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U.S. News ranks Stetson University third among top regional universities in the South

Stetson University’s strong academic quality has earned it a ranking of third place among the South’s top regional universities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2012 edition of “Best Colleges.” Stetson is also listed as one of the South’s “Great Schools, Great Prices,” based on academic quality and the average net cost after need-based financial aid.

Listed consistently as one of the South’s leading universities since the U.S. News survey of colleges and universities was first published in 1985, Stetson follows Rollins College in Florida and Elon University in North Carolina in the “Regional Universities” category. The category includes universities that provide a full range of undergraduate majors and master’s programs, but few, if any, doctoral programs. The 626 universities in the category are ranked by region – North, South, Midwest and West.

“Stetson takes great pride in the personalized and rigorous learning experience afforded to each and every student. Beyond that, Stetson instills civic values for life and challenges students to go beyond success – to significance in their communities, nation and world,” said Stetson President Wendy B. Libby. “This honor is evidence of Stetson’s academic excellence and integrity.

“At the same time, we encourage prospective students and their parents not to base their selection of a university on just one measure such as the U.S. News rankings,” Libby said. “We invite you to visit Stetson, check out our small class sizes, the credentials of our faculty, the vibrancy of our campus and the quality of our academic programs.”

Stetson offers a personalized education, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 11:1, in four colleges and schools – the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Business Administration, the College of Law and the School of Music. The first private university in Florida to be awarded a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honorary society, Stetson educates about 3,900 students at four locations across Central Florida – DeLand, Gulfport/St. Petersburg,Tampaand Celebration in the greater Orlando area.

This year, Stetson welcomed its largest incoming class ever with 875 first-year and transfer students. Numerous renovations and technology upgrades to classroom buildings, residence halls, parking areas and the campus landscape have been made over the past two years, and the pet residence hall was increased this fall to 50 rooms. The athletics program has been expanded to include football (first season fall 2013), women’s lacrosse (first season spring 2013), sand volleyball (first season spring 2012) and an extensive Club Sports program.

A new model for the Stetson Honors Program was launched this semester. As part of Stetson’s major emphasis on student success, first-year students started their First Year Seminar courses during orientation in August. First-year students will finish their First Year Seminar before Thanksgiving – allowing them to focus on their three other courses for finals.

U.S. News rankings are based on several key measures of quality including peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving. The rankings will be posted on www.usnews.com/colleges at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, and the publication is due to hit newsstands Sept. 20.

Founded in 1883, Stetson University in Central Florida is an independent university that provides a transforming education in the liberal arts tradition. Stetson stresses academic excellence and community-engaged learning, and consistently earns high national rankings. In 1982, Stetson was awarded a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honorary society. The College of Arts & Sciences, School of Business Administration and School of Music are located at the historic campus in DeLand. The College of Law is in Gulfport/St. Petersburg. The university also has two satellite centers: the Tampa Law Center and the Stetson University Center at Celebration near Orlando. More information: University Marketing, 386-822-8920. Stay Connected with Stetson on social media.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Cindi Brownfield

University Marketing

(386) 822-7214; main line (386) 822-8920; cell (386) 717-5836

E-Mail:  [email protected]

Serving justice through advocacy: veterans making a difference

Military service changes the lives of many, including the soldiers who are today veterans. Many continue to serve justice in several ways.

“Veterans took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same,” said Charles Rose, the director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy at Stetson University College of Law.

A display of flags on the Stetson Law campus in Gulfport in memory of 9/11.
A display of flags on the Stetson Law campus in Gulfport in memory of 9/11.

Rose served as a judge advocate and retired from active duty service in the U.S. Army in 2004, when he joined the faculty at Stetson Law.

“Those of us in a law school environment, whether teaching or learning, continue to fulfill that oath each and every day,” Professor Rose said. “It is, in a very real sense, a lifelong commitment to those principles upon which our country rests.”

