Jessica Bakeman, How Being Cuban And Gay Shaped the University of Miami’s New Law Dean .
My favorite bit:
He said the cultural fusion is what attracts him to the Magic City.
I love how there are places here where you can get a Cuban cafe con leche with your bagel and lox,” he said.
Indeed.
Above the Law (of all places) has some good advice for 1Ls. I agree with at least eight out of ten.
Although i don’t exactly disagree, I would have put #8 and especially #10 differently. #8’s “Read. Think. Then ask.” doesn’t quite fit how I run a classroom–I see part of my job as going outside the readings and trying to ask questions the either require applying them to something new, or extending them in some way. In other words, the answer isn’t always in the book–the “think” part may be more important sometimes. As for #10, I’m all for ‘engaging with professors (although the author seems to mean more ‘psych out’ than ‘engage’?), but the secret to doing well on exams that seems to elude a lot of people is ….. “Read the directions, read the question, answer the question being asked, not the one you wished was asked. Be as specific as possible. Illustrate your replies with (brief, summary) examples or citations drawn from the readings whenever possible.)”
I’m very excited to announce the identity of our new Dean, who will take over in less than two months: Anthony Eudelio Varona, currently of American University. Tony comes to us with a great deal of energy, ideas — and a local connection.
Here’s the official announcement from our Provost, Jeffrey L. Duerk:
June 11, 2019
To the University of Miami Community:I am thrilled to share that Anthony Eudelio Varona, an attorney and educator who specializes in administrative law, communications and media law, and sexuality and gender law, has been named the new dean at the School of Law, effective August 1.
Tony is currently professor of law at American University Washington College of Law, where he teaches contracts, administrative and public law, and media law. He has been with American University Washington College of Law since 2005, serving two years as vice dean, associate dean for faculty and academic affairs for six years, and also serving as the Doctor of Juridical Science program director and a member of the faculty review/advisory boards of the Administrative Law Review and the Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law. Tony has also acted as faculty advisor to the Latino/a Law Students Association and the Lambda Law Society. He entered teaching full-time as an associate professor of law at Pace University School of Law in 2002.
Tony serves on the national board of directors for Stonewall National Museum and Archives (SNMA), for which he co-founded and for its first year co-chaired the SNMA National Advisory Council. Before entering academia, he spent nearly five years as as chief counsel and then general counsel and legal director for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization. He represented HRC and the HRC Foundation in various coalition work groups, including the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights judicial nominations task force.
Earlier in his career, he was an associate at Skadden Arps and Mintz Levin, and an honors program enforcement attorney at the Federal Communications Commission.
Tony is a consummate and respected professional in the area of law, and is immersed in critical issues impacting our country and culture. His insightful and innovative approach to educating the next generation of lawyers will have a profound impact on the School of Law and in courtrooms across the country.
Born in Cuba, he left the island with his mother and grandparents at age 3, settling for a short time in Spain before the family reunited with his father in Newark, New Jersey. He has family in South Florida and visits the Miami area frequently.
Tony earned his Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School, where he worked as a student attorney at the Greater Boston Legal Services-affiliated poverty law clinic BC Legal Assistance Bureau in Waltham, Massachusetts, and later earned a Master of Laws from Georgetown University Law Center with a focus in civil rights and civil liberties. He received his Bachelor of Arts in political science and French from Boston College.
I would like to once again thank Dean Trish White for her decade of visionary leadership at Miami Law.
A special thank you goes to the members of the search committee, led by Business School Dean John Quelch, for their focused effort and great work in identifying and recommending the ideal candidate.
Please join me in welcoming Tony to the University of Miami.
Jeffrey L. Duerk, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
I’ve been tweaking my student legal writing tips again. Comments and suggestions for improvement are always welcomed.
I’ve just updated my page on law school course selection advice. In addition to minor updates, I added a section on what not to take.
Congratulations to Elizabeth Montano, whose note The Bring Your Own Tampon Policy: Why Menstrual Hygiene Products Should Be Provided for Free in Restrooms is one of ten student papers to receive a Burton Distinguished Legal Writing Award. The Burton Awards are a “Non-Profit, Non-Commercial program, held in Association with the Library of Congress, with Lead Sponsor Law360 and Co-Sponsored by the American Bar Association.”
Jotwell Blenderlaw