March 4- Stetson Law dedicates new Tampa Law Center and Campus
Contact Frank Klim
Executive Director of Communications
(727) 562-7889
Gulfport, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law recently dedicated its new Tampa Law Center and Campus. Dignitaries, members of the judiciary and local public officials were on hand for the event.
“This is a significant milestone in the history of our law school and the city of Tampa,” said Dean Darby Dickerson. “The Tampa campus will create invaluable opportunities for our students and will be a great resource to the Tampa Bay legal community.”
Stetson University President H. Douglas Lee thanked the city of Tampa for its assistance with the project and for what it means to potential law students.
“The College of Law is committing its financial and professional resources to enhance legal education and services for the people of Tampa, our state and the nation.” Lee said. “Stetson University will now be sharing in selected ways the resources of each of our colleges at four geographic locations – DeLand, Celebration, Gulfport/St. Petersburg and now our crowning jewel – Tampa.”
The Tampa Law Center and Campus opened for classes Jan. 15. Located at 1700 N. Tampa St., just off Interstate 275, it is the first law school in Tampa. Approximately 130 students have classes in Tampa during the spring semester.
The Stetson Law Center and Campus will be a major hub for legal activity in downtown Tampa and will house evening law classes, the Tampa branch of the Florida Second District Court of Appeal and continuing legal education programs. This unique combination makes the William Reece Smith Jr. Courtroom only the third location in the country and the first in Florida where a law school and sitting court will share space.
“Stetson continues to be a pioneer in the legal community by opening this beautiful campus. It’s been educating lawyers for more than a century and has now honored Tampa with its first law and Florida with its first teaching courtroom,” said Miles A. McGrane III, president of The Florida Bar. “I look forward to seeing this campus and its students grow and prosper.”
Included in the festivities was a special dedication of the W. Gary Vause Atrium, commemorating the work of late Stetson Dean W. Gary Vause who spearheaded the design and construction of the Tampa campus.
The three-story, 73,500-square-foot building reflects the same Spanish-Mediterranean architecture of Stetson’s Gulfport campus, including a tower that overlooks downtown Tampa.
“The Tampa Law Center and Campus is more than just a law classroom,” said Jan Majewski, Tampa campus associate dean. “This will become the epicenter for the Tampa Bay legal community to meet, learn and work.”
The first and second floors house classrooms, a state-of-the-art courtroom, a law library and other law school space. The third floor contains chambers and offices for the Florida Second District Court of Appeal. The general contractor is Angle & Schmid and the architectural firm is FleischmanGarcia.
For information on attending classes at the Stetson University College of Law’s Tampa Law Center and Campus, contact the Admissions Office at (727) 562-7802 or [email protected].
For high-resolution photos of the event visit: http://www.law.stetson.edu/Communications/dedication.asp
Post date: March 4, 2004
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
[email protected] | 727-430-1580