leading the way - St. Thomas University

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University School of Law. He also taught on the undergraduate level at Miami-Dade Community College, Florida International University, and The University of Texas at San Antonio. Since 1989, Dean Garcia has served on the faculty at St. Thomas University School of Law. An accomplished practicing attorney, Dean Garcia brings to his students real-world understanding of both the practice of law and commitment to public service. As an Assistant State Attorney in Miami, he handled felony cases ranging from attempted murder to kidnapping, drug trafficking to forgery and other white collar crimes. Dean Garcia also worked as a criminal defense attorney and a criminal appellate attorney prior to joining the St. Thomas law school faculty. Alumnus Brett Barfield, now a partner at Holland & Knight in Miami, fondly remembers his experiences learning from Dean Garcia. “I had Al Garcia for three classes: Torts, Criminal Procedure I and II. He is one of the most dynamic and enthusiastic professors I had the pleasure of learning from. His criminal law experience brought a wealth of practical application to the study of criminal law and procedure. All who know him understand what a truly good person he is and he will be a phenomenal dean because of that.” As an author, Dean Garcia has penned numerous works including three books: CRIMINAL LAW: CONCEPTS AND PRACTICE, with Podgor, Henning, and Taslitz (2005); THE FIFTH AMENDMENT: A COMPREHENSIVE AND HISTORICAL APPROACH (2002); and THE SIXTH AMENDMENT IN MODERN AMERICAN JURISPRUDENCE: A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE (1992). And while Dean Garcia has excelled as an educator, administrator, attorney, and author, his proudest achievements come as a father and husband. Married to his wife, Cindy, for 22 years, they have three children: Christina (19), James (16), and Catherine (13). As he begins his first 100 days leading the School of Law, Dean Garcia discusses his role, his vision, and the future of St. Thomas law school.
Q: What do you see as the role of the law school dean? A: To put it bluntly, I see the role of the dean being an ambassador, a diplomat, who works with the various constituencies—faculty, students, alumni, staff, University community—to mediate and work together while implementing the mission and the vision of the law school. Q: Now, in the beginning of your deanship, what are your priorities? A: My foremost goal is to once-and-for-all improve the bar passage rate so that we are consistently above the state average and among the top three Florida law schools in this area. Second to this goal is my desire to fulfill the vision to fund and build a Justice Center on campus that would house our clinical programs, the Human Rights Institute, and other outreach programs under one roof at St. Thomas University School of Law. This said, the desire to continue graduating highly competent, ethical lawyers who are at the forefront of providing public service to the local, national and international communities remains a constant priority. Q: You have stated that raising the bar passage rate is your foremost priority. Do you have a plan for how to achieve this? A: I have a 10-point plan that for improving bar passage rates. Some of the ideas included in this plan are: Resume admission of a Spring Class which has traditionally done well on the Bar Exam. Include bar-type multiple choice questions on comprehensive exams for first-year students. Replace first semester grades with grades for end-of-year, comprehensive exams. Provide tutoring sessions for first-year students on how to answer Bar-type questions. Include Bar-type questions in required upper level courses. Offer training to faculty to facilitate writing Bar-type multiple choice questions. Q: How do you think your previous experience as both faculty and administrator will help you accomplish your goals? our St. Thomas law school community; and I know that this knowledge and experience will help me achieve these goals. Knowing the students and alumni so well will be a tremendous advantage in recruiting these groups to help me move the school forward. As a faculty member, I hope that I have led by example, teaching them the importance of practical skills, teaching them the necessary academic skills to pass the bar, and teaching them the importance of public service. I feel that my community involvement, my involvement with the legal community, and my knowledge of the St. Thomas community will help to facilitate these goals. Q: What does it mean to you to be the first Cubanborn dean of an ABA-approved law school? A: It is very important to me. It serves as a role model to our mission—to give opportunity to those people traditionally underrepresented. I hope that my appointment enables people to see the possibilities—to see an immigrant become lawyer, educator, and ultimately dean. I hope it serves as inspiration to ethnic minorities to strive to achieve within the profession and to realize it is possible to succeed. Q: What do you see for the future of St. Thomas University School of Law? A: I see a thriving law school that serves all parts of the local and international community. I see a school that is widely respected for its unique mission and vision and is recognized in its areas of specialty. We are and will continue to be a law school on the forefront of research to further the cause of human rights within the international community and we will have a Justice Center which will embody these principles. I see a faculty, staff, and student body striving towards these goals and continuing to serve as leaders, teachers, and servants to the community. Q: Is there anything else you would like to say? A: I would like to extend our hospitality to all of our alumni, members of the Bench and the Bar locally and throughout the world and invite them learn about what we are doing here at St. Thomas University School of Law and join us in this worthwhile endeavor. A: I feel privileged to have such an intimate knowledge of
Page 1 and 2: STU LAW LEADING THE WAY Globally, L
Page 3 and 4: contents 26 Faculty Forward: STU La
Page 5 and 6: anked in a tie for fourth on the U.
Page 7 and 8: Alumni Awards Reception Draws a Cro
Page 9 and 10: The Diversity Difference: Law Schoo
Page 11 and 12: Janet Reno Speaks on the Responsibi
Page 13 and 14: Palm Beach Reception Welcomes Dean
Page 15 and 16: Newsworthy Brett Barfield ’99 and
Page 17 and 18: Law School Launches Human Rights La
Page 19: As St. Thomas University began prep
Page 24 and 25: Ana Vallejo, Esq. LL.M. IHR 2002 cu
Page 26 and 27: Simultaneously, he teaches Internat
Page 28 and 29: FACULTY FORWARD Alumnus Rory Bahadu
Page 30 and 31: Giving Back Alumni support St. Thom
Page 32 and 33: Alumni Awards Reception Honors Outs
Page 34 and 35: practices labor and employment law
Page 36 and 37: Toys for Tots Alumni Reception Dece
Page 38 and 39: AMANDA BLACKLEDGE ’03 will be lea
Page 40 and 41: 2005 RAYMOND CARRERO ’05 is an as
Page 42: Alumni Update Form Name Home Addres

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