Center for Law, Justice and Culture director highlights recent student engagement, announces fall events

Dr. Kevin Uhalde, associate professor of history and director of the Center for Law, Justice and Culture (CLJC), reports that the center is ready for the start of another exciting year of academic and experiential engagement.

Dr. Haley Duschinski, professor of anthropology, is returning as director of graduate studies. Many thanks to Dr. Kathleen Sullivan for her leadership in this role last year. Her innovative workshop program, funded by a competitive OHIO 1804 Fund award, matched graduate mentors with undergraduates interested in the scholarly aspects of law and society so successfully that it will continue this year. This fall we welcome 20 new graduate students to the M.A. in Law, Justice & Culture program.

The CLJC's calendar of events is as full as ever. On Sept. 19, Nike Tepe (Athens County Public Libraries Director) will deliver the annual Constitution Day Lecture. The CLJC will also host the Ohio Innocence Project on Oct. 3 for this year’s Wrongful Conviction Day events. David Crane, Esq. ('73, '74 MA) will return to campus Oct. 17 to talk about his work setting up a special tribunal for the crime of aggression in Ukraine. Two days later, more than 40 law schools will descend upon campus for the annual Ohio University Law Fair. Dr. Paul M. Collins (University of Massachusetts, Amherst) will also be visiting as part of our program review this semester.

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Larry Hayman, Esq. continues his amazing work as director of legal engagement and the pre-law program at the Center for Law, Justice and Culture and the Center for Advising, Career and Experiential Learning. He directed the eighth Summer Law and Trial Institute this summer, immersing 20 high school students from across Ohio, and especially Appalachia, in the legal profession and issues of law and justice.

Meanwhile, four OHIO undergraduate students were placed into internships at Southeastern Ohio Legal Services in Athens, ACLU of Ohio in Columbus, and the Ohio Innocence Project at University of Cincinnati College of Law. They each received stipends thanks to the Social Justice Internship Fund established last year and recently expanded by alumna Leah Recht, Esq. ('06). Through this fund, the Law School Application Support Fund, and the Yousef Faroniya Undergraduate Certificate Scholarship, the CLJC has been able to increase access to law and justice opportunities.

Now we will be increasing these opportunities and making them even more accessible to our student community. This summer, Hon. Clarke VanDervort ('75) established the Civility in Law, Justice and Culture Endowment. This generous gift will enable the CLJC to create new scholarships and research and experiential learning opportunities emphasizing the importance of civility. Also new this summer is the Jennifer Young Stevens ('04 BBA) Collegiate Impact Fund, which will support programming and resources for the CLJC community. We are so grateful to them and all of our alumni and donors!

If you’re interested in learning more about how private philanthropy impacts the CLJC, reach out to Amanda Blake at ABlake@ohio.edu.