EMAIL DETAILS

From: Sydney Howe Barksdale [mailto:sthowe-barksdale@mail.widener.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, November 04, 2015 9:44 AM
To: Ashley Biden
Subject: Possible collaborations with Delaware Law School

Good morning Ashley,
Thank you for your kind voicemail. I am hoping to build a strong relationship with DCJ and possibly place some law students with your organization. In addition, I was hoping to speak with you because I have a special request which is of a quasi personal/professional nature. I will start with the special request first.

We at the law school would like to honor your brother, Beau, in a posthumous award at our MLK Celebration on January 18th. I asked Bob Hayman what he thought, and he believed you and your family might be amenable to the idea. This award is given every year and honors individuals we believe have served the public interest and are champions of social justice. We truly believe your brother deserves this honor. If you think the presentation of this award is a good idea and one that would appeal to your entire family, my request is three-fold, first that you please consider this award, second you assist me with an introduction to Hallie, and third that you encourage your family to attend to accept the award. I realize that this request, coming from someone you do not know, is more than odd. Please know that it is a sincere attempt to do what I consider to be the right thing at the right time.

The other part of the MLK Celebration is a service program that we call the "Semester of Service". We develop several pro bono opportunities in which students serve in discrete, short-term projects. We would like to focus the pro bono projects around 4 or 5 of your programs at DCJ. I hope that by continuing to serve in Delaware will increase the students' interest in practicing in Delaware.

I know that this is a lot to digest and I appreciate that you may need time to decide. I will respect your decision, whatever it may be. Thank you for considering this idea and I truly hope that we can become strong partners.
Best wishes,
Sydney


Sydney Howe-Barksdale, Esq., Ph.D.
Assistant Dean, Public Interest Partnerships & Opportunities
Clinical Public Interest Externship Program
Director, Jurist Academy
Widener University
Delaware Law School
4601 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803
302.477.2214
sthowe-barksdale@mail.widener.edu<mailto:sthowe-barksdale@mail.widener.edu>
Delawarelaw.widener.edu