Whitten and Burrage gift creates public service fellowship

NORMAN - Reggie Whitten and Michael Burrage, of Whitten Burrage Law in Oklahoma City, recently made a donation to establish the David L. Boren and Molly Shi Boren Public Service Fellowship, a summer fellowship endowment for students. This endowment will be used to support students pursuing public interest work during the summer. Fellowship recipients will be performing law-related work under the supervision of an attorney at a government agency, prosecution or public defense office, or nonprofit or providing legal assistance to people of limited means.  

“OU Law alumni Reggie Whitten and Michael Burrage established the David L. Boren and Molly Shi Boren Public Interest Fellowship to honor the Borens’ commitment to public service throughout the state and nation,” said OU Law Dean Joseph Harroz, Jr. “This generous gift of $200,000 establishes the first significant endowment dedicated to students pursing public interest work during the summer.  Without such a fund, many students would be unable to afford to take these largely unpaid internships.  Promoting public service is core to our mission and enhances OU Law’s ability to create the next generation of leaders.”

Appropriate host organizations include, but are not limited to, Legal Aid, Oklahoma Indian Legal Services, Public Defenders, District Attorney’s offices, Catholic Charities, ACLU, Trinity Legal Services, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Oklahoma Indigent Defense Services, as well as non-profit and government organizations outside the local area. Other public interest fellowships at OU Law include the Cindy Foley Memorial Indigent Defense Fellowship, the Marjorie P. Maute Memorial Public Service Fellowship and the Coats Fellowship for Summer Public Service.