ADDITIONAL LINKS
What would you like to accomplish during your first years at UCI Law?
I am looking forward to enhancing the entire admissions operations, especially extending our outreach and recruitment efforts. I share the vision that this law school is positioned to be one of America’s top law schools and as such, will enjoy a robust national applicant pool from which to select outstanding students. Therefore, much of my immediate attention will be focused on enhancing our visibility over a wider geographical range, leveraging the many points of contact I’ve accumulated over the years. Finally, just as Dean Chemerinsky, our faculty and our students are engaged in building institutional and academic traditions, admissions will be active in building traditions that demonstrate the law school’s commitment to providing a level of personal contact in all of our admissions activities.
Describe a favorite pro bono or service project.
Though I have participated in many acts of service, there are two that will always be dear to my heart. As someone who has long participated in animal refugee activities, during my first year of living and working in Azerbaijan, I was deeply moved by the abundant number of cats and kittens on the streets of the capital, Baku. Though common practice in the ex-pat community was to carry kibble in your pocket, this didn’t address the underlying problem. Ultimately, I decided to create a photo journal that morphed into a calendar that I designed and published to raise Azeri awareness and money for spay and neutering services.
The other action and education important to me: 10 years ago, I became a living organ donor when I gave my left kidney to my older brother. There are extensive resources for organ recipients, but not for many living donors, so through the Gift of Life Foundation and word of mouth, I have relished each opportunity to speak to those considering or recovering from such selfless acts.
I am delighted and pleased to be in a law school community that places such high regard on the importance of all the definitions of service.
- University of Liverpool, MSc, International Management, December 2011
- Columbia University, B.A. in Biology/Pyschology, 1983
- Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy School of International Affairs, Baku, Azerbaijan, Director of Admissions, Financial Aid and Scholarships, 2009-2010
- Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, Inaugural Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, 2002-2009
- University of Pennsylvania Law School, Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, 1994-2002
- University of California Hastings College of the Law, Director of Admissions, 1990-1994
- Columbia University, Assistant Director of Admissions, Graduate School of Business, and Admissions Officer, School of Law, 1981-1990
- JLA Consulting Services to Higher Education, LLC: Wayne State University School of Law, 2008-2009, University of Indiana-Indianapolis School of Law, 2007
- The Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), Board of Trustees 1999-2001, 2003-2005
- Brigham Young University Pre-Law Journal, Editorial Board, 1999-2005
- Austin has been a regular presenter at annual meetings and conferences of the Association of American Law Schools, Law School Admissions Council, National Association of Pre-Law Advisors and the Association of Higher Education and Disability, as well as a presenter to the Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a Minnesota State Bar Association CLE presenter on Diversity.
- Austin's articles on minority admissions and diverse applicants have been published in various journals, including the Journal of Legal Education, St. John’s University School of Law Review and forthcoming in The End of the Pipeline at the Millenium - A Journey of Recognition for African Americans to the Profession of Law, (Carolina Academic Press, 2011)