Law Schools. NIU College of Law was ranked in the top ten for most diverse law faculty by The Princeton Review in 2008 and 2009 and was recognized for its diversity initiatives by the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois in 2009. In 2007, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) presented NIU Law with its annual Diversity Award in recognition of the college’s continued commitment to diversifying the legal profession, marking the fourth time the NIU College of Law received this honor. History The NIU College of Law was founded as the Lewis University College of Law on November 2, 1974. Due to a lack of funding to meet ABA requirements, the Lewis University administration began looking for an institution to transfer the law school to. Administrators from both NIU and Lewis University initially met in 1978 to discuss the transfer of the law school from Lewis University to NIU. Although there had been talk for quite some time of establishing a law school at NIU there had yet to be any real progress made. NIU and Lewis University began working on a proposal to submit to the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) in 1979. The IBHE rejected the proposal necessitating legislative action. Illinois Senators David C. Shapiro and Philip J. Rock introduced Senate Bill 719 on April 12, 1979 to the Illinois Senate. Senate Bill 719 provided the legislation necessary for the law school transfer of jurisdiction from Lewis University to NIU and funding to support the law school at NIU. After passing in the Illinois General Assembly, Senate Bill 719 was approved by Governor Thompson on June 26, 1979 and signed into law as Public Act 81–37 the next day. Effective August 1, 1979, Lewis University College of Law would become Northern Illinois University College of Law. In the Fall of 1982, after more than 7 years in Glen Ellyn, the NIU College of Law moved into its newly remodeled space within Swen Parson Hall on NIU’s main campus in DeKalb, IL. On August 11, 1982 the American Bar Association gave full accreditation to the NIU College of Law. The College of Law was admitted to the American Association of Law Schools on January 22, 1985. Alumni Notable members of the Illinois General Assembly who graduated from the NIU College of Law include Representative Steven Andersson and State Senators John Curran and Toi Hutchinson. Nancy Kaszak, a