In the influential publication’s 2026 , ������Ƶ Law is No. 11 nationally — the highest-ranked law school in the Southeast and the only school in North Carolina among the top 35.

, with its required Residency-in-Practice Program highlighted as a model for immersive, practice-based legal education. All ������Ƶ Law students spend 10 weeks in the winter or spring of their second year in full-time placements with practicing lawyers, judges and legal teams, graduating with hands-on experience in the day-to-day realities of legal practice.

“You cannot graduate from ������Ƶ Law without knowing exactly what it’s like to be a lawyer,” ������Ƶ Law Dean Zak Kramer said in the article. “The legal practice becomes their classroom … They leave law students and come back lawyers.”

The article also features insights from Patricia Perkins, ������Ƶ Law’s associate dean of academic affairs and professor of law. “Our curriculum is designed to assist students in transforming into the lawyers they want to be,” she said. “Skills are just as important to develop as a knowledge base.”

PreLaw Magazine graded and ranked schools based on student participation in clinics, externships, simulation courses, moot court and other special programs.

������Ƶ Law offers students a broad array of opportunities to hone practical training skills throughout their 2.5 years of study. Those include:

• Full-time residencies-in-practice
• Lab and simulation courses
• Five clinics (immigration, small business and entrepreneurship, wills drafting, Social Security disability benefits and guardian ad litem appellate advocacy)
• Moot court and mock trial teams
• Internships, externships and judicial clerkships
• Bridge-to-practice courses
• Involvement with the Pro Bono Board

������Ƶ Law adopted its 2.5-year, seven-trimester full-time curriculum in 2014, making it the only American law school to intentionally design a program where all students graduate in December and can sit for the February bar exam — months ahead of peers from other institutions. (In 2026, 91.96% of ������Ƶ Law’s first-time North Carolina bar takers passed the exam.)

By completing their legal studies nearly six months faster than traditional programs, ������Ƶ Law’s full-time graduates have lowered their average student debt at graduation by almost a third since the curriculum was adopted.

For more information on ������Ƶ Law and the application process, visit the law school’s admissions page. ������Ƶ Law continues to actively admit the ������Ƶ Law Class of 2028, which will enroll in August 2026.

Results from the February 2026 exam were released Wednesday, April 1, by the . ������Ƶ Law’s result far exceeds the statewide first-time passage rate of 74.78% and the school’s previous high of 82%, set by ������Ƶ Law’s charter class in 2009.

The Class of 2025’s success reflects a sustained, school-wide focus on teaching, preparation, and student support, all aimed at helping graduates succeed not only on the bar exam, but in their legal careers.

“This is what ������Ƶ Law is all about,” said Zak Kramer, dean of ������Ƶ Law. “We’re in the dream-making business. The better our students perform, the faster they can begin making an impact as lawyers.”

An upward trajectory

In recent years, faculty and staff have aligned around the mission of excellence on the bar exam. They adopted a new motto and mindset: “One and Done.”

The gains are striking. First-time passage has climbed from 52.8% for the Class of 2021 to 91.96% for the Class of 2025, with steady increases along the way, including 79.4% for the Class of 2023, and 73.5% for the Class of 2024.

These efforts are part of a broader vision. ������Ƶ Law’s faculty continuously refine how they teach for real-world lawyering. The school’s 2.5-year J.D. program accelerates students’ path to the profession — with a December graduation and February bar exam — while reducing the cost of a legal education. Recognized nationally for practical training with an A+ rating from PreLaw Magazine, ������Ƶ Law prepares graduates to enter the profession with confidence and experience.

“We’re so proud of our students who took the bar,” said Jenny Lane, assistant dean for academic success. “We gave them the mission, ‘Commit, complete, conquer,’ and that’s exactly what they did.”

With its highest bar pass rate in recent history and a multi-year trend of steady growth, ������Ƶ Law is on a sustained upward trajectory.

“Big things are happening at ������Ƶ Law,” Kramer said, “and we’re just getting started.”

About ������Ƶ Law

������Ƶ Law is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required residency-in-practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school’s distinctive full-time curriculum provides a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, which offers exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.

������Ƶ Law has graduated nearly 2,000 alumni since opening its doors in downtown Greensboro in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 500 students. The law school is regularly featured in PreLaw Magazine’s “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings, maintaining a Top 10 placement and an A+ rating each year since 2023. ������Ƶ Law was also among schools highlighted by Bloomberg Law in 2023 for its innovative approach to student development.

������Ƶ has applied to the American Bar Association to open a full-time, 2.5-year J.D. program in Charlotte beginning in fall 2027. The ������Ƶ Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study, launched there in 2024. Designed for students balancing work, family and other commitments to earn their J.D. in under four years, it enrolled its second cohort in fall 2025.

