of his service to the legal profession.

Originally appointed to the Indiana University Board of Trustees by Governor O'Bannon, Shoulders has been a Trustee of IU since January 1, 2002, and is currently VP of the board. He is a past national President of the Indiana University Alumni Association and the IU College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Association. He also currently serves as a Director of the IU Foundation and the IU Varsity Club and is a member of the Board of Governors of the IU Center on Philanthropy and the Well House Advisory Committee. In February of 2005, Pat received the Maynard K. Hine Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the IUPUI Alumni Association, for his "unique and significant contributions" to that campus.

In addition to his volunteer works, Pat also co-hosts " Shively & Shoulders ," a local Public affairs television program on WNIN Channel 9 in Evansville.