Reminded by commencement speaker U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski JD’85 that “The liberty we treasure is the freedom we have to think and speak for ourselves,” 121 Willamette University College of Law graduates crossed the stage to receive their diplomas Sunday, May 17, 2015.
The graduates included those receiving their JD, LLM and MLS degrees. They represented more than 29 different states or countries, 91 different undergraduate institutions and speak 24 different languages.
Murkowski, the U.S. senator from Alaska who was elected to a six-year term in 2004 and re-elected in 2010 in a historic write-in campaign, spoke of the importance and challenge of independent thinking.
“Don’t let the personal risks of letting people know what you really think prevent you from speaking up in the public arena,” she said.