W W W. TO U R O L AW. E D U 05 concentrations, including one in small/ solo law practice to reflect the fact that graduates are increasingly gravitating to small practice settings. She also pushed the faculty to embrace distance learning as an effective adjunct to traditional classroom instruction and appointed the first director of digital legal education. Patty also appointed the law school’s first Director of Diversity and Inclusion. In countless ways, Patty has worked to address the needs and concerns of both women and minorities. She created a Justice Patch program with the Suffolk County Girl Scouts to introduce girls to the idea that they could become lawyers and judges. She has been unrelenting in her efforts to enhance the diversity of the profession and her work on behalf of women was recognized in her receiving the Ruth W. Schapiro Award bestowed by the New York State Bar Association for outstanding efforts on behalf of women. Patty’s ability to raise funds is legendary. In the four years of her tenure, the number of named scholarships increased from 4 to 40 and fundraising in general increased from approximately $900,000 per year to $3.5 million per year. Patty also initiated the 3L class gift program and Giving Tuesday efforts. She focused on increasing the Annual Fund for both unrestricted dollars and restricted dollars for programs, clinics and new institutes. She worked hard to ensure support from alumni and other friends of the Law Center, the Board of Governors, foundations, corporations, and the public sector. Under her leadership, we instituted the Legacy Society with a $1M planned gift. Under Patty’s leadership, Touro Law launched a 2 year JD program and a January admit program, bringing students with strong credentials to the school. She brought the State Bar Municipal Lawyer to Touro Law, as well as the National Moot Court Competition on Religion and the Law, and she initiated the Journal of Aging and Longevity Law. She energetically improved the visibility and marketing of the law school, through social media and through her Dean’s Desk E-newsletters, newsletters to pre-law advisors, outreach to law firms, media visibility, ad campaigns, “On the Docket” radio program and podcasts. She was at the helm of Touro Law’s website redesign and web presence, changing its look and its user-friendliness. While there are more achievements that could be noted, it’s the intangibles and the character traits that count as much as Patty’s concrete accomplishments. First, it must be stated that virtually all of the initiatives launched during Patty’s tenure were her ideas. Patty is unique at coming up with creative ideas and then making them happen. In my experience, there are leaders who come up with ideas, but provide no follow-up. Patty is different. Patty comes up with an idea and then reaches for the phone to put the idea into action. Whether it was the Disaster Relief Clinic, or commuter scholarships, or Long Island Incentive scholarships, or new ad campaigns, or new institutes, Patty both generated the ideas and mobilized the appropriate people and funding to put the idea into action. That’s true and effective leadership. That’s leadership that is truly unique. Patty’s leadership was not confined to the law school or to Long Island but played out on a state and national scale due to her prolific and highly regarded scholarship in the area of Land Use and due to her active involvement in bar association activities. Whenever a controversial proposal related to legal education was announced, Patty was the one who studied the issue and then mobilized other deans in the state and across the country to speak out. Patty has also served as an extraordinary role model, for students and faculty alike. No one works harder than Patty Salkin. No one cares for students more than Patty Salkin, who answers her cell phone 24/7, providing counseling and often other forms of assistance to students in need. No one can juggle more responsibilities, including teaching, scholarship, running a law school, and serving in leadership positions for countless organizations than Patty Salkin. In every aspect of her personal and professional life, she exhibits a dedication to excellence, a passion for justice, and an unremitting commitment to enhancing equal opportunities for all. Touro Law is a better institution for having Patty at its helm for 4 years and those lucky enough to have worked closely with her during that time have benefitted enormously from her wise counsel and encouragement. We are grateful too that her husband and partner, Howard Gross, shared Patty’s time and talents with the Touro Law community, and we appreciate his constant support of everything Touro Law. PATTY IS UNIQUE AT COMING UP WITH CREATIVE IDEAS AND THEN MAKING THEM HAPPEN. IN EVERY ASPECT OF HER PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE, SHE EXHIBITS A DEDICATION TO EXCELLENCE, A PASSION FOR JUSTICE, AND AN UNREMITTING COMMITMENT TO ENHANCING EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL.