Aug. 7, 1998 Contact John R. Crosiar (541) 346-3135 EUGENE--Rennard Strickland, dean of the University of Oregon School of Law, will deliver the 1998 UO summer commencement address at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Memorial Quadrangle on the west edge of the UO campus. Nearly 900 degree candidates are eligible to participate in the ceremonies, which will be held outdoors, rain or shine. Tickets are not needed for the free public event. Strickland's topic will be "To Live in a Time of Change." A renowned Native American legal scholar, Strickland became dean of the UO School of Law in July 1997. Previously, he was dean of Oklahoma City University School of Law. He is considered a pioneer in introducing Indian law into the university curriculum, having taught one of the first credited courses in Native American law offered at a U.S. law school. A legal historian of Osage and Cherokee heritage, Strickland is the author or editor of more than 35 books and is currently cited by courts and scholars for his work as editor-in-chief of the revision of "The Handbook of Federal Indian Law." His most recent book, "Tonto's Revenge: Reflections on American Indian Policy and Culture," was published in late 1997 by the University of New Mexico Press. Strickland was the founding director of the Center for the Study of American Indian Law and Policy at the University of Oklahoma. He also was named the John W. Shleppey Research Professor of Law and History at the University of Tulsa, where he was acting law dean before becoming dean of the School of Law at Southern Illinois University. He has taught American Indian law as a visiting professor or member of the regular faculty at institutions including Harvard Law School and the universities of Washington, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Florida and Kansas. Strickland has been actively involved in the resolution of a number of significant Indian cases and issues including fishing rights, tribal constitutions, gaming, cross-deputization of tribal law enforcement officers and tribal court actions. A native of Muskogee, Okla., Strickland earned his bachelor's degree from Northeastern State College, his master's degree from the University of Arkansas, and a doctor of laws degree, J.D., and a doctorate of science of jurisprudence, S.J.D., from the University of Virginia. He is a philanthropist and collector of American Indian Art. Among his honors and awards, Strickland received the American Bar Association's 1997 Spirit of Excellence Award--the ABA's highest award for contributions to minorities in the legal profession. He was recognized in 1995 for outstanding achievement by the American Indian Heritage Center; received the Regents' Award for superior research and creative activity from the University of Oklahoma in 1994; and was cited in 1993 by the Cherokee National Historical Society for his contribution to the study of tribal history. Summer term's 882 UO degree candidates include 632 slated to receive bachelor's degrees, three certificate recipients, 202 master's degree candidates and 40 completing doctoral degrees. Five law students also are slated to receive doctor of jurisprudence degrees. -30- #H-2041/Local