Congrats AASE Award Winners!!

Congrats to these amazing ASPers who won AASE awards this year, including our very own Liz Stillman.

AASE IMPACT AWARD- ELIZABETH STILLMAN

Photo here:

https://www.suffolk.edu/academics/faculty/e/s/estillman

AASE Impact Award- this award is given to someone who dedicates their time (we know that as ASP/Bar Studies professionals, we wear a lot of hats, and it takes time, focus, dedication, and even sacrifice to support AASE) and energy to AASE and our amazing profession. We’ve always been an important part of every law school, and now is our time to shine as skills becomes embedded in every part of legal education. This award is not limited to members who have been here for a long time either. It’s for anyone and everyone making a real difference in ASP/Bar Studies.

This year’s AASE Impact Award goes to Elizabeth Stillman. Liz Stillman is an associate professor in Suffolk University Law School’s Academic Support Program. She also teaches in the Political Science and Legal Studies Department for the Suffolk University College of Arts and Sciences as well as in the accelerated and LL.M. programs at the Law School. She received her BA from Tufts University, and her JD from Northeastern University. Liz was previously an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of New York where she prosecuted juvenile delinquency cases in Queens and Manhattan Family Courts. She is a Suffolk University Ambassador for Inclusion and certified in English as a Method of Instruction (EMI). Liz is also a past president of the New England Consortium of Academic Support Professionals.

Liz receives this award in recognition of her decades of dedicated support of students and of the ASP community. She is not afraid to speak out in support of equity for ASP faculty and staff; she is generous with her time on national committees; and she is always there for anyone who needs support, guidance, or encouragement as they navigate the ASP field. Liz has a particular gift for working with neuro-diverse students and those who require accommodations. She embodies the humor, compassion, warmth, intelligence, dedication, and passion that make the academic support field a great place to work. Liz is also a frequent blogger on the Law School Academic Support Blog. Thank you for your continued service, energy, and steadfast commitment to this incredibly important pillar of legal education, Liz! You are always an inspiration!

 

AASE OUTSTANDING SCHOLAR AWARD – Nachman Gutowski

Photo here:

https://law.unlv.edu/faculty/nachman-gutowski

• AASE Outstanding Scholar Award- this award is for an outstanding scholar whose work is promoting our field. We talk a lot about equity and increasing our status in the legal academy, and scholarship is one of the ways we can accomplish this goal. Scholarship is the currency recognized across the academy, and it is something AASE is working hard to promote and encourage. We want to celebrate our community’s scholarly successes!

This year’s AASE Outstanding Scholar Award goes to Nachman Gutowski. Nachman Gutowski is an Assistant Professor-in-Residence and Director of Academic Success Program for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law. He received his JD from the University of Miami School of Law, and his MM from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.  Prior to joining the William S. Boyd School of Law, he served as Director of Accreditation and Associate Professor of Academic Success and Bar Preparation at St. Thomas University, Benjamin L. Crump College of Law. He previously spent 8 years in the legal education-focused, corporate, national bar review industry supporting law schools from Puerto Rico through the southeast United States.

Nachman’s scholarly efforts, spanning critical analyses of discriminatory practices in legal licensure to the ethical considerations of artificial intelligence in legal education, have been driven by a commitment to challenge existing paradigms and advocate for systemic changes that enhance inclusivity and adaptability within legal education. His writing shows his dedication to the principles and mission that AASE champions, and focus on the pressing challenges and opportunities in legal education today. Congratulations, Nachman!

A selection of his scholarly works includes:

• NextGen Licensure & Accreditation, 22 U.N.H. L. Rev. 2 (Forthcoming 2024): This article explores the evolving landscape of legal licensure and accreditation, emphasizing the need for adaptability in standards that reflect contemporary legal practices.
• Navigating the AI Revolution: Challenges and Opportunities in Legal Practice and Education, Virginia Lawyers Weekly & Michigan Lawyers Weekly (2024): Addresses the seismic shifts AI technologies are creating in legal practice and education, offering insights into effective adaptation strategies.
• STOP THE COUNT; The Historically Discriminatory Nature of the Bar Exam Requires Adjustments in How Bar Passage Rates are Reported, If at All, 21 SEATTLE J. SOC. JUST. 589 (2023): This article has been downloaded from the Seattle University repository nearly 900 times in the less than 1 year since its publication. It covers many compelling arguments for reevaluating the reporting schemes nationally for the bar exam results, particularly focused on acknowledging and responding as a way to mitigate historical inequalities.
• How Are Bar Exam Results Reported? Research Summary; Raising the Bar (2023) and A National Guide (2023): Two pieces offering comprehensive insights into the reporting of bar exam results, highlighting variability and its implications for equity. The long-labored process of identifying, labeling, and directing where, how, and the impact of how each jurisdiction reports bar results is organized in a simple and easy-to-use format, made available for free to everyone.
• AI in Legal Education: Drafting Policies for Balancing Innovation and Integrity (2023): Provides guidelines for integrating AI into legal education in ways that promote ethical use and innovation.

 

AASE OUTSTANDING DEBUT in ASP/BAR STUDIES AWARD – MARIA FLORENCIA CORNU LAPORT

 

Photo here:

https://www.stu.edu/law/faculty-staff/faculty/mariacornulaport/

• AASE Outstanding Debut in ASP/Bar Studies Award- this award is for our newest members and colleagues in the academic success world. Those who are just getting their feet wet and doing amazing things with their students, faculty, and law school. We want to celebrate them and welcome them into AASE and our inclusive and supportive community.

This year’s AASE Outstanding Debut in ASP/Bar Studies Award goes to Maria Florencia Cornu Laport. M. Florencia Cornu Laport is the Director and Associate Professor of Academic Success and Bar Preparation at the St. Thomas University College of Law in Miami Gardens, FL. She received her JD first from the University of the Republic, Uruguay, and a U.S. JD at the St. Thomas University School of Law where she also received her LLM. Prior to joining the ASP world, Florencia worked as an attorney in Uruguay, also serving as a law clerk to the late Justice Hipolito Rodriguez Caorsi at the Supreme Court of Justice.

At St. Thomas University, she found the ideal environment to develop her biggest passions: law education as a mechanism of personal development for the students, an opportunity to provide inspiring and transformative experiences for the students; and the legal profession conceived as a tool to protect the vulnerable, to serve the underserved, and to work for social justice.

Florencia has stormed onto the ASP scene and was elected to be a part of the Executive Committee of the Academic Support Section of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS), where she will be joining professors and administrators from across the country aligned in the interest of improving academic support and bar preparation offerings for future lawyers. She has been incredibly active in AASE and her energy and enthusiasm for the field is contagious. We look forward to all of her future contributions!