9/22/2025

Delaware Law School marked the milestone of 50 successful years with a gala event recently that drew more than 200 people who reflected on the school’s accomplishments and celebrated its contributions to the First State and the legal community.

The gala, held at the DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, drew alumni spanning five decades, current and former faculty and staff, university leadership, and Delaware dignitaries including Gov. Matt Meyer and U.S. Sen. Chris Coons.

“When then-Widener College entered an agreement to affiliate with Delaware Law School in May of 1975, it was the start of something big,” university President Stacey Robertson said, noting the values of belonging and excellence are woven into the fabric of Delaware Law. “It is a school that creates opportunity and believes in the students it welcomes, and their ability to access a legal education that will propel them to help create a more just and fair world.”   

Coons said Delaware Law’s 13,000 graduates have changed history.

“Know that you have left a legacy that will endure and that there is more to come,” he said.

The senator explained he learned “how to lawyer in a clinic, not a classroom,” and that he has long been impressed by Delaware Law’s multiple law clinics, and “with the remarkable network of externships and internships and the ways you give young students the chance to know how to lawyer, before they cross the graduation stage.” 

Coons then pledged that, should the federal budget be successfully appropriated this year, he will earmark funding for a new intellectual property and entrepreneurship clinic at Delaware Law School.

“I hope you will celebrate, I hope you will reflect and I hope you will congratulate each other tonight on what you’ve done,” he said.

The night included even more special announcements. Dean Todd Clark shared that prior to the celebration dinner, law student Olivia Scholl was named the recipient of a $5,000 scholarship given by UMH Properties, the exclusive diamond sponsor of the evening. Scholl, who will take the Pennsylvania bar exam in July 2026, plans to work as an associate at Morgan, Akins & Jackson, PLLC in Philadelphia, handling general liability and worker’s compensation defense matters.
 
Clark also announced the school was renaming its student emergency fund to honor long-time administrator Constance Sweeney, who serves as executive assistant to the dean. The Connie Sweeney Student Emergency Fund will provide a vital safety net for law students facing unexpected financial crises, ensuring they have the support needed to complete their education and become the legal leaders of tomorrow. 

“To those of you who’ve worked closely with her, she is synonymous with Widener and with Delaware Law,” Clark said of Sweeney. “She is usually the first person to arrive in the morning and often the last to leave at night. If you need her on a weekend, she’s there. If there’s an emergency, she will be the first person offering help. There is nothing she cannot or will not do to make this institution and its students successful.” 

Several generous Delaware Law School partners committed to help kickoff off the renamed fund. Alice ’92 and Walter Strine, Cary ’81 and Nancy Flitter, and Chip Brown ’90 and Ipek Kurul pledged a total of $25,000. Those who want to contribute may still make a gift online as fundraising is ongoing.

The crowd also heard from Judge Scott Reid ’02, a member of the Widener board of trustees and a magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Renate Keg, a May law school graduate.
Eugene McGurk, ’78, chair of the law school advisory board, former university trustee and chair of the gala celebration, toasted the school and all that is to come.

“As we look ahead, let us celebrate not just our past, but the bright future that lies before us. I hope you will join me in building that future, together,” McGurk said.

Click here to view the entire Delaware Law School 50th Anniversary Gala photo album.