Cooley dean honored as a Newsmaker of the Year

WMU-Cooley Law School President and Dean James McGrath was honored by the Grand Rapids Business Journal as a “Newsmaker” for 2019. McGrath, a finalist in the law category, was recognized during the newspaper’s 2019 Newsmaker of the Year event on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the Grand Rapids Business Journal as a Newsmaker of the Year finalist among this prestigious group of extraordinary leaders who are shaping West Michigan’s economic landscape,” McGrath said. “Together, our collective efforts are a leading force to West Michigan’s thriving future.”

GRBJ’s team of reporters and editors narrowed nearly 250 leaders in the West Michigan business community to three finalists in each of the following 16 categories: Arts & Entertainment, Beverages, Economic Development, Education, Finance, Food, Health Care, Law, Manufacturing, Nonprofits/Philanthropy, Real Estate/Construction, Retail, Sports, Startups, Sustainability and Technology. These finalists represent key leaders in the West Michigan business community.

McGrath, who joined WMU-Cooley in July 2019, recognized how the increasing cost of law school was affecting students, and spearheaded WMU-Cooley’s efforts to ease that burden by reducing the tuition 21 precent beginning fall 2020.

By lowering tuition costs, McGrath said it will help make the school more competitive.

“We realize that a significant part of providing access to legal education is cost,” McGrath said. “We need to be able to react in a way that would best serve the law school and community for the long term.”