![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2026\/01\/Dietz-board-chair-208x300.jpg\")
Chuck Dietz while serving as Board of Trustees chair, 1983.<\/p><\/div>\n
Dietz graduated from Macalester College with a bachelor\u2019s degree in journalism in 1953. While there, he was hired by 3M to work on their employee magazine. Several of his superiors encouraged him to attend law school at night while working by day. Upon graduating from William Mitchell College of Law in 1957, he was immediately hired by 3M, where he began his 40-year career. In 1988, he became senior vice president of legal affairs, a role he continued until retirement in 1993.<\/p>\n
\u201cChuck Dietz was the quintessential alum of our law school, in the mold of Lena Smith, Warren Burger, and Rosalie Wahl, providing civic leadership and enriching our community well beyond the sphere of his professional legal work,\u201d said President and Dean Emeritus Eric Janus. \u201cHe was a steadfast supporter of the law school, and through the years, he was one of the people we consulted when we were venturing over new or hard ground. His advice, and now his spirit, has and will help us stay true to our unique mission.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dietz served on the law school\u2019s Board of Trustees for over two decades, starting in 1974. He was chair of the board during the campaign to build the Warren E. Burger Library and taught as an adjunct professor. He supported a number of scholarship funds and academic programs, and he established the Mitchell Hamline First Amendment Scholars Program to support research and scholarship articles by students and faculty that investigate contemporary First Amendment issues.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2026\/01\/Hogg-Burger-Dietz-1995-300x182.jpg\")
From left: William Mitchell President and Dean James Hogg, former Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger \u2018\u201931, and Dietz in 1995.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cChuck\u2019s deeply held commitment to the First Amendment reflected his belief in the power of ideas and open dialogue,\u201d said Professor Leanne Fuith \u201910. \u201cHis generous support of the law school\u2019s 2024 program on academic freedom<\/a> exemplified his dedication to fostering thoughtful, principled engagement across differences.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough the First Amendment Scholars Program that he created, Chuck expanded opportunities for students and faculty to research, write, and engage with contemporary First Amendment questions, and to learn directly from leading voices bringing differing perspectives to today\u2019s most challenging free-speech debates.\u201d<\/p>\n Philanthropy was close to Dietz\u2019s heart. In addition to his service to Mitchell Hamline, he was on 3M\u2019s board of directors from 1976 to 1993, and he was involved with organizations including the Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society, U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, and many more. He has received numerous awards recognizing his accomplishments and service, including the Professional Excellence Award from the Minnesota State Bar Association, Distinguished Humanitarian Award from the Ramsey County Bar Association, and the Ronald E. Hachey Outstanding Alumni Award from Mitchell Hamline in 1987.<\/p>\n