The Article below was published in Vol. 136, Issue 4 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on December 4, 2020.
Emma G. Overton ’21
Editor-in-Chief and News Editor
While Professor Debra Levis is retiring at the end of the Fall 2020 semester, she will be remembered by scores of Lake Forest College students, past and present, for her gifted teaching, advising, and mentoring. Her impact over a nearly 30-year career at the College cannot be overstated, and her engaging teaching in her Legal Studies courses, including Introduction to Legal Studies, American Constitutional Law, Civil Liberties, First Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment, Fourth Amendment Search and Seizure, and The Judiciary, has introduced countless students to the wonders and the complexities of the law and inspired many students to pursue a career in law.
To celebrate her retirement, Stentor staff interviewed Professor Levis about her time at the College.
Editor’s note: Some responses have been edited for length and clarity. Lake Forest College is currently running a fundraising campaign for the Professor Debra Homer Levis Scholarship to honor Professor Levis. The scholarship will be awarded to “rising juniors who show significant improvement in their overall GPA and academic performance during their time at Lake Forest College” and who are pursuing legal studies/law-related coursework. The full scholarship criteria and the information to donate can be found here: https://www.givecampus.com/schools/LakeForestCollege/professor-debra-homer-levis-scholarship
Stentor: Where did you attend college and what is your undergraduate degree?
Professor Levis: I attended Smith College in Northampton, MA for one year and then I completed my degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. I was a political science major with a concentration in art history.
Stentor: What made you decide to attend law school?
Professor Levis: I grew up during the expansion of the civil rights movements watching race, gender, and what we’d now call LGBTQ+ policies unfold. This was quite impactful. I saw the ways that the law made meaningful social change. Also, I come from a family of lawyers. My father, grandfather, and uncle were lawyers. My father would share matters that he was working on. I went to the office with him as a child on the weekends. He gave me many tasks to do during those visits when I was quite young, such as gluing together the maps in real estate closing reports or proofreading contracts (if only his clients had known…) but it cultivated an interest and an understanding of legal culture. It seemed like a natural career choice that offered career options whether doing traditional lawyering in a law firm (I checked that box) or being legal counsel at a corporation (I checked that box) to non-profit work, entering business or teaching. I think of a law degree as an extension of a liberal arts degree in the sense that it furthered my critical thinking skills, writing and speaking skills that I had enjoyed acquiring as an undergraduate.
Stentor: Where did you attend law school and what was your experience like?
Professor Levis: I attended Northwestern University School of Law—the first year was shockingly tough, but after that I got into the swing of it and truly enjoyed my law school experience. One of my law school professor mentors, Len Rubinowitz, became a dear friend and I later learned that he was a devoted camp mate of Lake Forest College Prof[essor] Chuck Miller. My law school research culminated in an article published in the Columbia Law School Journal of Law and the Arts. It was research on fine art appraisal and the proposed licensing of fine art appraisers.
Stentor: What did you do prior to teaching at Lake Forest College?
Professor Levis: In college, I had a fellowship in the State of Illinois Governor’s office working with then-Deputy Governor and Legal Counsel to the Governor Ilana Rovner (she ultimately became a federal district court and appellate court judge). I worked on city of Chicago policies related to the immigration of Vietnamese refugees coming to Illinois post-war. It was an impactful experience showing me the hardships of the immigration experience and the aspiration to achieve a life of freedom and prosperity. I saw firsthand how government implements these goals.
After law school, I practiced law at a Chicago law firm and then I practiced law at a Chicago corporation. I also volunteered my time at Lawyers For the Creative Arts, an organization that provided pro bono legal work to artists and arts-related entities. I also worked on a pro bono case while at the law firm for Lawyers Committee For Civil Rights.
My first teaching position was at Northwestern law school where I taught a course to 1Ls who needed some extra help in learning how to study and be successful in law school.
Stentor: When did you start working at Lake Forest College?
When politics Professor Chuck Miller went on sabbatical in 1990, I was hired by the College to teach his American Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties courses. I still recall fondly my interview where the entire politics department listened to my mock lecture. I even showed a picture of my late husband Larry Levis, who was a graduate of the College and had taken courses with many of the same professors sitting in the room.
