UK Rosenberg College of Law Holds Commencement Ceremony for Class of 2025

The University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law held its commencement ceremony for the Class of 2025 on Friday, May 9, at the Singletary Center for the Arts. Guests of the graduates, along with college faculty and staff, celebrated as 114 students crossed the stage to receive their degree certificates.

“What a journey this class has been on. Today is a great, long-awaited day of joy,” said Paul Salamanca, acting dean of the UK Rosenberg College of Law. “We share your sense of accomplishment, your sense of relief, your sense of excitement, and your optimism for the future.”

The ceremony included remarks from individuals representing the students, faculty and the legal profession. As the top-ranked student in the class, Jacob N. Bruce of Frankfort, Kentucky, spoke on behalf of the students. He was followed by Professor John Blevins, Everett H. Metcalf Jr. Professor of Law, who the graduating class selected to bring remarks on behalf of the faculty. Finally, J. David Rosenberg, an alumnus of the law school and the college’s namesake, shared words of encouragement on behalf of the bar.

Bruce recalled practicing public speaking with his grandfather as a child, around the age of six or seven. “He’d always say, and I carry this with me every day of life, ‘Never forget about the person in the back of the room’,” Bruce said. “In telling me to never forget those people in the back of the room, he didn’t just mean ‘be loud,’ he meant ‘be brave.’ He meant to help me understand that once you’ve climbed the highest mountains in your chosen career, don’t forget about those who need a helping hand.”

Bruce said the graduates have an opportunity to turn their education into impact. 

“In our careers as lawyers, we will encounter many a person in the back of the room — people who we, as lawyers, are uniquely empowered to help,” he said.

Professor Blevins, who joined the faculty in 2024, previously served as a visiting professor at the UK Rosenberg College of Law and taught the Class of 2025 when they were first-year law students. Blevins said his 1L group resembled “seasoned attorneys” by their third year. 

“Wherever you go in this state, wherever you go in this region or in this country, you are now people of influence and respect, and people will look to you in your towns,” Blevins said. “They will depend upon you for guidance when the hard questions come.”

Rosenberg, speaking on behalf of the bar, said the law graduates could now count themselves among the most highly educated citizens of the world.

“You’ve worked hard, very hard, to get here with many of you becoming the first in your families to attend college or law school,” he said. “Very soon, you will be privileged to be admitted into a profession in which alumni of our College of Law have argued cases or sat as judges in courts throughout the country, risen to be corporate executives, legislators, senators, governors, leaders of not-for-profit organizations, community leaders, academic and education professionals.”

Beau Steenken, acting associate dean of academic affairs, called the graduates’ names as Acting Dean Salamanca presented members of the class with certificates signifying attainment of the degree of Juris Doctor. The graduating class elected Professors Zachary Bray and Alan Kluegel to carry out the tradition of placing a doctoral hood on each graduate.

Several graduates received special awards and recognition during the ceremony. Seventeen graduates are in the running for nomination and election to the Order of the Coif. The top 10 percent of the class will be inducted once all grades are final. Nine students were recognized with the Pro Bono Award for completing at least 50 hours of independent, law-related public service prior to graduation.

Finally, the faculty selected Faith Evans of Lexington, Kentucky, as the 2025 recipient of the Faculty Cup. The Faculty Cup recognizes a graduating student whose endeavors, both in and outside of the classroom, made the law school a more interesting place for faculty and students alike.

“This year’s recipient is someone who has been a bright and steady light throughout all of our times here,” Salamanca said. “This is a person who is not only deeply involved in a wide range of activities but who also approaches every opportunity in every situation with humility, curiosity, perspicacity and persistence.”

Salamanca concluded the ceremony by congratulating the graduates again and welcoming them to the profession.

“These courageous, passionate, determined graduates of the Rosenberg College of Law will be sure to have an important impact in their lives as lawyers on their clients, on their communities, on the Commonwealth, on our society, our nation and our world,” he said.