Stetson law graduates had the highest pass rate on the Florida Bar exam, and coaching contracts with incentives for academics led the news for Stetson this week. Top national and regional placements include Huffington Post, Associated Press, Orlando Sentinel, Tallahassee Democrat, Tampa Tribune, Ocala Star Banner and Daytona Beach News-Journal. Top stories for Apr. 11-17, 2014, include:

Top Stories

• Eighty-five percent of Stetson Law graduates passed the February Bar exam on the first try, the highest passage rate in Florida and well above the state average of 72.9 percent, according to the Apr. 14 Orlando Sentinel. Florida State graduates came in second with 83 percent. Additional coverage: Nolesports.com, Tallahassee Democrat.
• Matt Wilson, Ph.D., published an article on Huffington Post, Apr. 14, reading incentives in college coaching contracts that are tied to either academics or athletics.
• Law Professor Peter Fitzgerald is quoted in the Apr. 10 Tampa Bay Times, “Westinghouse CEO is key witness in suit against Duke.” The article ran via the AP wire on Apr. 11 in CEO Columbus and in the Ocala Star Banner.
• The Apr. 11 American Society of International Law features an article by visiting law professor Rachel VanLandingham.

Other Stories in the News

• Florida Hospital DeLand and Stetson have formalized their partnership, adding enhanced services for students, faculty and staff, according to the Apr. 11 Hometown News.
• An Apr. 10 article in Journal-News reports that research by Chris Ferguson, Ph.D., published in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, finds that children who read “banned” books were more involved in volunteer work, and that “the influence of banned books on behavior is not worrisome, and may be positive overall.”
• The Apr. 13 Tampa Tribune lists Stetson College of Law among world-class, higher education institutions in the opinion article, “Ingram: Tampa Bay’s Top 20.”
• Research by Chris Ferguson, Ph.D., on video games and violence is referenced in an Apr. 15 article on NESCA News (neuropsychology blog).
• Stetson was mentioned in an Apr. 16 article in the Daytona Beach News-Journal on a teacher shortage in Volusia County. The county expects to hire 400 teachers for next school year.
• The Apr. 15 Creative Loafing reports that Stetson Law in Gulfport is hosting a local art show, Sustainable Farming: Art for Advocacy, featuring students from Gibbs on Apr. 21.
• In the West Volusia Beacon, an Apr. 10 article reports on the closing of a downtown DeLand children’s museum where Stetson University students, high-schoolers, and local authors and artists donated time. The owner hopes that members of the community will come forward with ideas about possible new locations and other means of keeping the museum open.
• The Apr. 15 Elder Law Prof Blog includes a posting by Law Professor Rebecca Morgan, “Congrats to Kim Dayton and co-authors-new book.” The April 13 Elder Law Prof Blog includes Professor Morgan’s posting, “Congrats to Howard Eglit-New Book.” Professor Morgan also wrote the post, “More On Housing” for the Elder Law Prof Blog.
• Gillespie Museum has partnered with the Stetson Environmental Coalition to host the 2014 Earth Day: “Keeping it Green at Stetson,” according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal on Apr. 9. This annual event showcases the work of a range of student organizations with an environmental mission, including Hatter Harvest, Stetson Cycles, Team Sandhill, the Stetson Environmental Club and the Stetson Scrappers.
• The Apr. 9 Targeted News Service reported that Stetson won the Robert Merhige Jr. Environmental Negotiation Competition.

Alumni in the News

• Family law attorney Rebecca Palmer of Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A., appeared on Fox 35 Good Day Orlando, according to the Apr. 11 CityBizList South Florida.
• James Pecar, former member of the Stetson a capella group, Hat Trick, is involving his choir students at Chippewa Valley High School (Warren, Mich.) in a fundraising event called A Capella for Autism, according to CandGNews.com on Apr. 16.