The Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic
Development strives to enhance thepool of students of color going
to law school, lawyers of color entering legal academia and lawyers
of color interested in higher education administration.We achieve
this goal, in part, through the following pipeline initiatives:
Legal Outreach
Program
Since 2005, The RHB Center has collaborated with Legal Outreach, a nonprofit
organization that prepares youths from underserved communities in
New York City to compete at high academic levels. For this
five-week program, the Center selects and trains two St. John’s law
students to teach legal concepts to rising ninth graders. The
curriculum also includes visits from Law School alumni, who talk to
the students about their careers and the practice of law. At the
end of the five weeks, the students participate as witnesses and
advocates in a mock trial before an actual panel of judges.
Research Professor
Program
The RHB Center’s Research Professor Program is designed to increase
diversity in legal academia. The Research Professor and Senior
Fellow position is an untenured, two-year position with the Law
School. The Research Professor teaches one course each semester,
attends faculty meetings and colloquium, and receives formal and
informal mentoring while in residence at the School of Law. S/he is
also encouraged to attend conferences and workshops in his/her area
of academic inquiry and to make a presentation to the faculty.
Past research professorships were held by Associate Professor of
Law and Center Associate Director Janai S.
Nelson and by Melinda
Molina, who is now an Assistant Professor at Capital University
Law School.
Administrative Fellow
Program
The RHB Center created its Administrative Fellow pipeline program
to increase diversity in higher education administration. The
Administrative Fellow counsels and teaches Prep Program students,
drafts funding proposals and conducts research on minority student
enrollment in New York State’s 15 law schools.
For more information on the pipeline initiatives of The RHB
Center, please
contact us.