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Monday Morning Message 1.25.21 The Hill We Climb
“The study of English literature, especially lyric poetry, is the best preparation for the law… That training helped me later, when trying to decipher law statutes.” – U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens
“If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place in which to live.” – President John F. Kennedy
“If we’re to live up to our own time/ Then victory won’t lie in the blade
But in all the bridges we’ve made / That is the promised glade
The hill we climb /If only we dare” -Amanda Gorman
Monday Morning Message 1.19.21 A Defining Moment of Challenge and Controversy
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy." – Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday Morning Message 12.28.20 Take a Moment Before Midnight
“Words cannot express the gratitude I have for the scholarship you all have so kindly decided to offer me…You all have given me the opportunity to fulfill my destiny and for that I am forever grateful ! My son will one day be able to say that his mother was given a chance despite financial hardship, and this blessing can teach him that if you dream big enough, no obstacle will be big enough.” -2L Student
Note: We are giving your e-mailbox a break for the next few weeks! The Monday Morning Message will resume the week of January 18, 2021, the first week of spring semester classes.
Monday Morning Message 12.21.20 Holiday Heroes
“Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the hero within us is revealed.” – Bob Riley
An extraordinary semester has ended, and as the holidays approach, I want to devote this morning’s message to our many Holiday Heroes. I continue to be overwhelmed by the number of messages of support and appreciation from and about our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. This message is longer than usual because I have so many uplifting messages to share!
Monday Morning Message 12.14.20 The Difference Between the Difficult and the Impossible.
“The difference between the difficult and the impossible is that the impossible takes a little longer time.” - Lady Aberdeen
“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot
This morning I want to make a holiday toast to those faculty and staff listed below who have served our law school and university for 10 or more years- an extraordinary accomplishment and testament to their depth of commitment to our law school, especially our students.
Monday Morning Message 12.7.20 Final Exams / Bar Exam
“Well, tests ain’t fair. Those that study have an unfair advantage.” – Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April
This morning, I have two messages.
The first, to our current students, particularly our first-year students; the second, to our recent 2020 graduates who passed and did not pass the October 2020 Bar Exam.
To Our Students- Final Exams
Final exams begin this week and continue until December 18. You’ve worked hard all semester. You’ve diligently read and briefed your cases, prepared and reviewed your notes and outlines, and practiced your legal analysis on hypotheticals and old exams.
Monday Morning Message 11.30.20 Help a Student's Dream Come True
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”– Harriet Tubman
As has become a tradition around the holidays Giving Tuesday will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, December 1, 2020.
#GivingTuesday is a global movement focused on generosity and philanthropy for nonprofit organizations, CSU Cleveland-Marshall College of Law among them.
Monday Morning Message 11.23.20 Thankful for Resilience.
“We need resilience and hope and a spirit that can carry us through the doubt and fear.”– Brené Brown
There will be far too many empty chairs at dinner tables this Thanksgiving. Those empty chairs remind us that this pandemic is far from over and we must remain both vigilant and resilient.
I want to express my gratitude for the exceptional perseverance, flexibility, and adaptability of our law students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends these past nine extraordinary months.
Living, working, teaching, learning, and studying has never been harder, but we saw this past weekend a great example of how our students’ resilience can prevail in the midst of unprecedented challenges.
Monday Morning Message 11.16.20 The Credit Belongs to Those Actually in the Arena.
“My creed is that public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. It must be ….with full recognition that every human being is entitled to courtesy and consideration, that constructive criticism is not only to be expected but sought… that honor is to be earned but not bought.” -U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith
Monday Morning Message 11.9.20 You Are Not Alone.
“Health is a state of body. Wellness is a state of being.” – J. Stanford
“The first semester of law school is always a confusing and challenging time….The fact that you are doing this during a pandemic speaks volumes about your strength, ability, and flexibility….. You are not alone. I write to remind you…. We are here.” – Sarah Beznoska, Assistant Dean for Student and Career Services, in an email to our first-year students, the first-ever 1L class at CSU C|M|LAW to start their legal education online.
My highest priority as Dean is not only our students’ first-class, quality legal education, but also their happiness, mental health, and well-being.