Stetson Law’s advocacy program provides opportunities to continue to serve justice. “There is a direct correlation between the influx of veterans as law professors and veterans as students,” Rose said.

“From the conversations I have had with my fellow veterans around campus, I feel that law school does serve as a call to action to continue serving others,” said Javier Centonzio, a student entering his third year of law school at Stetson who served in Iraq as a Marine. “It might not be specifically serving other veterans, or returning to the military to serve our great nation, but each veteran has their own calling to continue to serve others through the practice of law and other fields.”

“For myself, I find the skills learned at law school empower us to make change and advocate, in the purest sense of the word, for those less fortunate in our society,” Centonzio said. “That might mean fighting for veterans  seeking  benefits or ensuring that indigent criminal defendants receive quality legal representation as guaranteed in the Constitution, the Constitution that we all took an oath to uphold and to defend.”

There are more than 30 student veterans at Stetson. Stetson maintains a resource page for veterans, a Veterans Appellate Rights Clinic, and participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program and Post-911 GI Bill.

Visit Stetson Law here to learn more about this program or to read some of the inspiring stories of veteran students and alumni at Stetson Law.

Honoring Dr. King unveils justice for three Stetson Law students

When the new statue honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was unveiled on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 22, a crowd of hundreds swarmed the statue. It is the first time a memorial has been erected on the Mall to someone who is not a U.S. president.

Student Maria Bogomaz took this photo while traveling with the civil rights course.
Student Maria Bogomaz took this photo while traveling with the civil rights course.

Dr. King has special meaning for Stetson Law students Traci Blake, Maria Bogomaz and Howard Williams, who were part of a group who traveled over the summer to meet with veterans of the American Civil Rights Movement. The students spent the summer traveling by bus with Freedom Rider Ernest “Rip” Patton as part of a course offered by Stetson University and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. The students visited the historic sites where bus boycotts, church bombings and confrontations with the KKK mark the struggle for racial equality in the U.S., and they met with the individuals who fought for civil rights more than 50 years ago.

“They made our country,” said third-year law student Maria Bogomaz. “Movement veterans such as Dr. King, Fred Shuttlesworth, Diane Nash, James Bevel, C.T. Vivian, and every Freedom Rider have had as much (if not more) impact on modern citizenship as James Madison or George Washington.”

Third-year student Traci Blake said she thinks that Dr. King and other movement veterans had an impact on the way we view justice.

“They helped us to realize that justice and change starts with the people—from the bottom up. It is the responsibility of each of us to make sure that we live in a more just society and to speak up when things are not right,” she said.

Howard Williams, the president of Stetson’s Black Law Students Association and a student in the part-time law program, said he hopes that the King memorial in Washington will inspire people to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement and its leaders.

“Dr. King and many of the others in the movement changed our country into the democracy that we have now,” said Williams, who credits Dr. King’s non-violent approach with effecting positive change.

Students cross the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama with Freedom Rider Ernest "Rip" Patton, at the site of a march that helped make the Voting Rights Act of 1965 possible.

“The leaders in the Civil Rights Movement gave people the courage to take a stand and fight racism all over the country,” Williams said. “I think the Dr. King memorial is a good sign of where our country has come from, especially when you remember that just 55 years ago black people could not sit in the same establishments as white people.”

Stetson Law professor Robert Bickel created the Constitutional Law and the Civil Rights Movement course and traveled with the students.

Professor Bickel said, “It is clear that Dr. King’s leadership, and his vision of social justice, will continue to inspire both Americans who experienced this transformative era in modern American history and the future generations who will visit this memorial, as they do the Lincoln memorial and ascend the steps to the very place that bonded Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. and challenged a nation to live up to the principles which Lincoln identified with democracy.”

Media Contact:
Brandi Palmer
727-562-7381 work
727-430-1580 cell
[email protected]

National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson develops free online class for forensic experts

The National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson has developed an online class for the National Institute of Justice on “Law 101: A Legal Guide for the Forensic Expert.” The free online class launched in August.

