“The Weigand Scholarship is an amazing opportunity. The enormous financial blessing often obscures the scholarship’s true value—membership in the community of scholars and leaders it has created.”


Timothy Belsan

Washburn University
Weigand Scholar: 2007, 2008, 2009

View Timothy’s Video

Hometown:
Wichita, KS

Education:
B.A., English, Newman University, 2005

  • Editor-in-chief, Newman’s Student Newspaper
  • Editor-in-chief, Humanities Journal
  • Editor-in-chief, Sheridan Edwards Review
  • Past President, Newman’s National Alumni Association Board of Directors

J.D., Washburn University School of Law, 2009

  • Graduated summa cum laude
  • Editor-in-Chief, Washburn Law Journal
  • Member, Washburn Law’s Alumni Association Board of Governors

Employer:
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Practice Areas:

  • Federal Litigation
  • Federal Prosecution
  • Civil Procedure
  • Immigration

Professional Associations:

  • Kansas Bar Association
  • Missouri Bar Association

Tim graduated summa cum laude and first in his class from Washburn Law School in 2009.  Following graduation, Tim served as a law clerk for the Honorable Deanell Reece Tacha of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.  He also served as an adjunct professor at Washburn Law in 2011.

Since 2011, Tim has pursued his passion for public service as an attorney at the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.  While at the Justice Department, Tim has worked primarily in the Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL), litigating cutting-edge issues and matters of first impression nationwide.  He currently serves as the inaugural Director of OIL’s Enforcement Section and is a member of the department’s Senior Executive Service.  Tim previously served as the Chief of OIL’s National Security and Affirmative Litigation Unit and as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia (Alexandria).  During his time with the Justice Department, Tim has received numerous awards, including the Civil Division’s Rookie of the Year Award (2012) and the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service (2013, 2019) – the Justice Department’s second-highest award for employee performance – most recently for his work related to the prosecution of war criminals.  Tim is also a three-time recipient of the Civil Division’s Special Commendation Award (2018, 2019, 2121).  In 2020, Tim was awarded the Gears of Government Award by the Office of Management and Budget.

Tim’s hard work in law school also resulted in high honors as he was selected as the Editor-in-Chief for Volume 48 of the Washburn Law Journal and earned Top Paper in more than half of his classes.  During his time at Washburn Law, interned for the Honorable David J. Waxse in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas.  Tim spent his summers during law school working for Foulston Siefkin LLP in Wichita (2007, 2008) and for Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal (now Dentons) in Kansas City (2008).  He is a current member of Washburn Law’s Board of Governors.

Home educated through high school, Tim graduated from Newman University in 2005.  While attending Newman, he served as editor-in-chief for Newman’s student newspaper, humanities journal, and the Sheridan Edwards Review.  He remains involved at Newman and previously served as President of Newman’s National Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Tim is a committed and active member of his community.  In addition to his involvement at his church, he has been a National Security Fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a Regional Fellow with the National Review Institute.  He also serves as a mentor with The Fund for American Studies Summer Program.  Tim is an avid runner, having completed more than twenty marathons and ultramarathons.

Despite his many successes, Tim continues to regard the Weigand scholarship as one of his most meaningful honors.


“The Weigand Scholarship is without a doubt the most prestigious and comprehensive scholarship available to law students in Kansas. I am honored to have been a scholar and am forever indebted to J.L. Weigand for his generous gift to Kansans.”