Dates:

• Monday, March 30, 2026
• Tuesday, April 14, 2026
• Tuesday, April 28, 2026
• Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Free Professional Photo Days
Make your first impression picture perfect. Stop by for a professional headshot you can use on platforms like LinkedIn and other professional profiles.

Dates:

• Tuesday, March 31, 2026
• Wednesday, April 15, 2026
• Wednesday, April 29, 2026
• Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Free Resume Printing Days
Bring your resume, leave with polish. Print copies of your resume for free and receive an ������Ƶ-branded folder and thank-you cards to help impress employers and alumni.

Dates:

• Wednesday, April 1, 2026
• Thursday, April 16, 2026
• Thursday, April 30, 2026
• Thursday, May 14, 2026

Jodi Kantor, a Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter whose work has reshaped national conversations about power, accountability, and the law, will share insights on leadership, her ongoing reporting around the U.S. Supreme Court, and the role of journalism in strengthening democratic institutions.

The Joseph M. Bryan Distinguished Leadership Lecture featuring Jodi Kantor

Wednesday, May 6, 2026
6:30 p.m.
Proximity Hotel, Weaver Room (704 Green Valley Road, Greensboro)

or by calling 336-279-9200. Seats are limited. For large group information, contact ������Ƶ Law Events Coordinator Delia Rhodes at drhodes4@elon.edu.

The Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series presented by The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation is an integral part of ������Ƶ Law’s commitment to learning, lawyering and leadership. Endowed through a generous gift from The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation of Greensboro, North Carolina, the series brings accomplished leaders from a variety of disciplines to ������Ƶ to share their experiences and perspectives with students and faculty.

About Jodi Kantor

, Jodi Kantor’s reporting has won her the industry’s top accolades — including the Pulitzer Prize. Perhaps more impressive, her work has led to reforms in workplace policy at major corporations, influenced national debates about equality and accountability, and informed scrutiny of our nation’s highest court and officials.

Kantor is . Their reporting helped ignite the global #MeToo movement and earned the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. The investigation later became adapted into an acclaimed feature film.

In recent years, Kantor has focused on the U.S. Supreme Court, producing scrupulous reporting that has brought renewed attention to the Court’s , . Less concerned with decisions issued by the court, she instead focuses and whose influence and actions inform the final word in the rule of law.

Her journalism has also driven significant workplace reforms. Investigations into labor conditions and automated scheduling systems influenced policy changes at companies including Amazon and Starbucks, while her reporting on working mothers inspired the creation of the first free-standing lactation pods now common in airports and public spaces.

Earlier in her career, she covered President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for The New York Times and offering a behind-the-scenes look at their leadership and life in the White House.

In April 2026, exploring how individuals find purpose and direction in their professional lives.

Through her reporting and writing, Kantor offers a distinctive perspective on leadership grounded in curiosity, courage and public service.

About ������Ƶ Law

������Ƶ Law is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required residency-in-practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school’s distinctive full-time curriculum provides a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, which offers exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.

������Ƶ Law has graduated nearly 2,000 alumni since opening its doors in downtown Greensboro in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 500 students. The law school is regularly featured in PreLaw Magazine’s “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings, maintaining a Top 10 placement and an A+ rating each year since 2023. ������Ƶ Law was also among schools highlighted by Bloomberg Law in 2023 for its innovative approach to student development.

������Ƶ has applied to the American Bar Association to open a full-time, 2.5-year J.D. program in Charlotte beginning in fall 2027. The ������Ƶ Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study, launched there in 2024. Designed for students balancing work, family and other commitments to earn their J.D. in under four years, it enrolled its second cohort in fall 2025.

������Ƶ Law received an “A,” the highest rating in of law schools expanding access and success. ������Ƶ Law is among 21 schools to earn an “A” nationally. It is the only law school in North Carolina named to the honor roll and among only three in the Southeast recognized in the list.

Schools were evaluated for the unranked list based on the scope and maturity of their programs, including evidence of scale and measurable impact. According to the National Jurist, institutions rated at an “A” demonstrate “multiple, well-established access strategies that work together to lower barriers to entry and persistence. The Honor Roll is a recognition of meaningful action at a moment when access pathways matter more than ever.”

������Ƶ Law’s distinctive academic model was singled out, noting that its 2.5-year J.D. program and the part-time Flex Program in Charlotte “reduce cost and widen access” to legal education.

The recognition reflects ������Ƶ Law’s continued focus on removing barriers to the legal profession while preparing students for practice through hands-on learning.

“������Ƶ Law is the access law school. It’s who we are, and it’s in everything we do,” said Dean of ������Ƶ Law Zak Kramer. “Our job is to open the door to the legal profession and prepare students to walk through it ready to serve with skill, integrity and purpose.”

The school’s accelerated 2.5-year J.D. program in Greensboro allows students to complete their degree more quickly and enter the profession sooner than traditional law programs. The Flex Program in Charlotte provides a part-time evening pathway designed for working professionals and place-bound students seeking greater flexibility.

