A Curriculum History of the William S. Richardson School of Law

This curriculum history exhibit was created for the Faculty & Staff Welcome Back reception on August 17, 2023, and in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the William S. Richardson School of Law.

The goal of this exhibit was to raise awareness on the founding vision and objectives of the Law School through its curriculum and social impact, in the past 50 years. The designers of this exhibit explored the Law School History archives and Law School website to find information on the curriculum committee, the Pre-Admission Program (precursor to Ulu Lehua Program), and Law School Academic Programs. 

The first area of focus was on the origins of the law school shaped by legislative history and research studies during the early years of Hawaiʻi's Statehood, to advocate for the opening of a state-funded law school at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. 

The second area of focus was on the early years of the law school, such as entering class statistics, first-year program description, accreditation, the ETE bowl, the preadmission program's directors, and other academic programs and curricular activities that aimed to meet Hawaiʻi's diverse, complex needs. 

The third area of focus features portraits of the Deans of the Law School from 1972 to 2023. The various positions represented are Deans, Associate Deans, Acting Deans, Assistant Dean, Assistant to Associate Dean, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Associate Dean for Student Services. This gallery of portraits reveals the transformation of the school's leadership over time in ethnicity and gender.