During the successful
2014 Public Interest Law Foundation Silent Auction and Gala
, six Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law students joined together to bid on a Bollywood Movie Night with Dean Tom Campbell and Professor Deepa Badrinarayana. Those students were in for pleasant surprise when the date came to cash in on their winning bid.

dean-campbell-and-prof-deepa-3
At the end of the school day on Thursday, May 1, 2014, April Mara Cristal
(JD ’16)
, Carol Rugh
(JD ’16)
, Nelson Vu
(JD ’16)
, Trevor Sullivan
(JD ’16)
, Virginia (Mengqian) Liu
(JD ’16)
and Jennifer Neufeld
(JD ’16)
walked into the screening room to find Dean Campbell dressed in traditional Indian clothing. He was wearing a Sherwani (long coat) with churidars (trousers), a gift given to him during his honeymoon in India. A few minutes later, Professor Badrinarayana arrived wearing Salwar Kameez, the traditional dress of women in Punjab, India. Professor Badrinarayana is originally from Bangalore, Karnataka in India. This event is one of the many ways she tries to bring her Indian culture to her new home in the United States at Chapman’s Fowler School of Law. Professor Kurt Eggert also joined the group during this event.

The students were elated with the festive clothing as well as traditional food brought from the nearby restaurant,
Tandoori Cuisine of India
. Over dinner, the lucky students shared travel stories and experiences with the dean and professors, with Professor Badrinarayana sharing details about her Indian culture. An admitted eclectic movie buff, Dean Campbell chose the Bollywood classic
Bride & Prejudice
for the screening, introducing the students to the Bollywood genre while Professor Eggert provided insights into the history of Bollywood movies. The highest grossing movies in India are family movies designed to offend no one and entertain everyone, with music that appeals to the generations.

“The highlights of the night were Dean Campbell’s commentary on the Bollywood film, Professor Badrinarayana’ s dance moves and Professor Eggert singing ‘Old Man River!’ I was pretty jealous of Dean Campbell’s attire, too.” – Trevor Sullivan (JD ’16)

Tom Campbell
was appointed Dean of the Fowler School of Law in February 2011. Since 2001, he and his wife Susanne have volunteered as teachers on seven separate occasions in Ghana, Eritrea and Rwanda, where they taught courses in fundraising (Susanne) and international financial institutions, business strategy and constitutional law (Tom) at the following: Ashesi University, Accra, Ghana; Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, Kigali, Rwanda; School of Banking and Finance, Kigali, Rwanda; and the University of Asmara, Asmara, Eritrea. He has a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago, and a JD,
magna cum laude
, from Harvard Law School.

Deepa Badrinarayana
is an Associate Professor of Law at Chapman’s Fowler School of Law. She is also a consultant to the United Nations Global Compact on issues of corporate voluntarism and regulations. Before coming to the United States, Professor Badrinarayana was a Research Officer for a Government of India-World Bank Environmental Capacity-Building Project, at the National Law School of India University. She was part of a team that advised the Government of India on its new legislation to manage biomedical waste. She earned her B.A. and LL.B. from National Law School of India University. She continued her education by earning her LL.M. and S.J.D. from Pace University School of Law.

Fowler professors and international students from India help to increase awareness in the law school about Indian culture and Bollywood films. Fowler plans to  increase its relationship with India to bring students to the law school. As Professor Badrinarayana would agree, having a Bachelor of Laws degree from India and having an LL.M. degree from the United States provides a unique opportunity.

“Law professionals coming from India have the opportunity to participate in the Entertainment Law Emphasis Program. This would prove especially helpful for those looking to understand the film industry in the United States, and at the same time gain insight into the increasing globalization of media financing, production and distribution.” – Kathy Heller, Executive Director, Entertainment Law Program and Associate Professor of the Practice of Law at Fowler School of Law.


Below is a sampling of some winners of other PILF auction items that involved experiences with Fowler law professors: