Stetson’s Faculty Chair in Elder Law to receive national award for elder abuse prevention

Contact Brandi Palmer
Communications Specialist
727-562-7381

Gulfport, Fla. – Law Professor Rebecca Morgan has been chosen to receive the prestigious 2006 Rosalie Wolf Memorial Elder Abuse Prevention Award by the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. Professor Morgan will accept the award at the 11th International Conference on Violence, Abuse and Trauma in San Diego, CA on Sept. 19.

“Professor Morgan is a leader in the development of innovative programs addressing the area of elder financial exploitation. Her programs meet a critical need in today’s society,” said President of NCPEA Randy Thomas.

A 1980 graduate of Stetson College of Law, Professor Morgan launched the successful Elder Consumer Protection Program in 2004, which offered programs throughout Florida to educate consumers and law enforcement about scams targeting seniors.

Morgan was also instrumental in building the nation’s first model elder-friendly courtroom on the Stetson College of Law Gulfport campus. The Eleazer Courtroom, dedicated in September 2005, was designed to provide unrestricted physical access to the court to all participants, regardless of ability, through the use of technology including non-glare and non-buzz lighting, and high-tech amplification devices that make hearing and seeing legal proceedings easier.

The Jessie Ball duPont Fund has recently pledged $100,000 over the next three years to support the activities of the Center for Excellence in Elder Law, which will utilize the courtroom for a series of research and educational activities.

The award was established in 2002 in honor of Dr. Rosalie Wolf, a pioneering figure in the field of elder abuse prevention, to recognize an individual or organization who has demonstrated a commitment to elder abuse awareness through research, education, policy or practice.

To learn more about the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, please visit their web site at: http://www.preventelderabuse.org/.