News Archives - Page 66 of 138

Dean Pietruszkiewicz speaks on leadership

Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz addressed the Student Leadership Development Program luncheon on Sept. 24. A capacity crowd packed the Great Hall on Stetson’s Gulfport campus to hear the dean speak on the importance of effective management in leadership.

Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz spoke with Stetson Law students on Sept. 24.

Dean Pietruszkiewicz spoke on the “Management Pillar” of leadership. He talked with students about his first job and first jury trial and the importance of developing the confidence to be a leader. Dean Pietruszkiewicz encouraged the Stetson Law students to become not just lawyers, but also leaders.

Dean Pietruszkiewicz holds several national leadership positions in legal education. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Law School Admission Council and chair of its Investment Committee and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Southeastern Association of Law Schools, where he served as president in 2005-2006. Dean Pietruszkiewicz serves as the chair of the Data Policy & Collection Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. He serves on the Florida Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism and the Legal Education Committee of the Florida Bar Vision 2016 Commission.

Students participating in Stetson’s Leadership Development Program have an opportunity to receive credits towards a certificate of recognition at graduation. The program curriculum includes leadership luncheons, evening workshops, a weekend retreat and an essay contest. The goal of the program is to promote the development of diverse leaders in the campus community while preparing students with tools for effective citizenship, personal growth and professional success. The program is rooted in six pillars of leadership including management, communication, service, community, team building and problem solving.

The next leadership luncheons will address the “Communication Pillar” on Oct. 22 and the “Service Pillar” on Nov. 19.

Stetson’s bar passage among top in state

Stetson University College of Law graduates had a 78 percent bar passage rate on the July administration of the Florida Bar Examination, exceeding the statewide average by more than seven percent.

“We take very seriously our responsibility to help our students prepare for lives as professionals, who make a difference in our profession, our communities, our state, and beyond. We will continue to work with our students in every way to help them prepare for their professional success,” said Stetson Dean and Professor of Law Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz.

Stetson’s bar preparation program includes workshops, an essay-grading program and study plan, and bar preparation services to guide students through the process of bar admission.

Talk with L.A. filmmaker brings crowd to Stetson

A talk with Los Angeles-based filmmaker John Wellington Ennis and showing of his new film “PAY 2 PLAY” brought a crowd of more than 70 law students and members of the public to Stetson University College of Law on Saturday night, Sept. 20.

John Ennis spoke at Stetson on Sept. 20.

Ennis answered questions from the audience on topics ranging from the impact of Supreme Court decisions in the U.S. to voter restrictions and the problem of money in politics.

“It is an issue that is topical wherever you go,” said Ennis.

Ennis explained that he hopes to show the film, scheduled to be released in November, on college campuses to fight complacency among young voters.

Ennis’ film, which explores the historic problem of money in politics through the lens of the monopoly mindset, features interviews with professors, politicians, journalists and street artists.

Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, filmmaker John Wellington Ennis, and the Executive Board of ACS Stetson Chapter on Sept. 20 showing documentary "Pay 2 Play." — Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, filmmaker John Wellington Ennis, and the executive board of ACS Stetson Chapter on Sept. 20 showing the documentary “Pay 2 Play.”

“PAY 2 PLAY” includes interviews with academic and political commentator Noam Chomsky, military veteran and congressional candidate Paul Hackett, journalist John Nichols, political street artist Alec Monopoly, as well as an interview with Stetson University constitutional and election law professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy.

Stetson Law’s student chapter of the American Constitution Society helped bring the event with the filmmaker to the Gulfport campus.

Adlin Tuya: advocating for immigrant justice

by Alexandria Nicodemi, 2L

“My passions in life aren’t put on hold when I go into the office,” says spring 2013 Stetson University College of Law alumna Adlin Tuya. “Every day I am working toward something that is important to me. And when you are working in an environment that you are passionate about, productivity skyrockets.”

https://soundcloud.com/stetsonlaw/stetson-law-alumna-adlin-tuya-advocating-for-immigrant-children?in=stetsonlaw/sets/serving-the-public-interest

Tuya says she has found that when balanced with her passions in life and personal goals, her career becomes a reflection of her true self. Tuya is an attorney for the Children’s Legal Program of Americans for Immigrant Justice in Miami, Florida. Her day is spent in and out of immigration court and meeting with children in shelters who have been in the United States for a short period of time. Many of these children are young and are facing abuse, neglect and gang violence. They are at risk of being deported, Tuya says, and for children so young in age, it’s difficult to explain to them why.

Her responsibilities are dynamic and involve a lot of communication on different levels of the justice system. Although she has been with Americans for Immigrant Justice for only a matter of months, she says she finds comfort in knowing that there is a benefit being derived from this experience. She says her ultimate goal is to grant eligible children legal representation and the opportunity to stay and obtain an education in the United States.

“I have received so many benefits from being a child of immigrant parents living in America that I want to present the same opportunities to others,” says Tuya.