������Ƶ and ������Ƶ Law have applied to the American Bar Association to launch a full-time, 2.5-year J.D. program in Charlotte beginning in Fall 2027.

The Honor Roll recognition complements ������Ƶ Law’s strong national reputation for experiential learning. ������Ƶ Law is the only law school in North Carolina to earn an A+ rating for Practical Training from PreLaw Magazine, the National Jurist’s sister publication.  ������Ƶ Law has placed in the top 10 with an A+ rating annually since 2023.

Together, these distinctions highlight ������Ƶ Law’s commitment to expanding access to legal education while ensuring graduates enter the profession with the skills and experience needed to serve clients and communities.

About ������Ƶ Law

������Ƶ Law is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required residency-in-practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school’s distinctive full-time curriculum provides a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, which offers exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.

������Ƶ Law has graduated nearly 2,000 alumni since opening its doors in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 540 students. The law school is regularly featured in PreLaw Magazine’s “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings, maintaining an A+ rating and Top 10 placement annually since 2023. ������Ƶ Law was also among schools highlighted by Bloomberg Law in 2023 for its innovative approach to student development.

In downtown Greensboro, the ������Ƶ Law campus spans several buildings within a two-block radius adjacent to the judicial hub of central North Carolina. Courts a short walk from the law school include the U.S. District Court and U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. Several branches of the North Carolina General Court of Justice, including the Superior, District, Drug Treatment, Mental Health and Small Claims Courts, are within walking distance. Dozens of large, medium and small law firms, as well as municipal offices, are likewise located nearby.

������Ƶ Law is one of only a handful of law schools in the nation to house a working court with the North Carolina Business Court hearing cases in the Robert E. Long Courtroom on the Greensboro campus. The Long Courtroom annually hosts oral arguments of the North Carolina Court of Appeals and has twice welcomed the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

In Charlotte, the ������Ƶ Law Flex Program — a part-time, in-person J.D. program for working professionals and place-bound students, launched in fall 2024. Housed at ������Ƶ’s national campus in Charlotte, the Flex Program is designed to be completed in just under four years. It enrolled its second cohort in fall 2025.

Large majorities warn that these tools will lead to student overreliance on AI, weaken their critical thinking, shorten their attention spans, and erode academic integrity and the value of college diplomas – concerns they say strike at the heart of higher education’s mission.

At the same time, many think that teaching AI literacy is important, that their students’ future jobs will be seriously impacted by the spread of GenAI and that it is vital for those in higher education to stress the ethical, environmental, and social consequences of AI use.

These new findings come from a November survey of 1,057 faculty by the and

Key Findings

• 95% of the faculty in this survey said GenAI’s impact will be to increase students’ overreliance on these artificial intelligence tools, including 75% who said the tools will have a lot of impact.
• 90% said the use of GenAI will diminish students’ critical thinking skills, including 66% who think GenAI will have a lot of impact.
• 83% said the use of GenAI will decrease student attention spans, including 62% who thought GenAI will have a lot of impact.
• 86% said they believe it is likely or extremely likely that the emergence of GenAI tools will impact the work and role of those who teach in higher education.
• 79% think the typical teaching model in their department will be affected by GenAI tools at least to some extent, including 43% who said they believe the impact will be significant.
• 78% said cheating on their campus has increased since GenAI tools have become widely available, including 57% who said it has increased a lot. And 73% said they have personally dealt with academic integrity issues involving their students’ use of GenAI.
• 48% said their students’ research has gotten worse because of GenAI, compared with 20% who said they believe it has gotten better.
• 74% of these faculty said the use of GenAI tools will affect the integrity and value of academic degrees for the worse, including 36% who said the value of degrees will worsen a lot. Just 8% said GenAI’s impact will affect the value of degrees for the better.
• 63% said their schools’ graduates in spring 2025 were not very or not at all prepared to use GenAI in the world of work, compared with 37% who felt the graduates were very or somewhat prepared.

“These faculty are divided about the use of generative AI itself,” said Lee Rainie, director of ������Ƶ’s Imagining the Digital Future Center and a co-author of the report. “Some are innovating and eager to do more; a notable share are strongly resistant; and many are grappling with how to proceed. At the same time, there is broad agreement that without clear values, shared norms and serious investment in AI literacy, we risk trading compelling teaching, deep learning, human judgment and students’ intellectual independence for convenience and a perilous, automated future.”

Eddie Watson, vice president for digital innovation at AAC&U, added: “When more than nine in ten faculty warn that generative AI may weaken critical thinking and increase student overreliance, it is clear that higher education is at an inflection point. These findings do not call for abandoning AI, but for intentional leadership – rethinking teaching models, assessment practices, and academic integrity so that human judgment, inquiry, and learning remain central. The challenge before higher education is to act with urgency and purpose so that AI strengthens, rather than undermines, the value of a college degree.”

