Will you help build the next generation of national security law leaders?
As we approach the end of the year, we know many people give to organizations and causes that are meaningful to them. This year, please consider sponsoring a student who will benefit not only from the expertise of the proven national security leaders who will speak at our 2023 National Security Law Conference, but also from meeting other contemporaries who share their interest in supporting and defending the rule of law and the values we all cherish. Don’t we need more young people doing so?
You’ll be investing in the lives of young people pursuing interests and and possibly careers in national security – and you’ll be investing in our nation’s future. The young adults who will benefit from your support will go on to work in government, the military, the private sector, non-profits, and elsewhere. They will be the future strategizers, communicators and defenders of national security interests here at home and across the globe.
A key part of Duke’s Center on Law, Ethics & National Security’s (LENS) mission is to help build the next generation of national and – really – international security leaders. In 2018 we debuted the “LENS Scholar Program” in connection with our annual National Security Law Conference in order to support those future leaders in the field. (This year’s LENS conference is set for February 24-25.)
By subsiding their attendance, nominated students from various law schools (and a few other institutions to include America’s service academies) the LENS Scholar Program made it possible for them to connect with each another, as well as with leaders in the field, all while increasing their substantive knowledge. In 2020, 25 schools (46 students) were represented. COVID prevented us from doing the program the last two years, and your help is needed to resume the LENS Scholars Program in 2023.
Many of these students do not have access to the same types of programs, speakers, or networking opportunities that our own Duke Law students have. For these promising future military and civilian lawyers, government and non-profit leaders, and policy advisors, the experience of attending the LENS Conference can be transformational. The unique opportunity for these students to meet others with similar interests from around the country is extraordinarily valuable.
The Program has received rave reviews from the participants. Here are just a few:
Former LENS Scholar (from Penn State) and now Army judge advocate CPT Chuck Deibel told me recently:
“Attending the LENS Conference as a student Scholar was an incredibly valuable experience. Not only did I learn a lot about national security and international law, but I was able to network with leading academics and practitioners in the field. A terrific Conference and a great opportunity for law students!”
Former LENS Scholar and now Duke Law 3L Gabby Levikow described her experience this way:
“Being a LENS Scholar as a prospective law student was an invaluable experience that allowed me to get advice from current law students with similar interests in the national security field, which has served me well while in law school. And as a current 3L, I would value the opportunity to once again engage with peers from other law schools who will also be embarking on national security careers in the coming years and can serve as potential resources in the future.”
Here’s what a West Point cadet said after the 2020 Conference:
“To say that I am grateful for the opportunity to attend the LENS Conference this year is perhaps the greatest understatement of my life. I am beyond appreciative of your consideration and invitation. It is not every day that someone – especially a cadet bogged down in the grinding gears of West Point – is able to find clarity in his life’s purpose; and yet, this conference confirmed my reasoning for pursuing an education in law and legal studies as well as a career as a JAG in the military.”
“Though the panel discussions seemed to satisfy my desire to learn more about national security and law, the ability to meet and interact with law students from prestigious universities around the nation that share a common interest in legal studies was an incredible opportunity. I am grateful for the opportunity to have built relationships and network with such individuals.”
Would you please consider a gift of $850 to sponsor a LENS Scholar’s participation in the 2023 LENS Conference? With this one gift, you could change a young person’s future.
A gift of a full scholarship(s) would be fantastic, but any amount helps!
The easiest way to donate is online through Duke’s secure giving website: https://www.gifts.duke.edu/law?designation=3991358.
You can also mail a check to the Duke Law Alumni & Development Office, 210 Science Drive, Box 90389, Durham, NC 27701. Please write LENS Scholar on the memo line. If you would like to learn about additional ways you can make an impact on our students and support the LENS Center, please contact Halley House at halley.house@law.duke.edu.
Please help us make the 2023 LENS Scholar experience the best ever!
LENS Scholars 2020
