Senate Resolution No. 1286

BY: Senator BRESLIN

COMMENDING Alicia Ouellette upon the occasion of
stepping down after nearly nine years of
distinguished service as Dean of Albany Law School

WHEREAS, New York State's commitment to education is unparalleled;
its history and stature are secured by the superlative caliber of its
educational professionals and the students they inspire; and

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to acknowledge
the significant milestones in the distinguished careers of those
outstanding educational leaders, whose dedication and achievements have
been instrumental in developing character and academic excellence in the
young people of New York State; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commend Alicia Ouellette upon the occasion of stepping down after nearly
nine years of distinguished service as Dean of Albany Law School; and

WHEREAS, After graduating from Longmeadow High School in Longmeadow,
Massachusetts, Alicia Ouellette earned her bachelor's degree in
psychology cum laude from Hamilton College in 1988; six years later, she
graduated magna cum laude in 1994 from Albany Law School, where she was
Editor-in-Chief of the Albany Law Review; and

WHEREAS, Alicia Ouellette began her distinguished law career as
Assistant Solicitor General in the New York State Attorney General's
Office and a law clerk to the Honorable Howard A. Levine at the New York
Court of Appeals; and

WHEREAS, In 2001, Alicia Ouellette began her academia career as
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Intellectual Life and a
professor of law; in October of 2014, she assumed the title of Dean
before being officially named the 18th President and Dean by the Board
of Trustees in January of 2015; she will step down from this role on
Friday, June 30, 2023, and after a much-deserved sabbatical, she plans
to stay with the law school in a teaching position; and

WHEREAS, Throughout her tenure, Alicia Ouellette has truly made a
positive difference to not only the students of Albany Law, but also,
the staff and alumni, and the Capital Region as a whole; and

WHEREAS, As Dean and President, Alicia Ouellette pursued several
important initiatives including the launch of a new strategic plan,
creation of new programs, and fundraising initiatives such as the
creation of a new strategic plan that led to historic growth in the
size, diversity and quality of the student body; and graduation of over
1,000 students who are now leading attorneys in public offices and
private firms, presiding judges, CEOs, entrepreneurs, advocates, and
serving clients around the world; and

WHEREAS, Alicia Ouellette was also instrumental in the completion of
the historic "We Rise Together" Campaign which brought $33 million to

the law school; navigation of the law school through a once-in-a-century
global pandemic with a transition to fully remote teaching and back
again; successful completion of a Middle States Commission on Higher
Education accreditation process in 2020 that began in 2016; launch of
the Online Graduate Programs which now has five academic disciplines and
continues to grow; a bar passage rate for first-time takers routinely in
the mid-80% (including a 14.5% jump in 2016) which outpaces the New York
State average; an employment rate routinely around 90% for first-year
graduates joining law firms, government positions, public interest work,
businesses, and industry; a visit by sitting Supreme Court Justice Sonia
Sotomayor in April 2017 for Kate Stoneman Day; countless academic
citations, leadership positions, and media appearances across the
country; as well as the creation of a formal academic partnership with
the University at Albany; and

WHEREAS, For her steadfast and unremitting commitment to the Albany
Law School, Alicia Ouellette was the recipient of numerous awards and
accolades including the 2022 Academic Laureate Award from the University
at Albany Foundation; and

WHEREAS, As a scholar, Alicia Ouellette focuses on health law,
disability rights, family law, children's rights, and human
reproduction; her book, Bioethics and Disability: Toward a Disability
Conscious Bioethics, was published in 2011, and she has authored
numerous articles published in academic journals such as the American
Journal of Law and Medicine, American Journal of Bioethics, Nevada Law
Journal, Hastings Law Journal, Indiana Law Journal, and Oregon Law
Review; and

WHEREAS, In addition, Alicia Ouellette has traveled around the world
sharing her knowledge and insight with organizations such as the Yale
School of Medicine and the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland; and

WHEREAS, Dedicated to her profession, Alicia Ouellette has served in
leadership positions for numerous professional and community
organizations, including as chair of the Association of American Law
Schools (AALS) Section for Deans, secretary and a board member for the
Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU), secretary
and a board member for the Burdett Birthing Center in Troy, New York,
and a board member for the University at Albany's Institute for Health
and Human Rights; and

WHEREAS, In September of 2020, Alicia Ouellette was appointed to New
York Governor's COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution and Implementation Task
Force; and

WHEREAS, Alicia Ouellette has clearly had an enduring impact on the
students at the Albany Law School, as well as on the community-at-large,
and accordingly merits recognition and applause for her impressive
dedication to others; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commend the
efforts of those individuals who work to support our proud tradition of
institutions of higher education by providing their skills and talents
to our colleges; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Alicia Ouellette upon the occasion of stepping down after nearly

nine years of distinguished service as Dean of Albany Law School, and to
wish her continued success in all her future endeavors; and be it
further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Alicia Ouellette.