A profession coming to terms with AI, but not feeling prepared

Despite these concerns, the report finds that faculty are not uniformly opposed to AI. Many acknowledge potential benefits, particularly in personalized instruction and efficiency, and a majority are already engaging students in discussions about AI’s limitations and risks.

• 69% of faculty say they address AI literacy topics—such as bias, hallucinations, misinformation, privacy and ethics—in their teaching.
• 61% believe GenAI could enhance or customize learning in the future.
• 87% report that they have created explicit policies for students on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in coursework.

At the same time, faculty describe a fragmented policy environment. Some 48% say their institution has clear, campus-wide guidelines for AI use in teaching and learning, and just 35% say their departments have done so.

Faculty also report that many institutions are unprepared for the scale of change AI is bringing:

• 59% say their institution is not well prepared to use GenAI effectively to prepare students for the future.
• 68% say their school has not adequately prepared faculty to use GenAI for teaching or mentoring.
• 67% said their schools have not prepared their non-faculty for using GenAI to perform their work.

When asked about longer-term consequences of AI’s impact on higher education, more often than not, faculty expressed worry:

• 49% say GenAI’s impact on students’ future careers will be more negative than positive, compared with 20% who see more positive than negative effects.
• 62% believe GenAI will worsen student learning outcomes over the next five years.
• 54% say GenAI will have a more negative than positive impact on students’ overall lives at their institution.

About the Study

This non-scientific survey was conducted between October 29 and November 26, 2025, using a list of college and university faculty members developed by AAC&U and ������Ƶ. The sample of 1,057 respondents is diverse in a range of academic disciplines, school sizes, job titles and composition of student populations, but the data reported here are not generalizable for the entire population of college faculty members. Full methodology details and topline findings are included in the report.

About AAC&U

The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is a global membership organization dedicated to advancing the democratic purposes of higher education by promoting equity, innovation, and excellence in liberal education. Through our programs and events, publications and research, public advocacy and campus-based projects, AAC&U serves as a catalyst and facilitator for innovations that improve educational quality and equity and that support the success of all students. In addition to accredited public and private, two-year and four-year colleges and universities and state higher education systems and agencies throughout the United States, our membership includes degree-granting higher education institutions around the world as well as other organizations and individuals. To learn more, visit www.aacu.org.

About ������Ƶ’s Imagining the Digital Future Center

Imagining the Digital Future is an interdisciplinary research center focused on the human impact of accelerating digital change and the sociotechnical challenges that lie ahead. The center’s mission is to discover and broadly share a diverse range of opinions, ideas and original research about the likely evolution of digital change, informing important conversations and policy formation. The center was established in 2000 as Imagining the Internet and renamed Imagining the Digital Future with an expanded research agenda in 2024. It is funded and operated by ������Ƶ, a nationally ranked private university in central North Carolina.

Academic honors for the 2025 fall semester are now online, with students and parents invited to download customized news releases to send to hometown newspapers.

The President’s List is composed of students with no grade below an A-minus in a minimum of 12 semester hours. The Dean’s List is composed of students with no grade below a B-minus and a grade point average of at least 3.50 in a minimum of 12 semester hours.

The ������Ƶ News Bureau encourages students and families to submit the announcement to local newspapers. Some newspapers welcome photos to accompany the announcement.

All questions about the criteria for the President’s List and Dean’s List and an individual student’s qualifications for the honors should be directed to the Office of the Registrar at (336) 278-6677 during normal business hours. There is often a delay in the reporting of grades for some students studying abroad, and the lists will be updated once all grades are received.

If you find a factual error or a misspelled name in your release, please contact Eric Townsend in the Office of University Communications at etownsend4@elon.edu.

Once the additional program is approved and launched, ������Ƶ Law will offer three North Carolina-based options for law students:

• A full-time, 2.5-year Juris Doctor program in Charlotte
• A part-time, 4-year ������Ƶ Law Flex Program in Charlotte
• A full-time, 2.5-year Juris Doctor program in Greensboro

“The need for graduate and professional programs in one of our nation’s fastest-growing cities makes the launch of a full-time law program a natural next step for ������Ƶ Law,” said ������Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book. “������Ƶ is deeply committed to serving the Charlotte community by introducing new and innovative programs that enhance educational offerings for professionals and address the expressed needs of the region.”

������Ƶ is deeply committed to serving the Charlotte community by introducing new and innovative programs that enhance educational offerings for professionals and address the expressed needs of the region.

– ������Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book

The new full-time J.D. program in Charlotte will mirror ������Ƶ Law’s existing, nationally recognized curriculum and successful approach to experiential learning. It also will expand the reach of the school’s robust law alumni network in a metropolitan region where a significant number of ������Ƶ Law graduates live and practice.

With the launch of this additional program, ������Ƶ Law will have a full-time presence in two cities that are home to influential federal courts — the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina in Greensboro, and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina in Charlotte — as well as the state court system; federal, state and municipal government agencies; and nonprofits that provide legal services to underserved communities.

