Climbing Above the Culture Clash

“
You’re kidding yourself
if you think that what you
paid in tuition is a fair
trade for what you got
back,” said Schell. “If you
want to have a school the
quality of BU Law — and
that’s important to me —
then you need alumni and
parents who are willing
to contribute, not just
financially but also with
their time.
”
Michael Schell (’76) talks about giving back
When Michael Schell graduated from
Columbia University in 1969 with a
degree in English, he concluded that
he was qualified to do one thing —
teach high school. The problem was he
couldn’t find a job.
He worked in construction, taught sixth
grade, and after four years decided it was
time to get some career training that was
a little more practical than his in-depth
knowledge of the Romantic poets. So
Schell enrolled at BU Law, graduated in
1976, and eventually became executive
vice president for the Alcoa Corporation,
in charge of the company’s international
business development.
It goes to show what a good law school
education can do for a person.
Schell is a firm believer that alumni have
a responsibility to give back to the school
that provided them with such a huge leg
up in life.
“You’re kidding yourself if you think that
what you paid in tuition is a fair trade
Fall 2009 | The Record | 31