The CU-Boulder School of Law will present law Professor William Pizzi with the Clifford Calhoun Public Service Award on April 25 in recognition of his contributions to the law school and the legal community.
The award is given to those who "contribute to the public service of the law school in the spirit and tradition of the contributions Professor Calhoun made in his career." An anonymous donor established the award in 1998 in honor of Calhoun, who retired that year.
The law school is honoring Pizzi for his work on the Governor's Columbine Commission that reviewed the shooting tragedy of April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School. He served as chief reporter for the commission.
The commission met for nearly two years and heard from witnesses to the tragedy as well as dozens of experts on issues relating to the response to the events. Pizzi helped the commission draft its report and recommendations that were submitted to the governor in May 2001. The final report of the commission is available online at .
"His work on the Columbine Commission following that tragedy was extraordinary," said Hal Bruff, dean of the law school. "Professor Pizzi has produced much good will for our school."
Pizzi joined the law faculty in 1975. His commitment to serve the public and legal community is evident throughout his career.
For more than two decades, he has been a member of the Colorado Bar Association Ethics Committee, a committee that gives lawyers guidance on ethical issues.
In 1996, he helped a commission review how the Denver police investigate shootings by police officers in the line of duty by comparing procedures in Denver with procedures used in other cities around the country.
In 1989, he chaired a university committee that investigated a highly publicized incident at what was then the Folsom Grill restaurant in Boulder. Police were called in to break up a fight and there were allegations of police brutality against CU-Boulder students.
Pizzi also served on a special committee appointed by the Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado Bar Association to draft Colorado's Rules of Professional Conduct that went into effect in 1992.
"I am very honored to get this award," said Pizzi. "As a faculty member, I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to do public service work.
"I always have found in such undertakings that I learned a lot and the experiences have enriched my teaching and scholarship," he said. "It has also given me the chance to work with many wonderful people around the state."
Past recipients of the award include Art Travers in the inaugural year, Barbara Bintliff last year, Dale Oesterle in 2000 and Mark Loewenstein in 1999.