The full-time ������Ƶ Law program plans to enroll a class of about 75 students, a size that allows ������Ƶ Law to strategically develop partnerships with Charlotte’s legal community and provide options for future growth. ������Ƶ Law students in Charlotte will complete a full-time, course-connected residency-in-practice with a practicing attorney or judge during their second year.

“������Ƶ Law’s advantage is that our students learn the law by practicing it in the community,” said Zak Kramer, dean of ������Ƶ School of Law. “We’ve been part of Charlotte for years. This is about deepening those relationships, building new ones and doing more through the community-connected model we’ve developed in Greensboro.”

Beginning in Fall 2027, ������Ƶ Law plans to operate both of its law programs from the Queens University of Charlotte campus, either upon completion of the planned merger of the two institutions or through a lease agreement.

Applications will be accepted starting in August 2026. Per ABA requirements, offers of admission will not be extended until formal permission is granted.

Visit www.elon.edu/law for more information and updates on ������Ƶ Law’s offerings for aspiring attorneys.

What They’re Saying

• “I am delighted to learn that ������Ƶ Law is expanding its presence in Charlotte with the addition of a full-time program. As our city continues its remarkable growth, offering both part-time and full-time law school options will strengthen access to legal education and serve the needs of our community. Charlotte’s dynamic business environment attracts law firms and companies from across the country, creating new opportunities for lawyers and increasing the demand for legal services. ������Ƶ’s expansion ensures that Charlotte remains a hub for legal talent and innovation—a vision we all share and support.  As president of the Mecklenburg Bar Association, I look forward to collaborating with ������Ƶ Law to provide networking and professional development opportunities that will enrich the experience of future lawyers and strengthen our legal community.” – Sarah Motley Stone, partner, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, and 2025-26 president of the Mecklenburg Bar Association
• “As a native of Charlotte and a practicing attorney in this community, I am excited about ������Ƶ Law’s plans for a full-time J.D. program in Charlotte. As a major metropolitan region, Charlotte-Mecklenburg has a growing need for legal services across both the public and private sectors. Establishing a law school here creates a pathway for aspiring attorneys to earn their law degrees in Charlotte, benefit from mentorship and experiential opportunities within our region’s legal profession and remain here to begin their legal careers. This will advance the legal profession and broader legal community” – Dena King, partner, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina
• “Locales in our state and region with far less complexity than Charlotte have long been enriched by local institutions of legal education and training. That same need has persisted here for many years. A growth explosion in our community requires — now more than ever — an expanded pool of skilled and proficient attorneys to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law, particularly in public interest law. The safety and vitality of our community depend on preparing the next generation of prosecutors here in Charlotte, and ������Ƶ Law’s experiential programs cultivate competent and credible practitioners, rooted in a community they can serve and support throughout their legal careers.” – Spencer B. Merriweather III, Mecklenburg County District Attorney

About ������Ƶ School of Law

������Ƶ Law is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required residency-in-practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school’s distinctive full-time curriculum provides a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, which offers exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers. ������Ƶ Law is regularly featured in PreLaw Magazine’s “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings, maintaining an A+ rating and Top 10 placement annually since 2023. The ������Ƶ Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study, launched at ������Ƶ’s Charlotte campus in 2024. Tailored to students whose work or other obligations make Charlotte the ideal place to earn their law degree, the program is designed to be completed in four years and currently enrolls 77 students.

About ������Ƶ

������Ƶ is a nationally recognized leader in engaged, experiential learning that prepares graduates to be creative, resilient, ambitious and ethical citizens of our global culture. At ������Ƶ, more than 7,000 students learn through hands-on experiences and close working relationships with faculty and staff. More than 70 undergraduate majors are complemented by professional and graduate programs in law, business administration, business analytics, accounting, education, higher education, physician assistant studies and physical therapy.

A key advisor to ������Ƶ President Connie Book and a member of the university’s senior staff and the vice president team, Stein will collaborate with students, faculty, and staff at ������Ƶ and Queens to support the creation of a fully integrated campus.

“Jeff Stein’s 21 years of service to ������Ƶ and his deep knowledge of higher education make him the perfect choice to lead integration of our two universities,” said President Connie Book. “In his previous roles as ������Ƶ’s vice president for strategic initiatives and partnerships, and co-chair of the Boldly ������Ƶ strategic planning committee, Jeff was central to our plans to establish national campus locations. His experience and strategic skills are great assets as we move forward in the merger process.”

������Ƶ and Queens trustees formally approved the definitive legal agreement in December, a significant milestone in the complex merger that is projected to be finalized with U.S. Department of Education approval in 2027 or 2028.

“I’m excited to build upon the ������Ƶ and Queens legacies, bringing together two student-centered institutions to create something neither could accomplish alone – a model for the future of higher education that expands opportunity for students and strengthens one of America’s most dynamic cities,” Stein said.

