FlaLaw » 2000 » November » 06

Noted alumnus to head statewide committee to help recruit, retain minority faculty

wsmitty@ufl.edu — Mon, 06 Nov 2000 21:35:57 +0000

Attorney W. George Allen ’62 of Fort Lauderdale will head a statewide committee to assist in recruiting and retaining minority law school faculty. The appointment is part of a diversity action plan formulated by Dean Jon Mills and law faculty in response to issues raised by Professor Kenneth Nunn’s resignation as Associate Dean for Law Center Affairs. “George Allen is a dynamic, farsighted professional who understands the history, importance and legacy of this college,” Mills said. “He will do an excellent job addressing an issue of extreme importance not just to us, but to the entire system of higher education in this country.” Allen is UF’s first African-American law graduate, and was named a UF Distinguished Alumnus in May — in part for his leadership role in equal rights on the state and national level. He is former president of the National Bar Association and Broward County Bar Association. Allen will recruit and organize other law school alumni, some of whom already have volunteered, to analyze the current working environment for minority faculty at the college. His committee will also develop a plan to assist in hiring and retaining minority professors. “During the last 10 years, we have averaged a minority faculty of 11 percent each year, compared to the 1999 national average of 13 percent,” Mills said, “but we know we can do more, and will do so, with George’s help.” Allen and his wife, Enid, are major contributors to the UF Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations, and he is a member of the UF Foundation Board of Directors. UF’s Black Law Student Association is named in his honor.

Faculty in the spotlight : Jerold H. Israel

wsmitty@ufl.edu — Mon, 06 Nov 2000 16:23:35 +0000

Professor and Ed Rood Eminent Scholar Jerold Israel is a nationally-recognized authority on criminal law and procedure. He is co-author of the most frequently cited criminal procedure treatise, now in its second edition, with six volumes. He also co-authored an eminent and widely adopted criminal procedure coursebook, Modern Criminal Procedure. Now in its 9th edition, that book has been used over the years in more than 100 schools by an estimated 350,000 law students. Israel also co-authored: A hornbook on criminal procedure, a nutshell on constitutional criminal procedure, a collection of the leading constitutional decisions in criminal procedure, a course book on white-collar crime , and a nutshell on white-collar crime. Israel is the author of numerous law review articles, and several bar and government commission reports relating to legal regulation of the criminal justice system. He recently delivered the Childress Memorial Lecture at St. Louis University School of Law. Israel graduated from Yale Law School in 1959, and served two terms as law clerk to Justice Potter Stewart of the U. S. Supreme Court. He joined the faculty at the Michigan School of Law in 1961, and is the Alene and Allan F. Smith Emeritus Professor at that school. He joined UF’s College of Law faculty in 1991, and has held visiting appointments at Stanford University and University of Kansas.

Faculty in the spotlight : Mark Thurmon

wsmitty@ufl.edu — Mon, 06 Nov 2000 16:16:10 +0000

Assistant Professor Mark Thurmon was appointed Vice Chair of the Internet and Cyberspace Committee at the annual meeting of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Oct. 18. He also was asked to draft a comment on behalf of AIPLA in response to a Request for Comment from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) relating to Internet domain name dispute resolution issues arising in many country-code top-level domains.

UF law students/graduates impact national politics

wsmitty@ufl.edu — Mon, 06 Nov 2000 16:08:26 +0000

UF law student Mark Peltzman, is running for Democratic Party State Committeeman. If elected Wednesday (Nov. 8), he will act as a liaison between the state party and the Alachua County Democratic Executive Committee. Peltzman is also Democratic Party Campaign Manager, along with Bob Dykes, for Perry McGriff’s state House of Representatives campaign. Peltzman was a delegate at the Los Angeles Democratic National Convention this summer, the first student delegate ever to a national convention. He became involved with the Democratic Executive Committee when he came to law school in 1998, becoming a committee member when he was elected precinct representative. On the other end of the political spectrum, December ’98 UF law grad Ken Jones started work last April in Washington, D.C. as Associate General Counsel to the Republican National Committee. He was formerly a candidate for the Florida House of Representatives, FSU Senate President and UF Student ABA President. He ran for the House when he was 22, youngest candidate in the state to seek a position in the legislature. While at UF, he was on Trial Team and the Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Team in addition to many other UF committees. Another recent law grad, Chris Jackson ’00, now serves as Student President for the National Association of Public Interest Law (NAPIL) and Vice Chair of its Board of Directors.