Tuya’s family immigrated to America from Cuba in 1980. She was raised with hard-working parents in Miami, Florida, and given the opportunity to attend Dartmouth College which eventually led her to Stetson Law.

Tuya’s law school curriculum focused on public interest. She was inspired by the idea of working to protect children. While at Stetson Law, she worked as an intern for Gulf Coast Legal Services, took immigration advocacy, followed by a Bridge to Practice Fellowship with Guardian Ad Litem at the Sixth Judicial Circuit. The experience she gained with Guardian Ad Litem played an integral role in developing her interest in being a voice for the children.

Tuya advises students interested in this area of law to listen to that inner voice, the voice that aligns with their passions, and to explore that fully.

“It’s a great advantage to be a student in the United States,” says Tuya. She is passionate about giving such an advantage to future generations. “At the end of the day, these children just want the chance to learn.”

Judges lecture at Constitution Day celebration in Gulfport, Tampa

Judge James Whittemore J.D. ’77, a member of Stetson Law’s Hall of Fame, provided the keynote lecture at Stetson’s Gulfport campus and Judge James S. Moody provided the keynote at the Tampa Law Center during a celebration of the U.S. Constitution at Stetson Law on Sept. 17.

More than 200 local high school students attended this year’s James Otis lectures in Gulfport and Tampa, coordinated with the Tampa Bay Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Stetson Law professor Louis Virelli provided a luncheon lecture in Gulfport and Associate Dean Michael Allen spoke at the Tampa Law Center.

The lecture series was established to educate and inspire respect for the U.S. Constitution.

Stetson celebrates Values Day

Stetson University College of Law students celebrated Values Day on Sept. 16 by volunteering to clean up Clam Bayou Nature Park in Gulfport and attending a presentation on “The Moral Premise of the Law,” presented by Stetson University Professor of Religious Studies Gregory Sapp.

(L-R): Students Mitchell Levine, Lydia Greiner, Student Life director Tammy Briant, Lauren Eliopoulos and Patrick Iyampillai participated in Values Day.

The Clam Bayou Estuary of Boca Ciega Bay includes several native environments that provide habitat and food to a variety of species including fiddler crabs, clams, wading birds, dolphins and manatees.

Many students also attended Dr. Sapp’s lunchtime presentation at the Great Hall. Dr. Sapp holds the Hal S. Marchman Chair of Civic and Social Responsibility in Stetson’s College of Arts and Sciences in DeLand.

The Rev. Vincent Pizzuto, Ph.D., visited Stetson University’s DeLand campus to deliver the Values Day keynote address.
» Watch Dr. Pizzuto’s Values Day Keynote Address on Contemplative Practice

Values Day is an annual tradition dedicated to the university’s commitment to its core values–personal growth, intellectual development and global citizenship.

International women leaders visiting Stetson advocate for peace

A group of women leaders from nine countries around the world visited Stetson University College of Law’s Gulfport campus on Sept. 15 to speak on advocating for peace, stability and security.

Women leaders gathered at Stetson Law to discuss promoting peace and security.

The group gathered at Stetson from Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan as part of a special initiative of the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program, sponsored by the Institute of International Education.

Stetson Professor of Law Luz Nagle, an expert in international law, talked with the women leaders about transitional justice and security issues. The group visited Professor Nagle’s law class and spoke with students about leading in conflict mediation and community transformation when faced with challenges to peace and security.

World Partnerships, the regional partner of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program, helped coordinate the visit.

Stetson students honored 9/11

Stetson University College of Law students honored lives lost on Sept. 11 with an annual display of flags. The Stetson Law Republicans placed 2,996 flags on the Gulfport campus. Each flag represented a life lost on Sept. 11.

Students honor 9/11 with a flag display. Photo by Tyler Payne, Stetson Law Republicans president.

Fundraising Begins for a Vietnam Memorial on DeLand Campus

Ned Ricks ’68, soldiers set up a night defensive position while on patrol in the Central Highlands. — Ned Ricks ’68, sets up a night defensive position while on patrol in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

A Stetson University fund has been established for a permanent memorial, on the DeLand campus, to the patriotism and service of students and graduates from all of Stetson’s colleges and schools who served in Vietnam or during the Vietnam era.

According to Dr. Jay Mechling ’67, the Stetson Vietnam and Vietnam Era Veterans Memorial will include benches, specimen trees, and a plaque in an appropriate campus space to honor veterans and to recognize their service and sacrifice as well as to support reflection about war and peace throughout history.

Mechling, who is not a vet, sees the Vietnam war as a central fact of the Stetson experience of students of his era, and he argues that the lessons of Vietnam will continue to be important to 21st century Stetson students, who will be called upon, as citizens if not soldiers, to make important decisions about America’s role in the world. For all of these reasons, but most importantly to honor extraordinary patriotism and service in a time of war, Mechling argues that this memorial is “the right and moral thing to do.”

Those interested in contributing may make a donation or pledge of any amount directly by using Stetson University’s Development Office online gift form found at www.stetson.edu/give and designating the gift for a “Campus Vietnam Memorial” under “Other.”

