USD School of Law announces Joy Cunningham Scholarship Endowment for American Indians
“We initially found USD through its web presence, particularly in the area of American Indian art,” said Delight Cash, daughter of the late Joy Cunningham. “This led us to the law school and productive conversations with the USD Foundation, who we found to be receptive, eager and easy to work with as compared to other universities we had contacted.”
The Joy Cunningham Foundation, created in the memory of its namesake, had researched and interviewed other universities before deciding on the law program at USD. The creation of this scholarship endowment reflects Cunningham’s appreciation, respect and concern for the advancement of Indian peoples developed through her family’s personal experiences.
“The scholarship reflects my mother’s understanding of the needs of the Indian communities based upon her deeply held sense of a collective obligation to address past injustices and to empower native communities to meaningful address their present and future needs,” added Cash, who describes her mother as a true “global citizen” – one who traveled the world over to see how people truly lived.
The USD Law School, which has long maintained a strong program in American Indian Law, was pleased by the generosity of the Cunningham Foundation. Interim associate dean and diversity & inclusion officer John Glover noted that, according to an American Bar Association report in 2013, there were less than 2,500 native attorneys in the United States. This number is disproportionately small compared to other ethnic or cultural communities in the U.S.
“It’s critical that Indians not only be provided the opportunity and means to become part of the legal profession, it’s further imperative that greater time and attention is given to the myriad of Indian law matters impacting native and non-native citizens and communities in our state,” said Tom Geu, dean of the USD School of Law.
The scholarship will be awarded for the first time this summer. Interested applicants can contact the USD School of Law at law@usd.edu or call (605) 677-5417.
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