1. Santa Clara
Law
Congratulations to Dean Donald Polden
for his 10 successful years of service and
education.
2003-2013

2. Don,
Thank you for giving me my start at
Santa Clara. I will always be
grateful for your support during the
very first years of my academic
career, shepherding me from a new
hire through my tenure vote. You
can finally start working on the
things that really matter - like
lowering your golf handicap.
Best,
Deep

3. I have so many memories of Don's great leadership,
mentoring, and friendship. Here are two. First: when I
came to Santa Clara to interview I realized moments
before our breakfast meeting that I left my PowerPoint
presentation in New York; he cooled me out, we came
up with a workable solution, relaxed and had a great
breakfast, and by the time noon came around the
PowerPoint was there and ready to go.
The second: Midway through my second year I totaled
my car one foggy night driving home from San
Francisco. Don's solution the problems this presented:
He loaned me his prized personal car, welcomed me to
use it for as long as I needed. These are the human,
personal memories, evidence of the institutional
support and intellectual inspiration Don gave me are
remembered in all of my teaching and writing.
David Yosifon

4. I hope that you have a wonderful
much-deserved break, and look
forward to working with you when
you return to SCU!
Laura Norris
You are a great colleague, wonderful
boss, inspiring mentor and a dear friend.
Thanks for putting such energy into the
School for the past ten years.
Your friend and colleague,
Cynthia
I always appreciated the time and
energy that Don gave the part-time
students!
Good job, young man!
James Lauth
Dear Don:
It has been a pleasure working with you
and I wish you the best of luck in your
new legal endeavors!!!
Becky Jones

5. Dean Polden has always been a strong supporter
of diversity at SCU Law, which definitely helped
me feel included and a part of the SCU Law
community from day one. I could always count on
his enthusiastic support for student groups, like
APALSA, and I will never forget the warm
hospitality I received when he so graciously
invited several student groups to his beautiful
home for a breakfast reception. I will definitely
miss seeing his unassuming, always smiling face
on campus. I'm so happy to have chosen SCU for
my law school, and I know that Dean Polden's
vision and accomplishments are what made SCU
such an amazing law school. Thank you for
everything you have done for me and for this
school!
Allison Mizushima

6. It has been a privilege working under your
leadership...Thank you for all your support.
Congratulations on your appointment with the
Center for Creative Leadership - they are fortunate
to have you. Look forward to your return!
Best,
Deborah Moss-West
Don ,
Many thanks for your leadership, your friendship,
and your good humor these many years. Your
commitment to Santa Clara and the values of the law
school are clear. I know you fought on our behalf
(often without any recognition) and I appreciate that
as well. And remember- I am definitely their favorite
professor! :)
I look forward to working beside you in the years to
come.
With warmest wishes,
Ellen Kreitzberg

7. Wishing you all the best,
Marina
Don,
You'll always be my "first Dean" at Santa Clara
Law!
Thank you for bringing me to the law school,
welcoming my ideas, and fostering my
professional development. Your
encouragement, support, and creative
leadership has made a great difference in my
life and those of so many others in our extended
community. It has been great getting to know
you in and out of the classroom. And while I
hope you enjoy all of the opportunities of your
well-earned time without the burdens of the
Dean's life, I look forward to continuing to
benefit from your leadership (and wry humor).

8. Thank you for your sense
of humor, for your
willingness to listen to
people with different
viewpoints, and for your
tireless attendance at so
very many meetings and
events. Have a great time
as a visiting scholar. When
you return home to us, I
hope you'll enjoy feeling
that a weight has been
lifted from your shoulders.
Best wishes,
Ray Bernstein
Dean Polden,
Thank you for all
you have done for
Santa Clara Law. I
wish you the best
in your sabbatical
year and I look
forward to seeing
you when you
return. Enjoy all of
the adventures
that await you!
Best wishes,
Andrea Shaheen

9. Dear Dean Polden,
Thank you for all your work as
dean for Santa Clara Law! All the
best in the new (and continuing)
adventures!
~Adriana Duffy-Horling
Dean Polden,
Many thanks for all your support
on the Law Reunion Program.
I've enjoyed working with you
and wish you all the best during
your sabbatical. See you in
2014!
Susan Moore