“Anyone serving as an expert witness will benefit from learning the legal procedures, expectations, and principles presented in this course,” said Susan Zucker, Ph.D., Director of Technology & Distance Education for the NCSTL.

The course prepares criminal justice professionals and forensic experts to testify in the courtroom with modules covering:

  • Sources of Scientific Evidence
  • Report Writing and Supporting Documentation
  • Importance of Case Preparation
  • Subpoenas versus Promises to Appear
  • Affidavits
  • Being a Court-Appointed Expert
  • Discovery
  • General Testifying Tips
  • Depositions
  • Pretrial
  • Trial
  • Post-Trial, Pre-Sentencing
  • Ethics for Experts

The National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson University provides the largest free searchable database of legal, forensic and technology resources in the world. Learn more about the new course by visiting http://www.dna.gov/training/law101.

Media Contact:

Brandi Palmer

Communications

727-562-7381 office

727-430-1580 cell

[email protected]

 

Forbes includes Stetson University in list of best colleges in America

Forbes Magazine has again included Stetson University on its annual list of “America’s Best Colleges,” putting Stetson in the top 20 percent of all undergraduate institutions in the United States.  The rankings of 650 schools are exclusively prepared for Forbes by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP), a Washington, D.C., think tank. To see the information online about Stetson University, go to http://www.forbes.com/colleges/stetson-university/.

 

This year’s rankings put Stetson at seventh in Florida, 91st in the South, 302nd among private colleges and universities, and 377th in the nation. The magazine highlights a variety of information about Stetson, in areas including academics, tuition and financial aid, athletics, admissions and student life.

 

Stetson is among six Atlantic Sun Conference institutions included this year. The others were Belmont University, East Tennessee State University, Kennesaw State University, Mercer University and the University of North Florida.

 

The Forbes rankings are based on five general categories: Post-Graduate success (30 percent), which evaluates alumni pay and prominence, Student Satisfaction (27.5 percent), which includes professor evaluations and freshman to sophomore year retention rates, Debt (17.5 percent), which penalizes schools for high student debt loads and default rates, Four-Year Graduation Rate (17.5 percent) and Competitive Awards (7.5 percent), which rewards schools whose students win prestigious scholarships and fellowships like the Rhodes, the Marshall and the Fulbright. In addition to the overall rankings, the Center for College Affordability and Productivity also prepares a “value” ranking which takes into account the overall cost of each school as relative to the quality of the education provided.

 

Media Contact:  

Mary Anne Rogers

University Marketing

(386) 822-7215

[email protected]

Stetson University president honored as one of 10 Influential Women in Business

 

Dr. Wendy B. Libby, President of Stetson University
Dr. Wendy B. Libby, President of Stetson University

Stetson University President Wendy B. Libby has been selected one of Volusia/Flagler Business Report’s 2011 “Influential Women in Business.”

 

This is the sixth year the weekly business report has honored the area’s most outstanding women in business. Women business owners and executives were nominated by readers and staff of the publication, which is affiliated with the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Selections were made by a panel of employees at the newspaper, based on the nominees’ professional accomplishments and leadership roles in their community and/or industry.

 

Dr. Libby and the nine other honorees for 2011 were profiled in the business report’s July 25 issue.

 

The story featuring Libby tells how she began her career and why she selected a career in higher education – as opposed to becoming a doctor. It describes the way she was recruited to become Stetson’s president, a post she’s held for two years, and outlines her goals for the university. Those include starting a football program at Stetson (first season will be fall 2013) and conducting a fundraising campaign for scholarships and endowed professorships.

