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Monday Morning Message 10.30.23 It's Not Too Late
“As long as you're breathing, it's never too late to do some good.” – Maya Angelou
Monday Morning Message 10.23.23 Last Friday in October. First Friday in November.
“As a diverse nation of people with different backgrounds and beliefs, democracy holds us together. We are a country rooted in the rule of law, where the protection of the rights of all people is paramount. …. underscoring the importance of compassion, tolerance, pluralism, and respect for others.”
-Statement of 13 Presidential Centers representing former Republican and Democrat U.S. Presidents, September 7, 2023
“Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it over to future generations.” ― George Bernard Shaw
Monday Morning Message 10.16.23 No Cause Justifies Terror
“My powers of empathy, my ability to reach into another's heart, cannot penetrate the blank stares of those would murder innocents with abstract, serene satisfaction.”― President Barack Obama
Dear CSU|LAW community,
In last week’s Monday Morning Message, I expressed my profound grief over the loss of innocent lives in Israel, but I did not think it was appropriate for me to say anything further until after the university made a statement. On Friday, CSU President Laura Bloomberg and CSU Board of Trustees Chair David Reynolds sent the below open letter to the CSU community. I strongly support their statement and thank them for their continued leadership.
Monday Morning Message 10.9.23 Let Freedom Read
We mourn the many lives lost in Israel this past weekend and send thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families.
“…..libraries should be open to all — except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.”
— President John F. Kennedy
“Don't join the book burners. Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book...”― President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Monday Morning Message 10.2.23 Remember Your Why
“Regardless of what we do in our lives, our why—our driving purpose, cause or belief—never changes.”
― Simon Sinek
Over the past weeks, I’ve shared 2 of “The 10 Things I Wish I Had Known When I Started Law School” that I shared with our first year class. Here’s the 3rd and final one I’m sharing…. I have spared you all 10!
When I started law school, I wish I had known to remember my why.
Two bricklayers were asked: “What are you doing?’ The first, exhausted and unhappy, said, “I am laying bricks.” The second, energized and in good spirits, said, “I am building a cathedral.”
Tuesday Morning Message 9.26.23 The Power of Listening.
Last week, I noted that when I welcomed our first year class of law students, I shared “The 10 Things I Wish I Had Known When I Started Law School.” Here’s another “thing I wish I had known.”
When I started law school, I wish I had known the power of listening.
We need leaders who recognize the value of asking rather than telling, of listening rather than jumping to conclusions. As Steven Covey notes in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, “seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
Monday Morning Message 9.18.23 What I Wish I Had Known.
“Much of the uncertainty of law is not an unfortunate accident: it is of immense social value.” -Supreme Court Justice
Monday Morning Message 9.11.23 Make Your Torch Burn Brightly.
“The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” -
Monday Morning Message 9.5.23 Our New JD Online Program
“Thank you for an exceptional start to my first year of law school! I thoroughly enjoyed each part of my first residency weekend. The alumni dinner at the Synenberg’s was a special evening I will never forget.”
-JD Online Student
“I just wanted to say thank you for such an inspiring, gracious, generous, informative, and educational experience. The residency was so useful, and I feel like I really got to know everyone in a meaningful way. I just can't thank you enough for creating such a wonderful first law school experience. I am thrilled to be a student at CSU Law!! Oh, and the dinner was incredible!! Thank you so much for arranging and making that happen!!” - JD Online Student
Monday Morning Message 8.28.23 A Record Setting Week
“Get ready to embark on a wild ride unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, packed with thrills, chills, and probably a few spills. Being a 1L will challenge you like you’ve never been challenged….. The first year of law school will be one of the hardest years of your life. Law school will profoundly alter the way you think, and view and interact with the world around you. Your 1L experience will change who you are, whether you want it to or not.” Andrew McClurg, 1L of a Ride, A Well-Traveled Professor's Roadmap to Success in the First Year of Law School