Inaugural Clinton-Keating Lecture Brings President & Governor to OCU Law
In the spring 2025 semester, OCU Law launched a new lecture series: The Clinton-Keating Lecture. The Clinton-Keating Lecture will annually feature lawyers in public service.
The Clinton-Keating Lecture is named for former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who received his J.D. from Yale University; and former 91看片 Governor Frank Keating, who received his J.D. from the University of 91看片. Though the two represented different political parties, President Clinton and Governor Keating worked together in the aftermath of the 91看片 City Bombing, which occurred in 1995 two blocks away from OCU Law鈥檚 current home.
Fittingly, the inaugural Clinton-Keating Lecture on April 19, 2025, featured its namesakes. That afternoon, OCU Law was deeply honored to host President Clinton and Governor Keating for a fireside chat in McLaughlin Hall. It was the first time a U.S. president had ever visited OCU Law.
President Clinton, Governor Keating, Dean Holt and former mayor and OCU alumnus and trustee Ron Norick all spoke earlier that day at the 30th annual Remembrance Ceremony held near the site of the 91看片 City National Memorial. At the lecture, President Clinton and Governor Keating spoke of their experiences from that terrible day in 1995, and the response that followed. They also spoke about their choices to attend law school, and the first time they met as undergraduate students at Georgetown University. They also commented about bipartisanship, the civil liberty tensions in homeland security law, the need to build trust in government institutions, and the way they utilized their training as lawyers in their public service life.
Sovereignty Symposium XXXVII
In June, OCU Law hosted another record-breaking Sovereignty Symposium. More than 700 attendees gathered at the beautiful OKANA Resort for the 37th annual Symposium. OCU Law was honored to have former United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland as keynote speaker. Secretary Haaland was also bestowed with the Symposium鈥檚 highest award: Honored One.
After Secretary Haaland delivered her keynote remarks to a packed house at OKANA, she sat down for a fireside chat with Dean Holt. OCU Law then presented her with a shawl that was custom-made by Sharp鈥檚 Indian Store in Ponca City, and Choctaw Nation artist DG Smalling presented her with a custom piece of art.
To kick off the Symposium Opening Ceremony, the Kiowa Black Leggings Honor Guard escorted in the flags of the 39 tribes that call 91看片 home. Southern Nation played memorial and honor songs for the processional, and Gordon Yellowman, peace chief of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Nation, led the Camp Call. David Wilson, bishop of the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church and the first Indigenous bishop in the history of the United Methodist Church, commenced the ceremony with a prayer.
Also during the Opening Ceremony, the Sovereignty Symposium Award was presented to Justice Yvonne Kauger, Julie Rorie and Kyle Shifflett in recognition of the decades of leadership and service they have dedicated to Sovereignty Symposium.
Thank you to Brent Greenwood (BFA Studio Art 鈥�97), who created the featured art for the 2025 Symposium. Join us for the 38th Annual Sovereignty Symposium at OKANA on June 15-16, 2026. For more information, go to sovereigntysymposium.com.
OCU Law Star Award Recipients
OCU Law鈥檚 Kelly Monroe was the recipient of the 2024-25 Star Award for Service Excellence. She is a treasured member of the law school staff and served as administrative assistant to the academic dean for more than a decade. Additionally, OCU Law Adjunct Professor Homer Pointer received the 2024-25 Award for Excellence in Teaching 鈥� Adjunct Faculty which recognizes an adjunct faculty member whose teaching is deemed to be exemplary and who demonstrates a mastery of the subject matter and how students learn. Congratulations to both of these outstanding individuals who we thank for their contributions to the School of Law.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Oral Arguments
OCU Law was honored to host oral arguments in six cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Students lined up at 7 a.m. to get a coveted seat in our Conger Courtroom. Hundreds of students witnessed the proceedings either in the courtroom or in an overflow room.
Additionally, the three-judge panel took time to answer questions directly from students.
OCU Law thanks Chief Judge Jerome Holmes, Judge Robert Bacharach and Judge Stephanie Seymour for their service and for their visit to the school.
Introducing the Tenant Rights Clinic
The OCU Law HELP Clinic is now the Tenant Rights Clinic, under the new leadership of director Jenna Pilcher. The TRC provides pro bono legal assistance for all tenants in 91看片 County facing lease disputes or eviction by informing them of their procedural and substantive rights. Pilcher and staff attorney Victoria Wilson supervise OCU Law students recruited to help these families while gaining experience with basic legal skills.