10. Congratulations on a job well done,
Don! I've enjoyed our conversations,
although infrequent. Thank you for
your willingness to collaborate,
guide and help.
Best wishes,
Nancy Calderon
Wishing you all the best in your
future endeavors! Thank you for the
many accomplishments you have
contributed to our law school!
Christina Johnson
DON, SO SORRY I WILL BE OUT OF
TOWN ON THE EVENING OF YOUR
TRIBUTE. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU
HAVE DONE FOR SCU LAW ! ENJOY
YOUR LESS STRESSFUL FUTURE MY
FRIEND,
RAY DAVILLA
It was great talking to Dean Polden
at the Kasner Symposium
Reception about the future of
estate planning and taxation at
Santa Clara University!
Lauren Corman

11. Dear Don,
It has been a pleasure working with
you, especially getting to spend time
with you at the Brick'n Bytes
conference in San Diego last year.
Thank you for all you have done for
the law school. Enjoy your year off, it
is well deserved.
Regards,
Prano
Dear Dean Polden,
I sure am going to miss you!! I
remember when I first started here at
SCU, you made me feel so welcomed.
You have such a wonderful personality
and are such a joy to talk to. I wish you
the best in your new endeavors and
look forward to seeing you again on
campus.
Barbara Lindley

12. Don, thank you so much for your
enthusiastic support of our external
moot court program! You've made it
possible for us to develop our
program and for our students to
have valuable learning experiences!
Best,
Karin
Dear Dean Polden,
I wish you the best on your next
endeavors. Thank you immensely for
all you have done for me and Santa
Clara Law. We will miss you as Dean
but at least you will still be with us in
a different role. Enjoy your
sabbatical!
Best Regards,
Cassandra Francois
Dear Don,
You will be missed as our Dean,
but of course I look forward to
seeing you on campus. Have a
wonderful sabbatical year.
Best regards,
Vinita
Don, your great sense of humor and
kindness will be missed! I wish you
much success and happiness in your
future endeavors!
Sincerely,
Michelle Waters
Dear Don,
Thank you so much for all your help
and support during the last 10 years.
It has been a pleasure working with
you and I am looking forward to
working with you again when you
come back to campus. I wish you all
the best.
Angela Lee
Dean Polden,
Many thanks for all of the good
work that you have done for Santa
Clara Law School. Enjoy your time
off and your return to the
classroom!
Best wishes,
Lori (Cimino) Johnson, JD '79

13. Don,
It has been a distinct pleasure
working with you these past 5
years. I appreciate your sense of
humor and your compassion for
the law school, its students,
faculty and staff. I wish you a
relaxing "vacation" and look
forward to seeing you upon your
return.
Fondly,
Laura McGeehon

14. Dean Polden, you have been ever
approachable and welcoming of
students. Were I Dean I'm not sure
I'd regularly say hi to the likes of me,
as there are some 900 of the likes of
me, and I'd be saying hi an awful lot.
But this never seemed to color your
genuine smile. You welcomed us
into your home to break bread on
numerous occasions. I interpret this
as going the extra mile. I can't close
without mention of your fantastic
portrayal of Investigator Bert
Franklin in the Trial of the Century,
which has inspired me. We'll assume
this to be a good thing ;^)
George Atkins
Although I never worked directly
with the Dean, I have always
appreciated his warm and friendly
demeanor. He never missed an
opportunity to do what he does
best -smooze! He may not know
my name, but he sure knew my
face! He made an effort to keep
the law school community
connected with his informal
meetings, his accessibility, staff
appreciation events and much
more. I wish him well in this new
chapter of his life's adventure.
Maria B.
Library

15. Dean Polden,
I dined with you with the Vice
Chancellor of Delaware, drank
wine with you and our alumni
on the shores of Tiburon,
enjoyed your company in High
Tech networking events, rubbed
elbows at the bar association
events, and was quick on my
feet to respond to your request
to help organize the Master
Road Show. It's been a great few
years for me. Thank you for the
opportunities you presented.
Patrick Wallen
Dean Polden,
I cannot imagine three years at
Santa Clara Law would have been
quite as enjoyable without the
always enjoyable occasion to pass
you around the Alameda Mall.
Your easy, consistently affable
demeanor not only exuded calm
regardless of turbulence, but
inspired it in others. Though I
missed a course with you, you
taught me the value of this mode
and I look forward to emulating it
and sharing it as best I can
throughout my practice.
Thank you,
Marc S. Wiesner