 

Other 2011 honorees include: Dale Arrington, DeLand assistant city manager; Doreen Courtheyn, president and CEO of the Page Insurance Agency in DeLand; Jayne Fifer, president and CEOof the Volusia Manufacturers Association; Evelyn Fine, president of Mid-Florida Marketing and Research in Daytona Beach; Amy LaBosco-Hall, district counseling director for Volusia County Schools; Alexis Lenssen, branch manager/vice president of investments/certified financial planner of Raymond James Financial in Daytona Beach; Dr. Wendy Myers, CEO of Florida Health Care Plans in Holly Hill; Sam Perkovich, owner/broker of ParkSide Realty Group in Flagler Beach; and Cindy Ritz, owner of WMRitzi & Co. Jewelers in Daytona Beach.

 

Media Contact:

Cindi Brownfield

University Marketing

(386) 822-7214

[email protected]

 

Stetson University completes inaugural Pre-Law Institute

Stetson University completed its first six-week Pre-Law Institute on July 15, educating undergraduate college students for law school and a career in the legal field.

Students enrolled in the unique program spent four weeks taking a critical thinking course on Stetson’s DeLand, Fla., campus, and two weeks at the Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport in an immersion program designed to introduce them to the law school experience and the practice of law.

The Gulfport program included two classes:  Introduction to the Law, Legal Analysis, and Legal Writing; and American Law in Focus. Students also had the opportunity to interact with lawyers, professors and law students.

Those who participated in the program believe it gives them an advantage over other students preparing for law school. “This program provided opportunities that students would not otherwise have,” said Jessica Ford, Stetson University undergraduate student. “It provided us with the skills and connections we normally might not have been able to get before coming to law school.”

Jamal Barrington Smith, Stetson University undergraduate student, said he was amazed at how he evolved not only as a student, but as a person. “The Pre-Law Institute was more than just taking courses and learning how to read and write like a law student,” he said.  “It was an experience—not just an academic experience, but a life experience. Just seeing myself evolve over those six weeks was amazing.”

To be accepted into the Stetson University Pre-Law Institute, undergraduate college students should have at least a 3.0 GPA and have completed at least two full years of university study.

For more information, visit: Stetson University Summer Pre-Law Institute.

Stetson University and National Criminal Defense Bar Launch White Collar Criminal Defense College

Stetson University College of Law and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) are launching the NACDL White Collar Criminal Defense College at Stetson, the first program of its kind. The first session of this groundbreaking training for criminal defense lawyers is slated for early 2012. Practitioners in the field of white collar criminal defense will gain key advocacy skills and learn substantive white collar law during this multi-day “boot camp” program for lawyers at Stetson University College of Law.

Topics will likely include corporate investigations; representation of top management, middle management and other employees; grand jury investigation as it relates to corporate documents; the handling of parallel proceedings, such as agency investigations with the SEC or IRS; and sentencing issues unique to white collar defendants.

“The marriage of the leading advocacy law school in the country with the nation’s leading criminal defense organization is a unique way to ensure that attorneys have the opportunity to enhance their white collar advocacy skills and also increase their knowledge of substantive white collar law,” said Ellen S. Podgor, the Gary R. Trombley Family White Collar Crime Research Professor at Stetson Law, who will chair the White Collar Criminal Defense College.

“This partnership with Stetson is a natural extension of NACDL’s educational programs for attorneys from all practice settings who are looking for top-notch legal training from the nation’s preeminent criminal defense lawyers,” explained NACDL Executive Director Norman L. Reimer.

Among the nation’s top white collar practitioners serving on the advisory board of the NACDL White Collar Criminal Defense College at Stetson are NACDL’s Chair of its CLE Institute William R. Gallagher of Arenstein & Gallagher; Shana-Tara Regon, director of White Collar Crime Policy for NACDL; and Larry Thompson, former U.S. Deputy Attorney General and Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary for PepsiCo. Other members of the advisory board and those teaching in the program will be announced soon.

NACDL is the preeminent organization in the U.S. advancing the mission of the nation’s criminal defense lawyers to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or other misconduct. In recent years, NACDL’s white collar initiatives have assisted in furthering justice in areas such as discovery and grand jury reform, attorney-client privilege, overcriminalization and sentencing.

