Diversity on Campus — An Interview with Seattle University School of Law’s Dean Kellye Testy
by Wilberforce Agyekum
On a recent fall afternoon, I had the distinct honor of interviewing Kellye Testy, dean of Seattle University School of Law (SU), about her views on diversity in the legal profession. To be in Dean Testy’s presence is overwhelming, because her aura is one of greatness — a true leader in the profession. Her passion, and perhaps the defining issue of our time now facing our profession, is: How can the profession better mirror the society we serve? Dean Testy has already accomplished much on this issue. For example, Dean Testy co-founded the Seattle University School of Law’s Access to Justice Institute, and founded both the Seattle Journal for Social Justice and the Center on Corporations, Law, and Society. On campus, she “walks the talk” by allowing diverse students, faculty, and staff opportunities to achieve to their fullest potential in the spirit of supporting diversity in the legal profession.
For example, under Dean Testy’s leadership, SU’s international human rights clinic is launching a new program with the University of the Witwatersrand, focusing on global social justice in Johannesburg, South Africa. Another example involves Laurel Currie Oates, director of the school’s acclaimed legal writing program, who was interested in supporting legal writing in Africa. Oates and Legal Writing Professor Mimi Samuel spent a half year in Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa, training with lawyers, judges, and academics in the art of legal writing. Dean Testy also supports SU’s commitment to public service. For example, when Professor Tayyab Mahmud discovered the Student Hurricane Network, a law student organization providing Katrina relief in the Gulf Coast, he energized students to help and, within a few short months, 25 SU students had committed to volunteer to rebuild in New Orleans, during their summer breaks and using their own travel money.
Dean Testy has been widely recognized by the legal profession and also by Washington state minority bar associations for her outstanding contributions. She was recently awarded the prestigious Ronald R. Ward President’s Award by the Loren Miller Bar Association. In her brief deanship, Dean Testy has offered amazing foresight and dedication, working to ensure that our profession practices what it preaches — equality, justice, and opportunity for all. Dean Testy notes that at SU, “we educate outstanding lawyers to be leaders for a more just and humane world. Our twin goals of academic excellence and education for justice are grounded in a tradition that encourages open inquiry, thoughtful reflection, and concern for personal growth.” When Dean Testy and I sat down to speak of diversity, she shared her vision and her thinking. Here is some of what we talked about.
Agyekum: Our current statistics on diversity in the Washington state legal profession, are: 90 percent Caucasian, 2 percent African-American, 2.7 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, 1.8 percent Latina/Latino, .8 percent Native American/Alaska Native, 1.7 percent multi-racial, and 37.2 percent women.(1) What do those numbers mean to you, and how do we move forward?
Dean Testy: Well, let me start first by saying that those statistics aren’t good news, and I am sorry to hear them, because those kinds of numbers don’t mirror our society, and law needs to serve society and all the people in it. So there is improvement to be made in order for the legal profession to be truly diverse. One of the things that immediately strikes me about those statistics is that Seattle University School of Law, for instance, has 33 percent — so about a third — students of color this year, the highest ever in the law school’s history. We have been making strides for a number of years, and for many years, we have averaged 25–30 percent students of color. I think we are leaders in this regard, but I know that a lot of law schools have made progress in this area. What we are seeing is that although the law schools have made progress, that progress is not now being reflected in the legal profession. There is a gap there that we need to be paying attention to.
Agyekum: What is Seattle University School of Law’s approach to diversity under your administration?
Dean Testy: Seattle University School of Law is committed to diversity among students, faculty, and staff. Having a broad mix of students and faculty from different ethnic, racial, and social backgrounds creates a richer atmosphere for everyone. First and foremost, you have to be really serious in your admissions efforts in wanting to have a diverse student body, and your admissions team has to be deeply committed to that goal. One of the best ways to ensure that is to make sure that the values of your organization are shared widely by everyone and that you “walk your talk” in that your own staff and faculty members are diverse. Our staff is diverse, including Associate Dean for Students Donna Deming and Assistant Dean for Admission Carol Cochran, who are both African-American. Our diverse staff certainly helps us make our commitment more real. The second part is ensuring a diverse faculty. I think our faculty is one of the most diverse in the country. That is so important, not only to make students comfortable in coming here, but also to help them succeed. Diversity in a law school’s faculty is key to the quality of the educational experience for all students. Faculty and staff need to work together to attract diverse students and make the law school successful not just in “talking” diversity, but in truly being diverse and engaging our diversity inside and outside of the classroom.
Agyekum: What advice would you offer to law firms with respect to hiring and retention of diverse attorneys?
Dean Testy: Two things. First, firms need to be committed to having a diverse workforce in more than just word. What that means is that it cannot be “business as usual.” Firms really must take proactive steps, such as prioritizing on-campus recruiting at schools with diverse student bodies. I too often hear people say, “Well, we would hire more diverse lawyers but there aren’t any to choose from.” That’s just not so. I know that is not true because I have talented, wonderful students graduating from this school every year who will add to the productivity and diversity of firms. So, I think that the firms need to make that commitment in word and deed. At Seattle University we draw from the top quarter of applicants nationwide, so there are many diverse, wonderful “soon-to-be lawyers” that firms will find on our campus. The second thing that firms can do is to look beyond just one measure of excellence, such as GPA or class rank. Instead, firms need to value the whole person, and look for broad indicia of future success. Traditional law school exams test only a narrow range of skills, whereas success in the legal profession requires excellence in a wide range of skills. Law school tests some of those skills well and some of them not so well. Finally, firms need to look broadly at a student, and be willing to invest time to develop and mentor that person. That investment will aid retention, and will ensure that a firm is broadly diverse. In short, firms need to truly commit beyond the “token” representation from any ethnic group, and commit to real diversity.
Seattle University School of Law graduate Wilberforce Agyekum and Assistant Attorney General Maureen Mannix edit this column.
1. Providing ethnicity and gender information to the WSBA is voluntary. These statistics are based on 73 percent of WSBA members reporting ethnicity and 78 percent reporting gender.
