This article is from the EMU News Archive. Current EMU new is available at www.emu.edu/news

Coming Soon: Pre-Law Program

For students considering law school or law-related vocations, one path to achieving that goal may now run through EMU.

The board of trustees has approved a university proposal to add a pre-law minor to the curriculum, effective with the 2005-2006 academic year.

Daniel W. Wessner, associate professor of international and political studies, said the program will draw on the strengths of EMU's emphases on service, cross-cultural understanding, international concerns, and justice, peace and conflict studies – all grounded in a Christian faith informed by Anabaptist-Mennonite beliefs.

"This minor will seek to equip students with as much empathy as strong analytical skills, helping them respond meaningfully to adversarial global norms," Dr. Wessner noted, adding: "EMU is the only North American Mennonite college to offer a pre-law minor.

"The minor's broad interpretation of ethics - personal, professional, domestic and global - coupled with EMU's mission, should help our students stand out, gaining admission to regional and nationally-ranked law schools," he said.

The pre-law minor will be housed in EMU's history department but is designed to complement a number of majors. For instance, a biology major might apply this minor toward the practice of environmental law. An economics or language major could use this pre-law minor in preparation for international development.

"Student interest is already strong in this area," Wessner noted, pointing to an informal survey taken in October 2004 in which 31 current EMU students expressed interest in pre-law studies.

"With approval of this minor, I expect that this innovative program will help students find their way toward a specific career, both through practical preparation and, more importantly, through ethical preparation," he stated.

More information on the pre-law minor is available by contacting Daniel Wessner at 540-432-4467; e-mail: .

— article by: Jim Bishop; posted November 16, 2004