Wake Forest University School of Law partners with WSSU to create pathway to law school
Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) and Wake Forest University School of Law signed a Memorandum of Understanding today, creating a pathway for WSSU students to matriculate into the Wake Forest School of Law full-time residential juris doctor (JD) program.
The agreement engages Wake Forest School of Law to admit up to two WSSU students into its program each admission cycle, with each receiving a scholarship of no less than $35,000 per academic year for up to three years.
“The partnership we are establishing today with Wake Forest School of Law ushers in a new era of opportunity for our students. It creates a clear and sustainable pathway to law school, removing obstacles and broadening access to the legal profession,” said WSSU Chancellor Bonita Brown. “This agreement strengthens the pipeline of future legal professionals by addressing barriers that have historically hindered access to law careers for many of our students.”
“As two anchor institutions of higher education in this community, the partnership between our schools was a natural fit,” said Wake Forest University Dean of Law Andrew Klein. “And with Chancellor Brown’s deep ties to Wake Forest, the coming together of our institutions is a positive development for our region, indeed for our entire state.”
Brown, who assumed her duties as the 14th chancellor on July 1, earned both her undergraduate and juris doctor degrees from Wake Forest University. “Today’s event symbolizes a full-circle moment, connecting my ties to both universities. It is with great honor and pride that I execute the signing of my first Memorandum of Understanding as chancellor, merging my passion for law with my unwavering commitment to the success of students at Winston-Salem State University,” she said.
At the well-attended ceremony, the partnership was referred to as a “manifestation of unity” by José Villalba, Wake Forest University’s chief diversity officer and vice president of diversity and inclusion.
In this time where spaces of diversity, equity and inclusion are difficult to find, the MOU signing is a manifestation of innovative and courageous leadership, he said. Klein and Brown “should be commended for manifesting their emphasis on access and opportunity for tomorrow’s legal minds, educators and leaders. This is not just a friendship. This is a bond between two citizen lawyers.”
An emotional speech by student Kiara Lassiter, a WSSU senior political science major with a pre-law concentration, personified the impact of this partnership.
“This partnership between WSSU and Wake Forest School of Law is pivotal for students like me. I am a first-generation, minority, HBCU (historically black college or university) student, who have obstacles thrown at her every single day with a simple dream of becoming part of the five percent of black lawyers and of that, the two percent who are black women,” Lassiter said. “This opportunity will provide valuable resources, mentorship and practical experiences that will empower us to transform the aspirations that we hold so dearly into a reality.”
From a young age, Lassiter said she has always asked the question why: Why do some communities get more resources than others? Why do politics operate the way that they do? “This passion drives me to understand the way our legal system works and the impact on those who too often go unseen and unheard.”
Retired Judge Denise Hartsfield, a Wake Forest School of Law graduate, adjunct law professor at Wake Forest and chair of the WSSU Board of Visitors, said, “I don’t believe in coincidences. I do believe in miracles.”
The miracle, she said, is the emergence of Chancellor Brown to WSSU and Dean Klein to Wake Forest University School of Law. The two knew each other prior while serving as interim presidents: Brown at Northern Kentucky University and Klein at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.
“It’s been a long time since Winston-Salem State students came to Wake Forest Law School,” Hartsfield said. It’s happening now, she said, because of Brown and Klein. “I feel like the mother of two children: A Ram and a Wake Forest Law graduate because today we have a marriage that will last for a very long time.”
This is the second MOU for WSSU and Wake Forest University. The first was signed in the spring with the Wake Forest School of Medicine to create a pipeline into the Wake Forest’s Physician’s Assistants program.
Dr. Anthony Graham, WSSU provost and vice chancellor of Academic Affairs, gave opening remarks, introduced the chancellor and thanked Dr. Manju Bhat, dean of the WSSU College of Arts, Sciences and Education, who led this initiative.
“Let’s not stop here. We will expand this. That’s our goal,” Bhat said.
Click here to view photo gallery of event.
