“Thank you for the opportunity to serve as Chair of the Board of Visitors. Today was full of reminders of the impact that CSU’s law school has on changing lives, opening doors and empowering great talent. You have put together a great team.” – Sarah Flannery ‘02, Chair, CSU|LAW Board of Visitors
“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.” – William Butler Yeats
Not a week goes by when I don’t receive a positive message about the extraordinary teaching of our faculty and extraordinary student support provided by our staff. As the fall semester comes to an end, I’m pleased to share some of those emails I’ve received this past year.
To paraphrase Yeats, law school isn't about filling a pail. It's about lighting a fire and awakening our students to new ways of thinking and new opportunities. Our faculty and staff light fires every day.
FACULTY
Associate Dean/Professor Carolyn Broering-Jacobs
“Dean Fisher, at the start of class yesterday, Associate Dean CBJ gave disclaimers about the tenderness and sensitivities of the cases. In all my years of being in higher education, I have not had a professor dealing with sensitive subjects give such a disclaimer. I am grateful that it was acknowledged and I wanted to send this note to say thank you.” – 1L Student
Professors Matthew Green, Laura Hoffman, and Brandon Stump
“I'm writing to thank you for being so vulnerable during this afternoon's panel. It certainly was empowering! Each of you has made me feel more comfortable in my identities and I am grateful for that.” – 1L Student
Professor Karin Mika
“Professor Mika, thank you for being a part of a wonderful first semester. Legal Writing has been difficult for me, but I believe that I have improved greatly. You are very kind, always asking about our week…” – 1L Student
Professor Abby Moncrieff
“Professor Moncrieff, you are my favorite professor. CSU Law is so lucky to have you…. I enjoyed your lectures very much…. You are an inspiration…. All of us are very lucky to have such an expert, yet approachable law professor. Your talent, knowledge, and commitment have had a positive impact on my academic experience.” – LL.M. Student
Professor Heidi Robertson
“Professor Robertson, your students are paying attention and you’re helping me see the world with a new perspective. THANK YOU!”– 1L Student
“Thank you for your belief in me throughout this semester as well as your assistance in becoming a better legal writer. It was an honor having you this semester.” – 1L Student
“I want to express my gratitude to you for teaching me about the opportunity to comment on proposed rules…. This revelation has been eye-opening, and I've shared this information with my fellow administrative nurse colleagues. I have dealt with DOH and CMS throughout my entire nursing career, and I had no idea that I could have been commenting on proposed regulations…Thank you for your guidance on this! It's my biggest takeaway from the course.” - 1L Student
Professor Harlan Sands
“Dean Fisher, today I learned that I passed the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) on the first try with a high score….I am writing because that would have not been possible without Professor Harlan Sands….Even when he was traveling during his personal time, he gave me zoom office hours…..He was a great resource for all students. …..I was very lucky to be in his class.” - LL.M. Student
Professor Milena Sterio
“Professor Sterio, in large part due to the roundtable on war crimes you participated in, and being willing to dive into a new chapter of my life, I enrolled at CSU Law. It is a very exciting time for me and appreciate being on the receiving end of your lectures!”
-1L Student
Professor Brandon Stump
“Dean Fisher, recently I worked with one of your colleagues, Professor Brandon Stump, to provide autism training for teachers in my community….The teachers were active, curious, and inspired by Professor Stump’s talk and provided feedback scores that were 100% positive….The students at the CSU College of Law are quite lucky to be able to study with such a creative teacher.” - Andrew Nelson, Autism Community Consultants
Professor Robert Triozzi and Director, Pardon, Clemency & Reentry Clinic Khalida Jackson
“Dean Fisher, I want to deliver two shout outs for your colleagues, Khalida Jackson and Professor Robert Triozzi. I met with each one individually to better understand some of the collateral consequences of past convictions and craft a strategy to remove some of these barriers. Each was generous with their time and a fount of knowledge on this topic. And each had a number of innovative suggestions beyond the important steps they have already taken to improve the current situation. I thought that you would want to know about this public service.” - Brian Balogh, Senior Fellow, CSU Levin College of Public Affairs and Education
STAFF
Assistant Dean for Admissions Barbara Andelman
“Dean Andelman, I want to thank you for your time helping me figure everything out regarding law school. Big life decisions! I just wanted to be the first to tell you that I sent in my first year deposit today, and I’m excited to join CSU this year! I have heard nothing but great things about the CSU experience and I look forward to this next chapter. Thank you!” – 1L Student
Assistant Dean for Student and Career Services Sarah Beznoska
“Dean Beznoska, I know that so much of what you do is on the backend and rarely seen by anyone in the school. I wanted to take a moment to write a quick note of thanks and recognition to all of Career Services, but especially to you as the leader of a fantastic team, for all you do and for all of the support you provide. I appreciate and realize that your job cannot be an easy one but you make it look easy. You always have a positive attitude and even on days when I’m at my lowest or grouchiest, I know that I can come to you for advice and support. Thank you for all you’ve done for me and for the law school community.” -2L Student
Assistant Director of Student and Career Services Jaime Gay
“Jaime, I just wanted to say thank you again for all the time, energy, and assistance you provided in helping me secure an internship. I am the only student that isn’t from an ivy league law school. There are students from Columbia, Yale, NYU, and Yale here. Hopefully, I’ll put CSU Law on the map here. My journey to this specific moment would not have been possible without you.” – 3L Student
Nick DeSantis, Assistant Dean for Student Success and Bobby Stevenson, Academic Support Specialist
“Bobby and Nick, I want to thank you for your support to achieve my goal of getting an A in both Property and Evidence. Bobby, since the semester started, you worked with me to explain many property terms that I did not understand, and did not make sense to me. You patiently gave me examples and reviewed hypos with me. Nick, when we had the session on Evidence, you helped me to think outside the box, and helped me to identify my weaknesses, and you provided me with the resources I needed.” – LL.M. Student
Have a great day and a great week!
The views and opinions expressed in my Monday Morning Message are solely my own and do not reflect the views and opinions of the law school or the university.
For copies of past messages, please go to this link: Monday Morning Messages
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My best,
Lee