Stetson Law is Florida’s first law school and has produced outstanding lawyers, judges and other professionals since it was founded in 1900. Stetson strongly emphasizes skills training and professionalism as part of its curriculum. Since 1995, Stetson has continuously ranked among the top four programs in the nation for trial advocacy.

For more information about the White Collar Criminal Defense College, contact Professor Ellen Podgor at [email protected] or 727-562-7348.


Media Contacts:
Brandi Palmer
Stetson Law Communications
727-562-7381
[email protected]

or

Ivan J. Dominguez
NACDL Communications
202-872-8600 ext. 262
[email protected]

First female Lord Advocate of Scotland visits Stetson

 

Former Lord Advocate of Scotland Elish Angiolini talks with students at Stetson Law.

This summer, the first female lord advocate of Scotland lectured at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla.

 

Scotland’s former lord advocate, Elish Angiolini, co-taught a summer course with Stetson Law professor and Center for Excellence in Advocacy Director Charles Rose on Comparative Criminal Justice Systems: Scottish, Civil, and Common Law.

 

Angiolini talked with students about the history of Scottish law, the development of Scotland’s unique legal system and the impact of the global war on terror on criminal justice in the UK.  She also discussed the experience of serving as the senior law officer and first female lord advocate of Scotland.

Stetson University College of Law dean search committee announced

A 14-member committee comprised of members of the Stetson University College of Law and University community has been appointed to begin a national search for a new law dean.

Stetson Provost Beth Paul is co-chairing this important committee with Professor of Law Michael Allen. The committee, which includes representation from the faculty, University trustees, College of Law overseers, alumni, staff and students, will recruit a permanent replacement for Darby Dickerson who is now dean of Texas Tech University School of Law. The members of the committee are:

  • Ellyn Angelotti, a part-time student at the College of Law and member of the Poynter faculty teaching Digital Trends and Social Media
  • Associate Dean for Academics and Professor of Law Kristen Adams (ex-officio)
  • S. Sammy Cacciatore Jr., Esq., JD ’66, BA ’66, Stetson University Board of Trustees, College of Law Board of Overseers
  • Eugene Huskey, Professor of Political Science, College of Arts & Sciences
  • Robert Huth, Vice President for Business and Chief Financial Officer
  • Associate Professor of Law Marco Jimenez
  • Joshua Magidson JD ’80, Stetson University Board of Trustees,College of Law Board of Overseers
  • Bernie McCabe JD ’72, BA ’69, College of Law Board of Overseers, State Attorney
  • Professor Rebecca Morgan, JD ’80, Boston Asset Management Chair in Elder Law and Director, Center for Excellence in Elder Law
  • Patricia Toups, Interim Director of College Relations
  • Professor of Legal Skills Stephanie Vaughan, JD ’91,  Special Assistant to the Dean for Alumni & Development
  • Professor Darryl Wilson, Attorneys’ Title Insurance Fund Professor of Law and Co-Director, Institute for Caribbean Law and Policy

Provost Paul noted the outpouring of nominations and offers of assistance from the College of Law community. “How fortunate to have such a rich community of ambassadors to attract the nation’s best talent to lead Stetson’s College of Law,” she said. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for a dynamic leader ready to build upon existing strengths and realize an educational environment where students are not only successful in their legal careers, but lead lives and careers of significance.”

“This is a tremendous opportunity for the College of Law to build on its strengths, and I look forward to a successful national search,” said Royal Gardner, College of Law Interim Dean, Professor of Law and Director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy.

Contact:

Brandi Palmer

Office of Communications

727-562-7381

[email protected]

 

Cindi Brownfield

University Marketing

386-822-7214

[email protected]

Stetson Law professor speaks in Korea on worldwide growing elderly population

Professor Roberta Flowers presented in Korea on issues impacting the elderly.

