The first class to enter the Law and Leadership Institute (LLI) at The University of Toledo College of Law will graduate from the program on Saturday, March 16. Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger of the Supreme Court of Ohio, a 1977 alumna of the college, will be the keynote speaker.

The 18 graduates, all seniors at local high schools, will participate in a mock trial competition against LLI students from the University of Akron School of Law 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 16 in the Cubbon Courtroom at the Law Center. The commencement ceremony will follow at 3:30 p.m. in the Law Center’s McQuade Law Auditorium.

Supported by the Ohio State Bar Foundation, the Supreme Court of Ohio, Ohio’s nine law schools, and others, LLI is a state-wide initiative to help prepare students from underserved communities for post-secondary success through a four-year academic program in law, leadership, analytical thinking, and writing skills. Toledo Law’s LLI program began in 2009 with a single ninth grade class; a new class has joined the program each following year.

“We are very proud of the students we have worked with in the Law and Leadership Institute, especially those we have seen grow during the past four years. We are grateful to all of the sponsors for supporting this effort to diversify the legal profession,” said Daniel J. Steinbock, dean of the College of Law.

The LLI program was piloted in Columbus and Cleveland in 2008, and has since grown to more than 400 high school students on eight law school campuses across the state.

For more information, visit the LLI web site at lawandleadership.org or contact Marilyn Preston, professor of legal writing and Toledo Law’s LLI director, at 419-530-2863 or marilyn.preston@utoledo.edu.

At precisely noon on Match Day, Friday, March 15, fourth-year medical students at The University of Toledo will join their peers across the country as they sprint across the room, tear open their envelopes and simultaneously learn where they will serve their residencies.

At UT, 165 students in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences will get their news at the 2013 Residency Match Reception at the Pinnacle in Maumee. The event will begin at 11 a.m. with the envelope-opening ceremony at noon.

Students spend months interviewing at residency programs across the country, searching for the ideal place to learn their chosen specialties. Students ranked their top institutional choices, and academic medical centers across the country ranked their top student choices. A computer program administered by the National Resident Matching Program then puts the students and residencies together.

Depending on the specialty, residencies can last between three to seven years, and thus has a major impact on the training and lives of the medical students. Residents are licensed physicians who care for patients under the supervision of attending physicians, and represent the physician work force of tomorrow.

Media Coverage
FOX Toledo, WNWO, 13 ABC and WTOL 11 (March 15, 2013)
The Blade (March 16, 2013)

Due to popular demand, The University of Toledo will hold a second electronics recycling drive Saturday, March 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in parking area 28, located off East Rocket Drive by the Transportation Center near the Dorr Street entrance.

Brooke Mason, UT interim sustainability specialist, said because February’s e-waste drive collected more electronics than expected, a second event was necessary.

“We brought in more than 24,000 pounds in the last event, filling up one 24-foot box truck three times and one 14-foot box truck three times,” Mason said. “We had so many items we actually filled the equivalent of one regular-sized semi-truck trailer.”

Most anything with a power cord will be accepted at drive.

For those looking to recycle older televisions, there will be a disposal charge. Any older television less than 24 inches will cost $10, and sets 24 inches and larger will cost $20 to recycle.

“We decided to do another e-waste drive about a week after the first one,” Mason said. “My office kept getting phone calls because there was such a demand. A lot of people want to get rid of a lot of stuff. Computers and electronics take up a lot of room.”

Affinity Information Management again will cart the electronic waste from the University.

The e-waste event is part of UT’s Sustainability, Energy Efficiency and Design Program, and part of the University’s RecycleMania efforts. RecycleMania is a national eight-week competition that this year runs through Saturday, March 30.

The average 65 year-old American today can expect to live to about 85. As a result, one would be hard pressed to find a job in the service sector which would not involve dealing at least in part with the elderly and for which one would not be better qualified with at least some level of education in elder law.

In response to this demand, the Legal Specialties Program in the College of Human Service Professions at the University of Toledo, in cooperation with UT’s Center for Successful Aging in the College of Medicine is proud to offer the Online Graduate Certificate in Elder Law.

Recognizing that individuals are continually attempting to balance personal and professional responsibilities, the entire program, as the name indicates, is offered online and consists of five classes, all of which can be completed in just two semesters. Courses are accessible 24/7 through distance education methods over the Internet.

Three legal classes, Legal Issues for the Elderly, Elder Health Law and Ethical Issues and a Guided Study in Elder Law Topics are offered in the summer session. Legal Issues for the Elderly covers wills, trusts, estate administration, powers of attorney, guardianships, advance directives (health care powers of attorney, etc.), Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, grandparent’s rights and legal issues involved in late-in-life marriages.

Elder Health Care Law focuses on the ethical issues involved in legal practice with elderly clients, age discrimination in employment, health care and long term care for the elderly, income maintenance, and elder abuse.