Teaching at the College in 1990 was a pivotal experience for me. I had found my bliss. Being in the classroom and teaching the law is the happiest I have ever been at work. Upon Professor Miller’s retirement, I started teaching in 1996.
In 2010, with great initiative from my colleague Professor Moroney, the College started a legal studies minor program. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to build this multidisciplinary program from scratch and grow it into one of the most popular minors on campus.
Stentor: What courses have you taught at the College? If you had to pick, which courses have been your favorites to teach?
Professor Levis: I could never select one favorite over any other. Each course has its own flavor and based on the law always changing so does the material and composition of the courses. I teach Introduction to Legal Studies, American Constitutional Law, Civil Liberties, First Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment, Fourth Amendment Search and Seizure, [and] The Judiciary.
I love teaching Introduction to Legal Studies, American Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties because these are foundational law courses and many students get hooked on studying the law after enrolling in one of these courses. The remaining courses add specialization. Students continue as “veterans” and I get to develop a more long-term relationship with them. I see the evolution of my student’s abilities to read, write and discuss the law.
Stentor: What have been some of the biggest changes at the College during your career?
Professor Levis: Certainly the use of the internet both enhances education and learning and sometimes thwarts the process of research and digging to find information in a slower and meaningful way. There is something lost from the days of letting an idea simmer for a while—of slowing down the pace to allow research to evolve. At the risk of being labeled “old-school,” the plodding through the library book stalls fostered discovery in a less methodical way. But, I wouldn’t trade it back for the ability to achieve the levels of research and accessibility that we have today.
Also, the increasing financial burden associated with a college education has required many students to juggle studies with outside work and increasing responsibility at home. My teaching changed to accommodate this pattern.
Stentor: What is your favorite thing about teaching?
Professor Levis: There are so many favorites—too many to list in one article. But here goes:
I love the dynamic of class where students begin to articulate ideas about the case law and materials and speak to each other, facing each other as they speak and calling each other by name. One student recently reminded me that I asked the class to move the desks into a circle before each class so that we could talk to each other; look into each other’s eyes. I tell my students that this is what will set them apart post-college at their work—the ability to speak to their boss and colleagues directly and ask questions—never presume you have all of the information needed to solve a problem. This starts in the classroom.
Another favorite thing is working with students during office hours—helping them to understand the material but also seeing them develop skills of advocating for themselves in the learning process.
And, I like crafting exams—coming up with fanciful hypotheticals and creative twists on the names of the fictive parties, like Connie Tract entering into a contract, Lexie Cute who is scheduled to be executed under an 8th Amendment cruel and unusual punishment scenario, Detective Sirch involved in a 4th Amendment search and seizure matter, and Priscilla “Pri” V. Cee who is involved in a constitutional right of privacy matter. It brings out the closet creative writer in me.
Lastly, I have long-standing student relationships that extend way beyond graduation. I ask graduates to call me “Debbie” rather than professor. That might be a bit awkward of a transition for my students, but it’s worth it in the long run.
Stentor: What is something you would like to be remembered for?
Professor Levis: Teaching values of integrity and thoughtfulness and kindness within the learning process.
Having pure passion and enjoyment for one’s work.
Understanding that the smartest people ask questions and understand the various side(s) of the argument that they may not agree with.
That learning is not linear or from a set template—and to appreciate that we all bring different skills to the classroom and to our future work. I hope I gave my students the ability to find their strengths and develop the confidence to pursue their dreams.
Stentor: What are your plans for retirement?
Professor Levis: I can relate to my students who are at the crossroad of determining what to do post-college. I am there, too! Each phase of life offers a time to reassess and regroup and rethink one’s goals. It never stops—and it’s an important part of being a smart person—always question one’s direction at each life phase.
I plan to continue to do in retirement what I have done pre-retirement—spending time with my family and friends; travel, reading and lots of exercise. My husband and I like to run, hike, bike, do strength training and the like.
I hope to explore volunteering my time in new ways—still trying to figure this out. Although I have been teaching equal protection of the law and civil rights related courses, I want to explore how to be part of continuing to make equitable change.
