Faculty Highlights – July 2019
Michelle Hanlon, air and space law instructor, research counsel and associate director of the Center for Air and Space Law, was featured in an article by Politico earlier this month.
Hanlon was also featured in the The New York Times and Phys.org discussing the protection of human heritage in outer space.
Hanlon was also featured in The Economist, The Columbus Dispatch, and publications in France and China.
University of Mississippi School of Law professors Michael Hoffheimer and Will Berry were among 290 criminal law and mental health professionals who signed the amicus brief in Kahler v. Kansas in June. The brief urges the Supreme Court to hold that the Constitution prevents states from abolishing the insanity defense.
MacArthur Justice Center Director Cliff Johnson discussed how over-incarceration affects public safety on MPB Morning Edition Wednesday, July 10.
Faculty Highlights – June 2019
Michelle Hanlon, air and space law instructor, research counsel and associate director of the Center for Air and Space Law, has been appointed Chair of the International Committee of the National Space Society.
Molly Fergusson, professor of the practice of law, will present “Listening to Each Other: Integrating Student Stories in First Year Legal Writing to Develop Critical Lawyering Skills” at the 2019 Applied Legal Storytelling Conference in Boulder, CO in July.
Professor of Law and Director of the MacArthur Justice Center Cliff Johnson wrote a column on prison conditions in Mississippi appearing in The Clarion Ledger.
Macey Edmondson Honored for Student Service with the University’s Access Award
OXFORD, Miss. – Each year, University of Mississippi students who utilize Student Disability Services recognize faculty and staff members who go above and beyond in their support of students with a disability.
One staff member and one faculty member on the UM campus is honored each year with the University’s Access Award. This year’s staff recipient is UM School of Law Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Macey Edmondson.
“We are thrilled to present Dr. Edmondson with this award as a way to thank her for her support of students with disabilities,” said Stacey Reycraft, SDS director.
A student called Edmondson a “beacon of compassion” in the law school in a nomination letter.
“Her incredible ability to really listen to students and provide empathetic support and solutions is refreshing, especially in an atmosphere of such competitive academia,” the student said. “Ms. Edmondson, through her compassionate attitude and actions has made students feel that they are not alone in their struggle and that help is available to them.”
Edmondson said she works closely with students in need to find the balance between accommodating students and ensuring they gain a full law school experience.
“These students are so used to asking for assistance, saying ‘I don’t mean to bother you’ or ‘I know this sounds weird,’ but I assure them that that their request is never weird or a burden,” Edmondson said. “We do what we need to do to make law school work for them.”
She added that understanding and staying aware of what they may be going through is the start of providing necessary accommodations for students with disabilities.
“I always want to meet them where they are to see how we can make it work,” she said. “Hopefully we can continue to provide service that is above and beyond what is expected.”