The Guided Study in Elder Law is a vehicle for exploration of elder law topics chosen by the students, with the approval of the faculty, which may not have been covered in significant depth in the other courses. Examples have included a comparison of the laws of various states on such issues as end-of-life decision making and elder abuse. Students are given the opportunity to create a project that explores their interests and suits their particular needs and/or reasons for enrolling in the Elder Law Certificate Program.

The other two classes, Health and Aging and Issues in Contemporary Gerontological Practice are offered each fall semester. Health and Aging is designed to investigate health related issues in older adults, including the psychosocial aspects of disability and disease. Practical application of the material is emphasized. Issues in Contemporary Gerontological Practice explore introductory issues in older adults. Biological, psychological and sociological perspectives of aging are addressed.

Watch a short video regarding this exciting new program:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWf0VX6kWe4

For more information contact Assoc. Prof. Michael J. Spiros, Esq. at mspiros@utoledo.edu or Debra O’Connell at Debra.OConnell@utoledo.edu or call 419-530-5421.

Dr. Peter Feldmeier
Murray/Bacik Endowed Chair in Catholic Studies

While media stories highlight supposed front-runners to be the next Bishop of Rome, UToledo Catholic studies expert Dr. Peter Feldmeier says that among the College of Cardinals, he doubts people are hoping for the position.

“It’s a weighty job. I don’t know how many popes have wanted the job in the modern period. My hunch is, none,” said Feldmeier, Murray/Bacik Endowed Chair of Catholic Studies at UT.

He recounted a story of John Paul II in tears prior to the final balloting in October of 1978 when it became clear among Cardinals that he would become the next pope.

“These were not tears of joy, but a recognition of the pressure that comes with becoming a servant of the world,” Feldmeier said.

Feldmeier, who has called for greater transparency from the Catholic Church to regain what he feels is its diminished moral authority, said that while this change in the papacy will be momentous, he doesn’t anticipate a great deal of change in the church.

“Any change in papacy is more a change in tone than any real dramatic change in policy or theology. You’re going to find a lot of continuity. This was certainly the case between Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI,” Feldmeier said.

“Their personalities were very different – Benedict was a much more private man and didn’t have the kind of charisma that John Paul II did. But in terms of theology and views of the pope’s role, I think you’ll see more similarities than differences in the next pope.

Media Coverage
Leading Edge with Jerry Anderson (March 11, 2013)
WTOL 11 (March 13, 2013)

In recognition of Women’s History Month, The University of Toledo has planned a number of events to honor the female leaders of today and throughout history.

The kickoff event is a discussion of the best-selling book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The event, “Half the Sky Movement – Part 1,” will be 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 in Health and Human Services Building Room 1711 and will include a documentary of the book and a question-and-answer session.

The month will continue with events such as “Once Upon a Prom Dress” in which social work students have organized a donation drive to help local high school students pick out a free formal dress. It will take place 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 17 in the Student Union. Dresses are still being collected and can be dropped off at the Eberly Center for Women, Tucker Hall Room 0168.

UT also will host “The Vagina Monologues” performances based on American playwright Eve Ensler’s monologue, which drew upon interviews of women of different age, race and origin about their personal experiences. The shows will be 7 p.m. Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16 in the UT Scott Park Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for general admission with proceeds benefiting Toledo Take Back the Night and Alicia’s Voice, organizations that address violence against women.

Other events include:

Thursday, March 14

• 2013 YWCA Milestones: A Tribute to Women Awards Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., SeaGate Convention Centre. Wanda Butts, who started the Josh Project that teaches children and adults how to swim, and State Rep. Teresa Fedor are among the honorees this year. Tickets: $50 for individuals, $500 for table of 10. Information: 419.241.3235.
• Brown-Bag Luncheon, noon, Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women, Tucker Hall Room 0180. Dr. Celia Williamson, UT professor of social work, will give a talk on “How to Become a Social Justice Leader.”
• “Feminism and LGBTQA Movements,” 8 p.m., Student Union Room 3018. Individuals who identify as both feminist and LGBTQA will discuss their experiences and how their two roles interact. Faculty members also will talk about the movements’ similarities and differences. Event sponsored by Spectrum.

Friday, March 15

• Toledo Museum of Art tour, 1 p.m., meet at the Eberly Center for Women, Tucker Hall Room 0168 for chartered bus ride. Join the Eberly Center staff for a tour of the museum and see works by women and that speak to women.

Tuesday, March 19

• “Half the Sky Movement — Part II,” 5 p.m., Health and Human Services Building Room 1711. Continuation of the discussion about the book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide and its documentary.
• “Hair,” 8 p.m., Student Union Room 3016. Students from different backgrounds will discuss the politics of hair, specifically the media’s politicization of women’s hair and how their ethnicity, personality and self-expression fit — and do not fit — the expectation of beauty.

