News Archive
Celebration to Honor Graduates and Alumni
04/27/2011
If anyone needs proof that the IU School of Law – Indianapolis has a deep talent pool and broad influence, they need only look at the roster for this year’s alumni gathering, the annual Evening of Celebration, which honored a bank president, a former dean, a seasoned law partner, as well as two human rights activists, one from Chicago and the other living in the Netherlands.
On May 13, 2011 at Inlow Hall the law school held its combined alumni reunion, awards ceremony and welcome to the graduating class. This year’s festivities were hosted by the Indiana University Alumni Association and took place the night before Commencement (May 14 at the Indiana Convention Center). Activities for alumni included a two-hour CLE program, an alumni reception honoring three Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA) winners and two Early Career Achievement award recipients, followed by class reunion dinners.
DAA winners included former Interim Dean and Professor of Law, Susanah M. Mead, ’76; Stephen A. Stitle, ’70, Regional President of PNC Bank, Indiana and a member of the Board of Visitors; and John R. Maley, ’88, Partner at Barnes & Thornburg and former president of the Law School Alumni Association Board.
Mead, who has taught tort law at her alma mater for over 33 years, is retiring from the law school this summer. She was the first woman and the first graduate of the school to lead the school when she served as Interim Dean from 2005-2007.
Stitle, a cum laude graduate, held a variety of executive positions for Eli Lilly and Company for nearly 25 years before retiring from the pharmaceutical company in 1995 to lead National City Corporation, acquired by PNC in 2008. An active community member, he serves on numerous boards, including the Indiana University Foundation and the law school’s Board of Visitors.
Maley, a summa cum laude graduate who was executive editor of the Indiana Law Review, clerked for the Honorable Larry J. McKinney in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis for two years after graduation. A partner at Barnes and Thornburg, he practices litigation, employment law, and appellate practice. A past-president of the Indianapolis Bar Association, as well as the Law School Alumni Association, Maley has also taught as an adjunct professor at the law school.
Early Career awards were given to Emily Benfer, ’05 and Sean Monkhouse, ’06. Benfer is a Clinical Professor of Law at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law and Director of Health Justice Project, a group that improves health outcomes for low-income residents. Monkhouse, who is Associate Legal Officer for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) located in The Hague, was unable to attend the ceremony, and Professor George E. Edwards accepted the award on Monhouse's behalf.
The evening’s celebration also included a Salute to the Class of 2011, welcoming them into the alumni family. Following the reception, members of several reunion classes attended a dinner at the JW Marriott.
