Baton Rouge, LA – The LSU Law Center awarded degrees to 176 students during Commencement Ceremonies held today at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mr. Joel Klein, a prominent attorney, education leader, and news executive, delivered an inspiring keynote address to the graduates.
Some 171 students received the Juris Doctor, Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law and Graduate Diploma in Civil Law, and five students received the Master of Laws degree, according to Chancellor Jack M. Weiss. Anthony G. Falterman, a member of the LSU Board of Supervisors and a 1970 graduate of the Law Center, conferred degrees on behalf of the LSU Board of Supervisors. Dr. John V. Lombardi, President of the LSU System, also participated in the ceremonies.
Chancellor Weiss spoke to the graduates about generosity and encouraged them to, “keep your eye at all times on the values of forgiveness and understanding.”
Keynote speaker Joel Klein served as Deputy White House Counsel to President Bill Clinton and is the former Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, where he earned a reputation as a transformational leader of the largest public school system in the United States. In January 2011, Klein was named CEO of the Educational Division and Executive Vice President, Office of the Chairman, at News Corporation.
“Don’t get locked in, and don’t be afraid to take risks,” said Klein to the graduates. “You’re the architect of your own destiny… and rejoice in that fact.”
Three students — Joshua Paul Clayton, Michael James Fagan, Jr., and Thomas Ryan Hooks — graduated Summa Cum Laude, ranking within the top two percent of the graduating class. Eighteen students graduated Magna Cum Laude, and 23 graduated with Cum Laude honors.
Seventeen students were elected to membership in The Order of the Coif, a national honorary law fraternity that elects to membership students from the highest ten percent of the senior class. Inductees were honored in separate ceremonies at the Law Center prior to Commencement.
The Honorable Ralph E. Tyson, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, was named Honorary Member of The Order of the Coif. Judge Tyson is a 1973 graduate of LSU Law, and he was named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year by the Law Center in 2009.
Also joining in today’s ceremonies were members of the LSU Law Center Class of 1961, this year’s Golden Graduates.
Two lists are attached: an alphabetical list of graduates with city and state; a list by parish, state and city.