Wednesday, March 20

• Women’s and Gender Studies Department Student Research Showcase, 12:30 p.m., University Hall Room 4180. Hillary Gyuras will discuss “Adolescence, Civil Rights and the Movement: A Review of Coming of Age in Mississippi,” Victoria Adkins will talk about “Educational Disadvantages for Women in India: A Perspective from Location, Tradition and Policies,” and Sarah Roberts will cover “The U.S. Military’s Ties to Prostitution.” Choice of soup or salad will be provided.

Thursday, March 21

• Panel Discussion on Women’s Issues, 6:30 p.m., Student Union Room 2592. Panelists — Wanda Butts, who started the Josh Project that teaches children and adults how to swim; State Rep. Teresa Fedor, a 1983 UT alumna; and Dr. Patricia Hogue, UT associate professor and chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies and assistant dean of diversity, student recruitment and retention in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences — will discuss community activism.

Friday, March 22

• Women’s and Gender Studies Department Faculty Research Showcase, noon, University Hall Room 4180. Dr. Asma Abdel Halim, UT associate professor, will discuss “Women and Law in the Sudan.”

Tuesday, March 26

• Film Screening, 6 p.m., Center for Performing Arts Room. See “The Education of Shelby Knox,” a documentary about a teenage girl who while campaigning for comprehensive sex education in high schools in Lubbock, Texas, discovers she is a feminist and a liberal Christian. Filmmaker Marion Lipschutz will introduce the movie and take questions after the viewing.

Thursday, March 28

• Brown-Bag Luncheon, noon, Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women, Tucker Hall Room 0180. Alicia Wagner, founder of HEELS (Helping Energize and Educate Ladies Sooner), will address “Looking at Equality Since Women Won the Right to Vote.”

Saturday, March 30

• Women of the World (WOW) Symposium, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Scott Park Auditorium. Keynote speaker: Margaret Wong will share her story of going from an immigrant to an immigrant lawyer, building Margaret Wong & Associates Co., Cleveland. The free event will cover several topics of interest to women. For more information and to register, go to wowtoledo.org.

Media Coverage
The Blade (March 14, 2013)
The Blade (March 14, 2013)
The Blade (March 21, 2013)
The Blade (March 31, 2013)

The Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals will hold oral arguments at The University of Toledo College of Law on Wednesday, March 13, beginning at 9 a.m. in the McQuade Law Auditorium. The sessions are open to the public.

Judges Arlene Singer ’76, Thomas J. Osowik, and Stephen A. Yarbrough will preside over argument in six cases. Arguments set for the session include appeals from aggravated murder and theft convictions. Other cases on the docket ask the court to decide whether a trial court may order an owner to maintain his property if the property is the subject of other litigation between the parties in the Ohio Supreme Court, and whether a Sandusky zoning ordinance is unconstitutionally vague.

“The opportunity for students to observe judges and lawyers in a real court session is a valuable learning experience in our oral advocacy curriculum,” said Terrell Allen, UT College of Law legal writing professor and director of its legal research, writing, and appellate advocacy program. “We appreciate the court’s willingness to provide this useful experience and instruction for our students.”

The first session begins at 9 a.m., and the second session starts at 10:15 a.m. After adjourning, the court and counsel will answer audience questions during a short Q & A period.

The Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals’ calendar and docket are available here.

For more information contact Rachel Phipps, assistant dean of communications for the UT College of Law, at 419.530.2628 or rachel.phipps@utoledo.edu.

Media Coverage
WNWO (March 13, 2013)

Elin Suleymanov, the Republic of Azerbaijan ambassador to the United States of America, will visit the University on Monday, March 11 to give a lecture on “Azerbaijan and U.S. Relations” at 11 a.m. in Rocket Hall Room 1530.

Suleymanov

In 2011, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev appointed Suleymanov as ambassador to the United States of America. Prior to that, Suleymanov had been the nation’s first consul general to Los Angeles and the Western states; he led a team that established an Azerbaijani diplomatic presence on the West Coast.

Earlier, Suleymanov served as senior counselor at the Foreign Relations Department, Office of the President, in Baku, Azerbaijan, and as press officer of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Washington, D.C.

His experience before joining diplomatic service includes working with the United Nations high commissioner for refugees in Azerbaijan, as well as with the Open Media Research Institute in Prague, Czech Republic, and Glaverbel Czech, a leading manufacturing company in East-Central Europe.

A graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Medford, Mass., Suleymanov also holds graduate degrees from Moscow State University and The University of Toledo.

The 1994 UT alumnus has authored numerous articles and is a frequent presenter at academic events. He speaks Azerbaijani, English, Russian and Czech languages.

Suleymanov’s visit is sponsored by the Center for International Studies and Programs, which supports internationalization efforts at the University by creating links among students, faculty and staff, visiting scholars, and the community that foster cross-cultural understanding and appreciation.

Click here to download a photo of Suleymanov.

Media Coverage
The Blade (March 12, 2013)
News.Az (March 13, 2013)