Specific details of the memorial will be determined depending on the success of fundraising. The goal is to have the site ready for dedication at Stetson University’s 2015 Homecoming, the 40th anniversary of the end of the war for Americans.

Questions or comments about this memorial should be referred to Dr. Jay Mechling at [email protected] or Dr. Grady Ballenger, professor of English, at [email protected].

This article was contributed by Dr. Grady Ballenger, Stetson University professor.

Stetson, USF present medical marijuana’s legal impacts

Stetson University College of Law and the University of South Florida will host a daylong program, “Charlotte’s Tangled Web,” discussing the legal impacts of medical marijuana on Oct. 10 at Stetson’s Tampa Law Center, 1700 N. Tampa St.

The education program for lawyers and health care professionals will provide an overview of the impacts of the legalization of medical marijuana by the Florida legislature. Program sessions will address potential issues facing lawyers, health care professionals and pharmacists.

Registration begins at 7:45 a.m. The program starts at 8:15 a.m. and concludes at 4 p.m.

The cost of attendance is $250 per person and details about both CLE and CME credits are available.

For details and to register, visit https://www.stetson.edu/law/academics/elder/home/charlottes-web.php.

Editor’s Note: Members of the media, please contact Brandi Palmer in the Communications Office at Stetson Law to confirm attendance at 727-562-7381.

The program is co-sponsored by the Stetson University College of Law Center for Excellence in Elder Law and the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.

Stetson professor new Southeastern Association of Law Schools president

Stetson University Professor of Law Ellen S. Podgor has been selected as the new president of the Southeastern Association of Law Schools, a regional association of law schools that includes 72 member schools and 31 affiliate member schools.

Professor of Law Ellen S. Podgor is the new president of SEALS.

SEALS promotes legal scholarship, provides a mentorship program for new scholars, and hosts events for law professors honing their teaching skills. SEALS’ annual meeting attracts scholars from around the world, offering discussions on substantive legal issues and teaching topics.

Podgor is the Gary R. Trombley Family White-Collar Crime Research Professor at Stetson University. She has led faculty strategic initiatives and spearheaded developments in online education at Stetson, serving as the associate dean of faculty development and electronic education and as the LeRoy Highbaugh Sr. Research Chair. Professor Podgor also chairs the Advisory Committee of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers White-Collar Criminal Defense College at Stetson. Now in its 56th year, the NACDL presented Professor Podgor with its highest honor, the Robert C. Heeney Award, in 2010.

Professor Podgor is a preeminent scholar in white collar crime law. She is the recipient of the Dickerson-Brown Award for Excellence in Faculty Scholarship and the Homer & Dolly Hand Award for Excellence in Research at Stetson.

Professor Podgor co-authored numerous books including White Collar Crime in a Nutshell, Understanding International Criminal Law, and the first ever Hornbook on White Collar Crime. She has authored more than 70 law review articles and essays in the areas of computer crime, international criminal law, lawyer’s ethics, criminal discovery, prosecutorial discretion, corporate criminality, and other white collar crime topics. This award-winning professor also edits the highly ranked White Collar Crime Prof Blog.

Professor Podgor served on the board of directors of the NACDL and presently serves on the board of the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law. She chairs the AALS Section on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity issues, is an honorary member of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, and is a member of the American Law Institute. She has also served as chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the Association of American Law Schools.

Stetson University College of Law Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz is SEALS’ past-president, serves on the board of trustees, and as deputy secretary/compliance officer with the organization.

Stetson University offers new joint degree in advocacy

Stetson University College of Law will offer a new joint degree program starting spring 2015, allowing students to earn both a J.D. degree and an LL.M. degree in advocacy from Stetson in seven semesters.

Students in Stetson University’s new program will save a semester of full-time study by applying up to 12 hours of prescribed J.D. courses towards the LL.M. degree, allowing them to complete the LL.M. degree in less than six months by taking an additional 12 hours of LL.M. coursework.

“This innovative new program allows Stetson to build on our strengths as America’s top-ranked law school for advocacy, offers students a focused learning environment to further develop skills that lawyers use every day, and distinguishes our students in an increasingly competitive legal marketplace,” said Stetson Law Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz. “It provides students with the opportunity to earn a second degree within a shorter time and with less expense than the traditional path for obtaining these two degrees.”

“This joint degree highlights the value of Stetson’s J.D. program by connecting it to an intensive LL.M. curriculum, making these graduates even more attractive to legal employers,” said Professor of Excellence in Trial Advocacy Charles H. Rose III.

In addition to the J.D. and LL.M. in Advocacy programs, Stetson University also teaches advocacy to legal practitioners and law professors through its annual Teaching Advocacy Skills conference and other seminars in Florida and abroad.

To learn more about the new joint degree program, call the Stetson Law admissions office at 727-562-7802 or email [email protected].

For more information about advocacy at Stetson University College of Law, visit stetson.edu/advocacy.