Two years ago, Verna Williams stepped up as interim dean for the University of Cincinnati College of Law after her predecessor, Jennifer Bard, was dismissed.

Above, it was freezing. Yet as I descended the railing of the steep stairwell, I began to feel the temperature around me warm to a balmy 58 degrees. At the bottom of the stairwell, I found myself surrounded by the crumbling decay of cement, brick and limestone, with mountains of century-old …

Clarice Reid (1931-present)

George Elliston (1883-1946)

It’s 8:55 a.m., and students have just been released from the grueling mental challenge that epitomizes an 8 a.m. class at the University of Cincinnati’s Uptown campus.