Stetson University Law Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz has been named the 24th president of the University of Evansville in Indiana, according to the Evansville Courier & Press and other media outlets on March 29. He has been the Stetson Law School dean since July 2012 and will assume his new duties on July 1.
Alicia Slater, Ph.D., Stetson professor and chair of the Biology Department, has been selected as Dean of the School of Science at Marist College and will assume the role July 1, posted by Hudson Valley 360 and other media on April 4.
Sam Friedman was appointed as Stetson University’s Hillel director, posted in “People on the Move” by Orlando Sentinel on April 6.
Stetson’s Roland George Investments Program (RGIP) has launched a new stock index focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) related stock. Five undergraduate seniors in the program researched, vetted and eventually pitched the stock index to a board of faculty and students, posted by Tuscon News Now and numerous other media outlets on March 30.
Christopher Ferguson
Chris Ferguson, Ph.D., professor of psychology, was quoted in the article, “I really want to quit Facebook, but …” posted by the Houston Chronicle March 23. Ferguson said, “Most people have a love-it-but-hate-it relationship with Facebook. That’s been coming to a head in the last week or two. But it’s so easy to keep in touch with a broad range of people that you otherwise just wouldn’t.”
K.C. Ma, Ph.D., director of the Roland George investments program at Stetson University, was quoted in a story, “Tariff Threat Puts Damper on Chinese Stock,” in U.S. News & World Report, Yahoo Finance and other media March 27. Ma said the tariff on technology imports is only the beginning of a wide-scale trade war that will not end at least for another two to three years. “Following January’s tariff on solar panels and washing machine and March’s tariff on steel and aluminum, brace yourself,” he said.
On April 3, Law student Jennifer Winn and Law Professor Lance Long were mentioned and quoted in the WMNF article, “Law student Pushing for Plastic Straw Ban in Gulfport.”
Christopher Ferguson, Ph.D., Stetson University psychology department co-chair, was quoted in the article, “Commentary: Kids these days: Are they really worse?” posted by the Orlando Sentinel on April 4. Ferguson pointed out that from “Elvis Presley to rap music to video games, older adults are quick to blame youth culture for perceived social problems, often forgetting that the media valued in their own youth was similarly disparaged.”
Stuart Michelson, Ph.D., chair of the Finance Department at Stetson, was quoted in a story March 24 in The Daytona Beach News-Journal entitled, “Millennials face obstacles on road to home ownership.” Michelson said, “Student loans are much higher now, as well as credit card debts are higher, but (millennials) are not paying them off. Those two things are tying them down and making it hard to pay a mortgage.”
Florida Senate President Joe Negron was featured in a story March 23 in the Palm Beach Post entitled, “With session done, what is Negron’s political future?” Negron obtained his bachelor’s degree from Stetson University.
T. Wayne Bailey, Ph.D., retired political science professor at Stetson, was quoted in The Daytona Beach News-Journal story, “50 years later, painful memories of King’s assassination linger,” posted April 3. Bailey said the nonviolent civil disobedience that King taught “may have saved the U.S. from a civil war.”
Stetson University was included in a story March 25 in Orlando Sentinel, called “Stetson University expands historic Union Building.” The story said Williams Company is enlarging and renovating the historic Carlton Union Building from 52,000 square feet to 86,584 square feet in time for the fall semester.
Chris Ferguson, Ph.D, professor of psychology, wrote an opinion piece for The Houston Chronicle on March 26, called “How ‘toxic masculinity’ is hurting boys,” that refute some claims that “raising boys to be traditionally masculine might be one of the underlying causes of violence.” Ferguson said, “The risk is that, in disparaging masculinity as a whole, whether explicitly or implicitly, advocates can do real harm to boys and men themselves.”
Chris Ferguson, Ph.D, professor of psychology, was quoted in the article, “Smartphones horrified me as a new parent — here’s why I stopped worrying and learned to embrace kids’ tech-filled futures,” which appeared in numerous media outlets March 25-28, including Business Insider, Times Union Online, Connecticut Post Online, Medical Health News and Latest Nigerian News. He said, “There’s no question that people overdo media, but people overdo lots of other things too — food and sex and work and exercise. So one question is, is the overuse of media different from the overuse of all these other things?”
Chris Ferguson, Ph.D., professor of Psychology, was quoted in the story, “Time to end the debate about video games and violence — research doesn’t support it,” posted in The Paris (Tenn.) Post-Intelligencer March 30. Ferguson said, “speaking as a researcher who has studied violent video games for almost 15 years, I can state that there is no evidence to support these claims that violent media and real-world violence are connected.”
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Stuart Michelson, Ph.D., Roland & Sarah George Professor of Finance and Chair of the Finance Department, was quoted by Wallethub in an article, entitled “How to Check Your Credit Score for Free, in 2 Minutes.” Michelson said it’s 100 percent easier to check credit scores today than it was five or ten years ago. “With the advent of free credit reports and many more online resources, everyone should check their credit report regularly,” he said.
Stetson University’s use of Third Eye Technologies was featured in the company’s news. X1 Smart Glasses are used to give virtual campus tours to prospective students and families around the world to see the university without having to book a trip to Florida, posted by Enter Tint Name on April 6.