Stein will co-chair the soon-to-be-formed Integration Team with Queens President Emerita Pamela Davies. Working closely with President Book and Queens Acting President and CEO Jesse Cureton, the Integration Team will work parallel to the strategic planning committee to respond to regulatory and accreditation requirements and to establish shared services. Both groups will also work to identify future opportunities that leverage ������Ƶ and Queens commitment to excellent teaching, experiential learning and student success.

During Stein’s tenure as Mary Baldwin University president, the institution advanced financial stability, secured significant philanthropic resources, redesigned the undergraduate experience through an innovative general education program and new academic communities and pathways, and engaged campus and community stakeholders in developing a strategic plan during a period of significant institutional transition. His work establishing new processes for institutional effectiveness, campus-community engagement, and enrollment and brand strategy will prove invaluable in the merger of ������Ƶ and Queens.

Stein joined ������Ƶ in 2002 as assistant dean of students and assistant professor of English. He joined the university’s senior staff in 2010 as special assistant to the president and secretary to the board of trustees and was later named chief of staff.

In 2019, President Book named Stein to the new position of vice president for strategic initiatives and partnerships, providing leadership for a wide range of ������Ƶ initiatives, including the Student Professional Development Center, Cultural and Special Programs, the Office of Leadership and Professional Development, and Professional and Continuing Studies, as well as co-chairing the Mentoring Design Team and development of regional learning centers. He was also instrumental in building ������Ƶ’s residential campus initiatives and a vibrant Jewish life program that led to significant growth in Jewish student enrollment. Over the first two years of the global pandemic, Stein led teams of faculty and staff in creating and implementing ������Ƶ’s extensive COVID-19 response.

Stein and his wife Chrissy, who taught in ������Ƶ’s English department for several years and served as director of the Commons Academic Success Center and the Writing Center at Mary Baldwin, are excited to make their home in Charlotte. Stein has an office in the ������Ƶ facility on Tremont Avenue in the vibrant South End neighborhood.

Success in law rests on service and impact, a North Carolina Supreme Court justice said in urging ������Ƶ School of Law’s newest graduates to shape their careers around three guiding principles.

• Choose the more meaningful path — especially when it’s uncomfortable or harder.
• Titles don’t define worth. What matters is what you do with the role you’ve earned.
• Don’t be a bystander. Change comes through action, not observation.

“You weren’t trained just to know the law,” North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Phil Berger Jr. said. “You were trained to use the law, to serve with it, to fight with it, to preserve liberty. When you take real action, you’re not just solving a temporary problem. You’re changing lives and building foundations.”

Berger delivered that advice and more in a Commencement address on Dec. 12, 2025, to 136 graduates in ������Ƶ Law’s Class of 2025. With family and friends gathering in Alumni Gym on the university’s main campus, the program marked the culmination of rigorous legal studies and experiential service over the past 2.5 years.

Berger has served as an associate justice on the state’s highest court since 2021 following years as a prosecutor, Superior Court judge and appellate judge. He reminded graduates that their work will take them into places where people are hurting, confused or alone. Berger likened these places to “the well,” telling a modern parable about passersby who leave a man stranded in a well before one who knows the way jumps in to rescue him. Lawyers must be willing to step into these fraught situations and guide others forward.

“The world will not change because you walked by the well. It will only change if you jump in,” he said.

Commencement for the School of Law’s 18th graduation class also featured a student address from William “Anderson” Rowe L’25 — a U.S. Army veteran, former construction professional, and father of four — whom classmates elected to deliver remarks, and a welcome message from former Student Bar Asosciation president Rebecca “Becca” Bailey L’25.

Rowe praised a class that supported one another through accelerated studies, career changes, professional growth and personal hardships, united by a shared drive to pursue justice and make a difference in the world. He urged graduates to carry their motivations — their “why” — into their careers and to use their voices and new credentials with purpose.

“Whatever your reason, that ‘why’ has carried each of us through challenges like learning how to handle imposter syndrome, our accelerated curriculum, financial pressures and even loss,” he said. “With this Juris Doctor degree, we now can go into our communities, organizations, and workplaces and be the change that we want to see. The world we’re stepping into needs more than just good lawyers. It needs good people who practice law.”

Bailey welcomed graduates and their supporters, encouraging the Class of 2025 to pause, recognize the weight of their achievement, and celebrate the community that helped make it possible.

“We are prepared, equipped, and well able to enter a truly noble profession,” Bailey said. “Welcome to the culmination of all you have worked for and the beginning of your next great adventure.”

The program included the presentation of the David Gergen Award for Leadership & Professionalism, the highest honor bestowed by ������Ƶ Law each year on an individual from the graduating class whose activities represent the twin principles of leadership and professionalism. The award is named in honor of David Gergen, a former adviser to four American presidents whose professional life and contributions embodied the highest levels of selfless leadership and service. Gergen served as chair of the ������Ƶ Law Advisory Board from its founding until fall 2024. He passed away July 11 at the age of 83.