The world’s elderly population is increasing dramatically in size. Stetson University College of Law Professor Roberta Flowers, an expert in ethics and elder law practice, recently traveled to Korea to speak to officials in that country about how the law can be used to protect the elderly.

Professor Flowers presented “Challenges Faced by Elder Law Attorneys” at the International Conference on Social Status Changes of the Aged People and Ageism Reconsidered on June 24. She also spoke at the Seoul National University Law Institute on June 23.

The conference was funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea, and brought together sociologists, professors and lawyers from throughout the world to discuss the issues faced by many nations in light of the aging world population.

Topics included long-term care issues; the limits on human longevity; and stresses faced by elderly immigrants. Flowers discussed how U.S. elder law attorneys work with aging issues.

Although Asian countries have been historically known for protecting and honoring their elders, many conference presenters noted that in recent years the Asian cultures have seen a shift away from this traditional treatment of the elderly.  

Flowers said that Korea and other Asian countries are dedicating significant research to the issues of aging and elderly.

“Korea is facing an unprecedented growth in its elder population. It is trying to develop new ways to care for the elderly,” said Flowers. 

Stetson Law is home to the model elder-friendly Eleazer Courtroom, which Flowers helped spearhead, and the Journal of International Aging, Law & Policy.  

Contact: Brandi Palmer
727-562-7381
[email protected]

Stetson Lawyers Association honors alumni and friends at Florida Bar Annual Convention

(L-R) James W. Martin, Judge Edward C. LaRose, John T. Berry, Benjamin H. Hill IV, Aleksandra I. Jagiella, Allen R. Samuels.

The Stetson Lawyers Association honored alumni and friends on June 22 in Kissimmee, Fla., during the Florida Bar Annual Convention.

Attorney General of Florida Pamela J. Bondi JD ’90 received the Distinguished Alumna Award for extraordinary service to Stetson Law and to the legal profession. Bondi, who became Attorney General in 2010, was a prosecutor for more than 18 years and successfully prosecuted numerous first-degree murder cases and two capital cases.

James W. Martin BS ’71, JD ’74 and John T. Berry JD ’76 received the Ben C. Willard Award for humanitarian achievements of distinction. Martin, who helped bring the Salvador Dalí Museum to St. Petersburg, is a former City of St. Petersburg councilman and Tampa Bay Regional Planning councilman, and an adjunct professor at Stetson Law. Berry, who served as assistant state attorney and member of the Florida Supreme Court Professionalism Commission, has written extensively on legal ethics and professionalism and has guest-lectured as part of Stetson Law’s professionalism program.

Allen R. Samuels LLB ’56 received the Paul M. May Meritorious Service Award for his generous contribution of time and gifts to the College of Law and alumni association. Samuels established the Carol R. Samuels Unsung Hero Student Leadership Award at Stetson in honor of his late wife.

Aleksandra I. Jagiella JD ’04, MBA ’04 and Benjamin H. Hill IV, JD ’97 received the Outstanding Alumni Representative Awards for dedication and service to the Stetson Lawyers Association. Jagiella dedicates significant time to coaching Moot Court and Alternative Dispute Resolution teams and helped inspire the Edward D. Foreman Most Distinguished Student Award at Stetson Law. Hill is a former president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association who has dedicated considerable time to Stetson Law.

Judge Edward C. LaRose received the Distinguished Service Award for significant, meritorious and continuing contributions benefiting the College of Law. Judge LaRose, who was appointed to the Second District Court of Appeal in February 2005, serves as an adjunct professor at Stetson Law.

Barbara Cowherd JD ’00 received the Stetson Lawyers Association President’s Award for service and dedication as president of the association during 2010-2011.

Clinton Paris JD ’00, MBA ’00 is the new SLA president. The Stetson Lawyers Association has more than 9,000 dedicated members across the country and around the world.

Contact: Brandi Palmer
727-562-7381
[email protected]