LEADING THE WAY ON DIVERSITY
Dean Michèle Alexandre received the John Mercer Langston Legal
Education Leadership Award at the 15th Annual National Black
Pre-Law Conference and Law Fair at Columbia Law School in New
York in early November.
The award is named for John Mercer Langston, the founding dean of
the Law Department at Howard University and first black law
school dean in 1869. Today, 150 years after Langston’s achievement,
we have reached the largest number of black law school deans
serving at American law schools in history.
Also during the conference, Stetson University College of Law was
honored with a Diversity Outreach Champion Award. The award
recognizes Stetson Law’s demonstrated commitment to recruiting
black law students. The conference previously recognized Stetson
Law as a Diversity Outreach Champion in 2014.
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Dean Alexandre speaks during a Nov. 19 VIP event Stetson Law hosted to
share more details about the partnership with the Community Foundation
of Tampa Bay. Marlene Spalten, right, is the president and CEO of the CFTB.
(Photo by Mark Wemple)
The collaboration with the CFTB will help expand the reach of
what Stetson students can achieve in the community. As part of
the alliance, the CFTB will offer two paid fellowships each
semester for Stetson Law students beginning in spring 2020.
The fellows will gain an in-depth understanding of community
philanthropy and hands-on experience working with nonprofit
organizations. In addition, Stetson Law will provide office
and meeting space at its Gulfport and Tampa campuses for
the CFTB.
Collaborations with Businesses
In addition to nonprofits, Dean Alexandre seeks to forge new
partnerships with local businesses. The first company on
deck: Clearwater-based cybersecurity company KnowBe4.
Founded in 2010, KnowBe4 now has offices around the globe,
and Stetson alumna Alicia Dietzen, B.B.A. ’12, J.D. ’16, serves as
the company’s general counsel. The company will be working
with Stetson Law to offer a variety of internship opportunities
for students.
Another goal for Dean Alexandre is to provide a diverse array of
career options to students, including J.D. Advantage
opportunities in Tampa Bay and nationally. There are myriad
careers where law students can utilize their education in new and
exciting ways – from technology and education, to elected office
and nonprofit work. Opportunities beyond the typical law firm
job abound for law grads. Dean Alexandre believes internship
opportunities with companies such as KnowBe4 will expose
students to different industries and spark ideas for alternative
paths after graduation.
This is one area where Dean Alexandre is calling on alumni to
help. Those who have carved out unique careers should share
their stories with her, as their life experience and advice could be
used to benefit students or adjust the curriculum. She would also
love to hear from alumni who could offer internships to Stetson
Law students; together you can develop relationships that
strengthen your company, the college, and future lawyers.
“My vision is to call on the whole Tampa Bay business
community, including our alumni, to make them aware that we
are here, we want to collaborate, and that collaboration doesn’t
have to mean spending money,” Dean Alexandre said.