“The story of our [Cleveland State University] success is told one student at a time.” Dr. Ronald Berkman, President, Cleveland State University, 2016 State of the University Address
At yesterday’s CSU Commencement ceremony, Rich Paul received an honorary degree from President Berkman, and told his inspiring story of rising from the depth of poverty in Cleveland’s neighborhoods to the height of being the sports agent who negotiated LeBron James’ return to Cleveland. He told the class of 2016, “always believe in yourself.”
In these final days of 2016, I ask you to join our faculty, staff, alumni, and friends in believing in our students and in the power of our unique, iconic law school to transform the lives of our students and the community they will serve. As Avery Friedman ’72 says in our law school video, About C|M|Law, “If you aspire to do good things for good people and to improve the quality of the human condition this [Cleveland-Marshall College of Law] is exactly where you want to be.”
Please consider making a tax deductible gift to Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Your year-end support would mean a lot to us. No contribution is too small.
Please donate here: Believe in C|M|Law. Give Now. Please help our students and our law school rise to new heights.
Below are some reasons why I hope you will make a contribution now.
“I continue to greatly appreciate the fruit of [Professor Sandra Kerber’s] efforts in pointing out the numerous gaps I had within my writing assignments during my 1 L year. I learned a lot and my writing has improved greatly as a result…. Professor [Karen] Mika helped me distill my cumbersome draft into a far finer version - with a greater focus on implementing my solution to a pressing problem instead of mere discussion of past policy…. Professor [Brian] Glassman not only helped me with expanding some of that focus, but also gave me my first lesson on statutory writing.” –Lukas Padegimas
“Professor [Browne] Lewis – “Congratulations on the publication of your book! …..You and your passion for bioethics sparked mine – thank you for being such a terrific professor and introducing me to this incredible world.”– Blair Barnhart
Professor [Doron] Kalir- “….I appreciate all of the help that you gave me in my time at Marshall. In terms of practical knowledge, yours was far and away the most beneficial course that I took. What I learned in those two semesters has already paid dividends. Just last week I was handed a complaint and basically asked to run with it. Had I never been through that process I wouldn't have known where to begin. So thank you.” - Jim Lanigan
Professor [Alan] Weinstein –“….I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for everything you have taught me this semester…. I feel more comfortable reading and breaking down criminal court cases, and further explaining them to some officers that I work with…..So, THANK YOU so much for your guidance and all the skills you taught me in one course so far. I can assure you that I am a better police officer today after completing one semester at CMLaw than I was in July. I look forward to learning more throughout my educational journey at CMLaw.” -Zacki Hazou, Master of Legal Studies (MLS) student
“Dean Fisher- ….While I'm sure that you get a lot of feedback about professors, I want to tell you personally that I think Professor [Steve] Lazarus did a tremendous job….Professor Lazarus explained the large amount of material necessary to learn torts in a straightforward and understandable way….He told us where the Ohio law differs from the majority rule where applicable, which I found particularly interesting. All the while, the classroom atmosphere was open, productive, and engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed Professor Lazarus' class, and I plan to take his upper-level courses in the future.” -Nick Anhold
Towards the end of my first year as a law student at Cleveland-Marshall, Professor [Deborah} Geiersent out an email to all students encouraging us to take her Tax I course. I had no idea what studying tax law meant at the time, but I could tell from that email just how excited and passionate she was about the subject and I knew right then that I needed to take her class…. From the moment I sat in Professor Geier’s Tax I class, I knew I had found what I wanted to do in law. Professor Geier has an ability to take an extremely complicated and at times overwhelming subject and present it in a manner that is clear and engaging.…Professor Geier devotes an incredible amount of time to answering student’s questions, whether it is after class, through email, or during her office hours, which shows how much she truly cares about the success of her students….. -Michelle Rood’ 2016,McDonald Hopkins
“Lee- I made a very modest pledge to the annual campaign – and that was prompted in part because of the call I received from a student…. . She called me some weeks ago on an evening when I had just returned from visiting my mother in the hospital. The last thing I wanted to deal with was a solicitation call. But there was something very engaging about the student who called. She was energetic – and pleasantly persistent in getting me to commit to a pledge that evening.… C-M did not get big bucks from me – as I still take a vow of poverty! – but my appreciation for my education is real.” - Sister Joanne Gross ‘86, Legal Counsel, Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland
This is my final Monday Morning Message of the year; it will resume Monday, January 9, 2017. For copies of past messages, please go to this link: Monday Morning Messages.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year – may 2017 be a year of rising to new heights.
Lee
Lee Fisher
Interim Dean and Visiting Professor of Law
216-687-2300