Valrie Chambers, CPA, Ph.D., Interim Chair of the M.E. Rinker, Sr. Institute of Tax and Accountancy at Stetson, was the editor of two articles on April 1 in The Tax Adviser. She edited the article, “Requests by IRS and state departments of revenue for electronic accounting software records of taxpayers,” and the article, “Reporting publicly traded partnership Sec. 751 ordinary income and other challenges.”
Author Cynthia Barnett will speak at Stetson on April 12, at 7 p.m. in the Marshall & Vera Lea Rinker Welcome Center about “Rain: A history for stormy times,” posted in The Daytona Beach News-Journal Online March 24.
Great Organists at Stetson Series will present Jack Mitchener on April 10, according to Flagler Live on April 5. Mitchener, professor of Organ at Mercer University and Artist in Residence at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Atlanta, will perform at 7:30 p.m. in Lee Chapel in Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission is complimentary and open to the public.
Rabbi Barry Altman, a Stetson University faculty member, will hold a discussion on Anne Frank and the uncovering of her journal at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11, at the Ormond Beach Regional Library, posted by The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Hometown News and other media April 2.
Stetson University’s Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience was featured by i4 Business on April 1 in an article entitled, “An Advocate for Environmental Responsibility.” The institute promotes “interdisciplinary learning and research, advancing policy development and demonstrating environmental stewardship that is benefiting the entire region.”
Adam Cooper, an undergraduate chemistry major at Stetson University, was quoted by Chemical & Engineering News on April 3 in a story titled, “Atlantic Basin Conference on Chemistry hosts inaugural meeting.” Cooper said, “I absolutely loved the conference. It matched really well with my research interests.”
Kelly Cleary, former director of Career Services at Stetson University, was appointed to serve as the executive director for the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business, according to a story April 5 in The Daily Pennsylvanian Online, the University of Pennsylvania’s independent student media organization.
Stetson University has joined the Chartered Financial Analyst program, according to a story in the West Volusia Beacon March 28.
On March 26, Law Professor Peter Lake was quoted in the InsideHigherEd article, “Duty to Protect,” regarding a California Supreme Court ruling that public colleges and universities have a duty to protect their students. The story was picked up by several other news outlets.
On March 26, Law Professor Charles Rose was featured on WMFE Orlando radio regarding the Pulse nightclub trial.
On March 27, Law Professor Louis Virelli spoke with Bay News 9 regarding a Supreme Court case on abortion.
On March 27, Law Professor Rebecca Morgan wrote the article “Florida Governor Signs Generator Bill” for the Elder Law Prof Blog. On March 22, Professor Morgan wrote the article, “Free Webinar Protecting Elders from Scams” for the Elder Law Prof Blog.
On March 25, Law Professor Paul Boudreaux was quoted in the Fort Myers News Press article, “Fort Myers hotel developer confident ‘long hand from the grave’ won’t derail downtown project.”
On March 23, TaxProf Blog announced Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy would be featured on a panel on federalism. She wrote the article, “Federalism Keeps Me Up at Night,” for the March 28 Brennan Center for Justice Blog.
News of the new Master of Jurisprudence programs has run in the March Ll.M. Guide.
On April 2, Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy spoke with the L.A. Times for the story, “David Hogg’s call for a boycott of Laura Ingraham is in the best tradition of democracy.”
On March 29, Professor Torres-Spelliscy wrote “Why Federalism Keeps Me Up At Night” for the Brennan Center for Justice.
On April 3, Law Professor Louis Virelli appeared on Bay News 9 regarding cases before the Supreme Court on gerrymandering.
On April 3, Law Professor Charles Rose spoke with WMFE Orlando regarding the highlights of the Noor Salman trial.
On April 3, Law Professor Paul Boudreaux was quoted in the River News article, “A look at the history of large lot zoning.”
On April 3, Law Professor Rebecca Morgan wrote the article, “More on Dementia Advance Directives” for the Elder Law Blog; other articles for the blog this week included the topics: Opioid Fight; Peeps and Pensions; and Medically Assisted Dying.
Alumni News:
On March 26, the Orange Observer reported that Stetson Law alumna Jay Goff-Marcil entered the Florida House race.
Law alumnus Thomas S. Edwards was featured in the March 28 Jacksonville Magazine.
Law alumnus Kevin J. Plunkett was featured in the March 28 Fairfield Business Journal article, “Former Deputy County Executive Plunkett joins Simone Development.”
On April 3, Law alumnus Josh Kligler joined Dunn Law PA in Miami, per CityBizList.
On April 2, Law alumna Carrie Pilon announced filing for state Senate on FloridaPolitics.com.
Law alumnus Fred Ridley was mentioned in the Augusta.com article, “Masters Chairman Fred Ridley: A pro off the course.” The April 4 Golf Central TV program also mentions Ridley.
The April 3 TBO.com reported that Law alumnus Jay E. “Gene” Ulmer Jr., whose nearly four decades as a Pasco-Pinellas Circuit judge made him a fixture in the court, died March 7.
The March 29 PRLog reported that Law alumna Amanda Ross has joined the Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. group in the Tort & Insurance Litigation Division.
The March 30 Business Observer reported that Law alumnus Jeff Guy was recently named partner at the Sarasota-based Kirk-Pinkerton in a profile.
According to Seward Law, Law alumna Alicia Regina Seward owns her own law firm.
Shannon Spahr has been promoted to Vice President and Controller at Merchants Bank. After earning her Master’s in Accountancy at Stetson University in 2011, Spahr had been a controller at Merchants Bank since 2015, posted by Winona Daily News, March 28.
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