16. Dear Don,
Thank you for all you have done for Santa
Clara Law School. You took the lead on the
"lawyers as leaders," and I know from Bob
Cullen that has been a successful theme for
our institution. Thank you too for all your
leadership with the local bar and alumni;
close connections between the School and the
community are important. In time I am
certain you will see the building you have
worked hard so hard to assure that Santa
Clara offers its students the best environment
possible.
Now I wish you good luck with new
endeavors and hope that you enjoy your
sabbatical and then the classes you will teach
upon your return.
Sincerely,
Patty Rauch

17. Don,
Thank you for six remarkable years!
Thank you for letting me learn
alongside you, for including me in the
grand adventure of Cannon Design,
and, most of all, for your friendship.
That will never change.
All good wishes to you and Susie as
your future unfolds,
Jacqueline
Don,
In my years here I've really appreciated
your good humor, your straight shooting,
and your ability to remain calm when
others around you are losing their heads.
It's been great to have you as my first
dean--you've set the bar high! Best of
luck to you in your future endeavors, and
thanks so much for all your years of
service.
Yours,
David Ball

18. A small factoid. There's always
a risk having the law school
dean give introductory remarks
at an event. They tend to drone
on painfully. In contrast, I
always was glad when Dean
Polden would give introductory
remarks about our events
because he would do a beautiful
job. He'd get to the stage, crack
a joke, say a few nice things, and
reliably get off the stage in a
couple of minutes.
Eric Goldman
Don: Thank you for your
support of my scholarship! That
has meant the world to me.
Thank you also for your calm and
patient guidance at so many
faculty and committee meetings
throughout the years.
I hope you enjoy every minute of
your much-deserved sabbatical,
and I look forward to welcoming
you back as a colleague in 2014.
Take care,
Kerry Macintosh

19. Don,
You have made a positive and indelible
contribution to the students you have
taught, the culture and character of the
Law School, and the all folks that were
lucky enough to have worked with you
as Dean. Your wisdom and humor in
that role will be missed tremendously,
but forever remembered. You did
good. Have a great time with the next
adventure in your life; you have
certainly earned it and more.
Your friend always,
Ben Martin.

20. Dear Don,
Where did the time go? It seems
like just yesterday that you were
settling in to the dean's suite.
You've accomplished a lot in the
past ten years and Santa Clara is a
better place for all your efforts.
You are leaving behind a
marvelous legacy. Thank you for
all your support and good counsel
through out the years. You will be
missed.
Warm regards,
Julia Yaffee

21. Dear Don,
I will really miss you as our Dean of
the Law School. Thank you so much
for your leadership and support of
Law Admissions and Financial Aid.
Best Wishes to you .
Always,
Elinore Burkhardt
Thank you Dean Polden for
everything you have done for us. We
really enjoyed having you as the
dean of our wonderful law school.
Wishing you the best.
Shaherzad Azim

22. Law Student Golf Association
This year, we had our first annual
Student/Attorney Golf Tournament. Dean
Polden demonstrated his support for his
students by playing in the
tournament and finding local attorneys to
participate. Everyone that played in the
tourney had a great time, and we'll all hold
onto that day as a great Santa Clara Law
memory. We're sad to see Dean Polden go
(temporarily), but we are extremely
grateful for his decade of service to the
school. We at the LSGA wish him the best
of luck in his future endeavors and hope to
see him sooner than later.
Sincere regards,
Chris Glass & Anne Boyer
LSGA Presidents (2012-13)

23. Dear Don,
It has been such a pleasure working
with you on the Easy Pieces
Scholarship over the years. Dave and
I have so enjoyed our annual holiday
lunches with Bob, Mary, Wendy, and
you (when you were not too busy
with those annoying administrative
duties to grace us with your
presence!). Please join us whenever
you are in the area -- a chair and an
empty wine glass will be waiting for
you. Until your return, we'll raise a
glass to you! Enjoy the sabbatical
adventures and we'll see you when
you come back to teach.
Warm regards,
Molly Long and Dave Grunbaum

24. Best wishes for your next
chapter!
Joan Harrington
Don,
Best wishes with your new
endeavors and adventures!
Caroline Chen
Dear Dean Polden,
Thank you for everything. Best
wishes to you.
Law Finance Office
Thank you Don for a job well
done!
Gary Spitko