Professor Enrique Armijo presented the 2025 award to Saniya Pangare L’25, the former co-director of ������Ƶ Law’s Pro Bono Board and Student Mentor Program, and a co-editor of the ������Ƶ Law Review’s 2025 Symposium.

The ceremony also included a remembrance for Grayson Harris Rehm L’25, who passed away in November 2024. Graduates wore gray and gold cords in his honor, and the class’s gift — thousands raised for the Student Emergency Fund — will support future students facing unexpected hardship. More than 60 percent of the class contributed, and two anonymous donors ensured every graduate could wear the commemorative cords.

In her charge to graduates, ������Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book celebrated the Class of 2025’s achievements and resilience, reminding them that their ������Ƶ experience — grounded in learning by doing, real-world engagement, and a commitment to service — has prepared them to become stewards of justice in a rapidly changing world.

“Today, you are ready. You enter the profession at a moment when the practice of law is evolving rapidly — shaped by new technologies, shifting expectations and the pressing need for ethical judgment in a fast-moving world,” Book said. “At a time when discourse can be divided and disagreements feel sharp, the legal profession needs practitioners who model civility, clarity and respect.

“Your ability to listen deeply, advocate honorably and engage constructively will strengthen both the profession and the communities you serve.”

“Your ability to listen deeply, advocate honorably and engage constructively will strengthen both the profession and the communities you serve.”

– ������Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book

������Ƶ School of Law’s Class of 2025

Elizabeth Rose Allred
B.A., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chloe Bae Anderson
B.A., University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Christian Anderson
B.S., East Carolina University

Ericka Luana Arauco Anaya
B.A., University Gabriel Rene Moreno

Ethan Nicholas Badin
B.A., Hampden-Sydney College

John Denny Bailey, Jr.
B.S., Francis Marion University

Rebecca Susanne Bailey
B.A., Queens University of Charlotte

Ashley Cecilia Bell
B.S., East Carolina University

Bianca Nicole Blanks
B.A., Capital University

Elizabeth Simone Bradley
B.A., Gardner-Webb University

Karin McKenzie Brannon
B.S., Clemson University

Holden Sebastian Bryant
B.S., Lenoir-Rhyne University

Elizabeth Grace Bullins
B.S., Appalachian State University

Joshua Daniel Burgan
B.A., Appalachian State University

Jack Patrick Cahalane
B.A., Bucknell University

Julianna Ester Clark
B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Ashley Claire Clayton
B.A., Emory and Henry University
M.Ed., Emory and Henry University

Jackson Cluff
B.A., Utah Tech University

Jesse Alexander Collin
B.A., University of South Carolina

Matthew Harrison Cornell
B.S., University of Central Florida

Alexis Croce
B.S., The Pennsylvania State University

Whitney Malyn Cronin
B.S., University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Robert Lee Crowder III
B.S., The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina

David Cruz Reyes
B.A., Western Carolina University

Stephen Michael Cunnane
B.S., University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Julia Nicole Cunningham
B.S., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Chase Patrick Duran
B.B.A., Florida Atlantic University

Landon Kyle Eckard
B.S., Appalachian State University

Liam Christopher Edsall
B.S., Randolph-Macon College

Frank Garrett Edwards, Jr.
B.A., George Mason University

Anthony David Figueroa
B.B.A., American Military University

Shea Alexander Floyd
B.S., Western Carolina University

April Nicole Franklin
B.S., North Carolina State University
M.S., MBA, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Michael Giannecchini
B.A., Florida Gulf Coast University

Madison Dayle Gilbert
B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Jackie S. Gill
B.A., University of Texas
M.A., University of Texas
Ph.D., University of Texas

Kelsey E. Greene
B.A., East Carolina University

Diana Lizeth Guevara Reyes
B.A., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Quentin P. Haley
B.A., University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Carter William Hall
B.A., Auburn University

Alyson Michele Hanlon
B.S., Pfeiffer University

Madison Herald
B.A., North Carolina State University

Adriana Hernandez Ordonez
B.A., B.A., Eastern Connecticut State University

Reagan Andrew Hess
B.S., University of Florida

Lillie Snow Hester
B.A., Brigham Young University-Idaho

Jordan Channing Holloway
B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Kimberly Ann Huffman
B.S., Appalachian State University

Olivia Joandrea Hughes
B.A., University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Frederick Christian Hulse
B.A., Wake Forest University

