Opening Convocation 2006

Catherine Hastings

Faculty Marshal Catherine Hastings opened the 2006-2007 academic year during opening convocation on August 24, 2006. Hastings, an associate professor of communications and the university’s first woman marshal, welcomed 570 new students. About 540 are first-year students representing the Class of 2010, the second largest in Susquehanna’s history. The class is also among the most diverse in the history of the university.

Update: Faculty Author Tom Bailey Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing Tom Bailey’s second novel, Cotton Song, has been published by Random House. Click here for a a book excerpt and summary.

Adams Center Director Named

Allan D. Sobel

Allan D. Sobel has been appointed as the first full-time director of the Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society, following a national search. Sobel most recently served six years as chief executive officer and president of the American Judicature Society (AJS), a non-profit, non-partisan organization devoted to promoting the effective administration of justice.

“Al Sobel brings a wide variety of experience in the legal field as a former practicing attorney, professor of law and executive leader of organizations dealing with the law and judicial matters,” said Linda McMillin, provost. “He has a great deal of energy, enthusiasm and creative ideas that we expect will help develop the Adams Center over time into a nationally-known source of education and undergraduate scholarship on law and society.”

Prior to his tenure at AJS, Sobel served for three years as executive director and general counsel of the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission. From 1977 to 1997, he practiced law with offices in Portland, Ore., and Detroit, Mich., primarily representing defendants in criminal proceedings and parties in professional malpractice actions.

He taught at Drake University School of Law from 2003 to 2005 and at Lewis and Clark College’s Northwestern School of Law from 1978 to 1981, where he earned his juris doctor degree. He earned his bachelor of science degree in special education from Eastern Michigan University.

The Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society at Susquehanna University focuses on the law and its impact on institutions and people. It provides a rich learning and experiential resource for students, faculty, visiting scholars and members of the local community, and is noted for its public dialogue on important constitutional issues each spring. The family of Sigfried and Janet Weis and the Degenstein Foundation of Sunbury, with support from the Annenberg Foundation, established the center in 2001 in honor of prominent jurist Arlin M. Adams. Until now, it has operated under the part-time direction of faculty and administrators.

The Sixth Annual Lecture of the Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society will be held on Wednesday, March 21, 2007. Tied to the 2006-2007 University Theme, “On the Fringes: What Fades, What Flourishes,” and connected to a portion of the University Common Reading Reefer Madness by Eric Schlosser, the topic of this year’s dialogue is the regulation of adult pornography. ACLU President and New York Law School Professor Nadine Strossen will speak against regulation; Mike Johnson, senior litigation counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, will speak for it.

Save the Date:
Homecoming Reunion Weekend 2007
October 5-7, 2007

The Alumni Association Executive Board voted at its meeting in October to extend the trial period for combining Homecoming and Reunions through 2007. Celebrations of five-year anniversaries for classes ending in “2” or “7” will be held on October 5-7, 2007, with most of the activites scheduled for Saturday, October 6. As with past Homecomings, alumni from all classes are invited to return for a number of campus-wide activities. Watch for more information in the Spring 2007 issue!