The Center for Law, Society, and Justice (CLSJ) is home to the legal studies major and the criminal justice certificate. The legal studies major provides a liberal arts education across traditional disciplines, focusing on law, legal processes, and legal institutions and how they operate in society. The criminal justice certificate consists of courses from several disciplines and an intensive field experience/internship that gives students the opportunity to learn about the dynamics of criminal and juvenile legal systems. Students engage in internships in a variety of areas including those focused on mental health, social justice, substance abuse disorders, youth initiatives, prevention programs, legal representation, policing, community corrections, and programs that focus on people who have been victimized.
How Your Gifts Make an Impact
This year, your gifts will support students who face barriers to pursuing their education, including those who are participating in unpaid internships during the academic year. These students often struggle when they must balance coursework and paid work with an unpaid internship. Your donations will help students to focus on what is important: learning.
We set up this fund to honor Carolyn Lesch ’91, MS’92, an instrumental and beloved adviser who is now retired but still a champion of our programs. Carolyn created and taught Legal Studies 694 Field Observation in Criminal Justice and Legal Studies. This course is taught every semester and students enroll in it at the same time they are interning to get support during their internships and to earn academic credit.
Why We Need Your Support
Your gifts will help us ensure that all our students are full participants in our community, creating opportunities for them so that they can go on to fulfilling careers in the world of law and justice. Many of those who apply for support face significant financial challenges. We thank you greatly for your support! Gifts of any size will have an impact on our students’ lives.