Salvatore Internicola
B.S., Radford University

Molly O’Grady Irwin
B.A., College of Charleston

Brianna S. Izquierdo
B.B.A., Loyola University Maryland

William Zackary Jackson
B.A., North Carolina State University

Sierra Rose Jarrett
B.S., Western Carolina University

Celia Barclay Jones
B.A., North Carolina State University

Madeline Claire Kern
B.A., ������Ƶ

Lillie Claire Anna Kieken
B.A., Converse University

Thomas Krapp
B.A., University of Pittsburgh

Brian Alexander Kreimer
B.A., Rowan University

Justin Ryan Kremer
B.S., Florida State University

Sadie Elizabeth Lambert
B.S.W. Arizona State University
M.S.W., Arizona State University

Gianna Renee Landrum
B.S., St. Thomas Aquinas College

Nyla Olwen Lewis
B.A., Christopher Newport University

Caroline Moffett Lohn
B.A., Georgia College and State University

McKenna Paige Longo
B.A., University of Delaware

Sophia Maratellos
B.S., Old Dominion University

Daniel Frederick Marshall
B.A., University of Lynchburg

Alicia M. Mathewson
B.S., The University of Akron

Jacqueline Yates May
B.A., B.A., ������Ƶ

Michael James McClelland
B.A., Davidson College

Kaitlyn McConnell
B.A., East Carolina University

Margaret Mary McDonald
B.A., B.S., University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Hailey McGregor
B.A., University of South Carolina

Marcella R. McIntyre
B.A., Roanoke College

Dmitri Craig McKinney
B.A., B.S., North Carolina State University

Madelyn Hanna Mehr
B.A., B.S., North Carolina State University

Briana M. Miller
B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Summer Jane Miller
B.S., ������Ƶ

Kaytlyn M. Mullins
B.A., Western Governors University

Ashley Morgan Myers
B.S., Clemson University

Harrison Penn Nugent
B.S., Auburn University

Adnan R. Omer
B.S., University of South Carolina

Delaney Clare O’Neill
B.A., Western Kentucky University

Jace Alexander Ortman
B.S., University of North Georgia

Laura Elizabeth Overkamp
B.A., George Mason University

Callie Elizabeth Owens
B.A., University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Jayme Taylor Palmer
B.S., East Carolina University

Saniya Y. Pangare
B.S., North Carolina State University

Lindsey Ann Parsons
B.M., DePauw University
M.M., University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Reema Manish Patel
B.S., University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Caylin Lace Perdue
B.S., Western Carolina University

Ashton Perret-Gentil
B.A., B.S., East Carolina University

Lillie Belle Peterson
B.S., The University of Utah

Taylor Faye Rathbone
B.A., University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Samantha Marie Reid
B.A., Queens University of Charlotte

Gabriella Nicolle Reynolds
B.A., The University of Tennessee

Tristan Anthony Reynolds
B.S., Excelsior University

Hanna Duffy Riley
B.S.M., Tulane University

Cameron Rose Riordan
B.S., West Virginia University

James Tillman Rivenbark
B.S., Birmingham-Southern College

Zinyah Akinyele Robinson
B.A., North Carolina State University

Taylor Renee Rockwood
B.S., Appalachian State University

Jacy Romero
B.A., B.S., Western Carolina University

William Anderson Rowe
B.A., North Carolina State University

Reilly Ann Ruddiman
B.A., University of Washington

Sarah G. Ruffin
B.A., The University of Mississippi

Gavin Elliott Russell
B.A., University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Millenium Dilia Russell
B.S.L.S, Purdue University Global

McKinley Elizabeth Sanders
B.A., Clemson University

Ivey Elizabeth Schofield
B.A., Middlebury College

Jaden Marie Schutt
B.A., University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Emma Patricia Seegers
B.A., University of South Carolina

Darci B. Sharpe
B.S., Liberty University

Ann Estella Sheppard
B.A., B.A., University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Tyler Austin Sherrill
B.S., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Julia Young Shumate
B.S., Liberty University
M.A., Liberty University

Christopher Galen Siefke, Jr.
B.A., B.S., Longwood University

Jennie Lee Slater
B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Catherine DeVeaux Snyder
B.S., Clemson University

Austin Charles South
B.S., James Madison University

Savannah Rebekah Stinson
B.A., Winthrop University

Micah Salome Stone
LLB, Independent Institute of Education Varsity College

Taylor Streuli
B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Kristin Nicole Swilley
B.A., University of North Carolina at Charlotte
M.A., University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Nathan Bryant Tessau
B.S., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Anna E. Thomas
B.A., University of Georgia

Hannah Thompson
B.A., B.A., California State University, Chico

Brigid Kildare Tournoux
B.B.A., Southeastern Louisiana University

Karrington Nicole Wallace
B.A., Seton Hall University

Michael Spencer Watkins
B.A., ������Ƶ

Sophie Grace White
B.A., Colorado State University

Aliya Elaine Williams
B.S., Towson University

Trevor Chase Williams
B.A., Radford University

Brendan Matthew Wood
B.A., Florida Atlantic University

Gavin J. Woolard
B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Adam Jozef Zebzda
B.S., Appalachian State University