25. Dean Polden,
I wish you the very best as you
embark on the next chapter of your
life. Thank you for your inspiration
and your dedicated leadership for
so many years.
-Morgan Dain
Thank you for your many
years of leadership and
service, and best wishes for all
that comes next
Gus Lane
Heafey Law Library
Thanks for all your hard work
as Dean, and good luck in your
future endeavors!
Best,
Michelle Liang
Dean- Thank you for all you did
for the law school and the
KGACLC. It is appreciated. Enjoy
your year off with your beautiful
family!
Dianne Blakely
Don:
Thanks so much for hiring Pat and
me! And thanks, too, for making it
possible for us to get legally married
in California. I hope that you have a
wonderful sabbatical in this most
beautiful place on earth.
Jean
Dear Don,
It has been a pleasure working with
you the past few years. You have
always been quick to issue a "thank
you" or "job well done" and that is
greatly appreciated! Thank you for all
that you've done for Santa Clara Law
and best wishes.
-Elyse Amberg

26. You may have heard this from
me before, but I'm saying it
again: Best Boss Ever! It's been
great working for you these past
nine years and thank you for all
you have done for the law
school. Enjoy the sabbatical -
you deserve it! Looking forward
to having you back on campus in
2014.
Best wishes to you, Suzie and
the whole family.
Joanie

27. Dear Dean Polden,
Thank you for your guidance and leadership over the past years at Santa Clara Law. You have made
our years at Santa Clara a positive and enriching experience that will stay with us as we graduate
and become productive members of the legal community. Good luck in your future endeavors.
Always know that the students at Santa Clara will remember the days that you help mold us to be
'Lawyers who lead."
Sincerely,
Deepa Jandhyala

28. Don,
It is hard to imagine Santa Clara
Law without your leadership. You
have shaped so much with your
vision and hard work.
Thank you for hiring me, and for
then providing an encouraging and
stimulating environment to develop
professionally. I'll always be grateful
for the opportunities and support
you so generously gave.
My best wishes to you and Susie. I
look forward to your continuing
leadership in legal education and to
future collaborations for Santa Clara
Law.
Cheers,
Marina

29. Dear Dean,
Thank you for the past seven years at
Santa Clara! I have enjoyed every
minute that I've worked here. You have
been a marvelous mentor and so
supportive of the Career Services
Office. On a personal note, I want to
thank you for your flexibility and
support as I was being treated for and
recovering from my medical issues.
I've had more than one conversation
with colleagues who thought that the
law school's accommodations were
remarkable. As a mutual acquaintance
noted, you made those adjustments not
because of some human resources
requirement, but because it was the
right thing to do.
Vicki Huebner
It has been a joy and an honor to
work with you over the past 2.5
years. I feel most fortunate to have
landed at Santa Clara Law in this job
and know it was made much more
meaningful and enjoyable by being
able to travel around to see alumni
with you. You are a master of the
audience, a gentleman to each and
every guest, and a profound
influence on this fine institution.
Thank you for all you have done, and
for the lasting impact you have made
here. I will miss working with you
but find comfort in knowing you are
available on Netflix streaming or
DVD. See you around campus!
Ellen Lynch
Don,
Thanks again for all of your
extraordinary work as Dean! Hard
to believe, but I've been with the
school for over 8 years now. Since
the beginning, it's been a pleasure
working with you, and I've always
appreciated the personal support
you've been willing to extend.
Marie also shares my appreciation,
as well as my sadness in your
stepping down, but we look forward
to working and spending time with
you in the days ahead.
Angelo

30. Dear Don,
I will always remember how you teased
me, trying to remind me not to take
everything so seriously. I think I got better
at teasing back over the years. But
seriously . . . , as I usually am, I look
forward to being your colleague for a long
time to come and thanks for your
everlasting support for social justice.
All the best,
Stephanie W.

31. Dear Dean Polden,
It was always a pleasure to say "hello" to you,
whenever I got a chance to in the hallways of
Bannan. Being a foreign candidate from India, I
found Santa Clara Law a wonderful microcosm of
what the United States is for the world beyond it - a
uniquely diverse and homogeneous society with
strong work ethics and a great value system that
respects and rewards merit and excnce. I
thoroughly enjoyed the amazing diversity at Santa
Clara Law and felt benefited from the affirmative
approach of its wonderful faculty and
administrative staff as well as my collegial peers. All
this was possible because of your amazing
leadership. I congratulate you on successfully
reaching this milestone, and wish you the best for
the future.
- Madhavi Chopra, LL.M. Candidate, Class of 2013,
Santa Clara Law

32. Thank you Dean Polden
-The Santa Clara Law
Community 2003-2013