MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY - DETROIT COLLEGE OF LAW NAMES TERENCE L. BLACKBURN AS NEW DEAN

East Lansing, Michigan. -- The Michigan State University-Detroit College of Law has named Terence L. Blackburn as its new dean. The appointment was confirmed by the MSU-DCL Board of Trustees at its Feb. 17 meeting.

Blackburn, from Seton Hall University, succeeds Interim Dean David S. Favre. Blackburn was the acting and founding dean of the Seton Hall University School of Diplomacy and International Relations, where he was responsible for recruiting students, developing programs, fund raising, and supervising the day-to-day operations of the school.

Blackburn planned several important conferences at the school on peace in Northern Ireland and landmine awareness. Blackburn has taught at the Seton Hall University School of Law since 1981.

"The Board of Trustees of MSU-DCL is pleased to have identified a person of Dean Blackburn's stature and accomplishments to lead the college forward and to build upon the strength of its affiliation with Michigan State University," said MSU-DCL President, the Honorable Richard Suhrheinrich. "His distinctive combination of experience in corporate practice and in academe will enable him to build connections to our alumni, potential employers, members of the judiciary and practicing bar."

Blackburn was a Fulbright Professor at the Foreign Affairs College in Beijing; an adjunct professor of law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York City; and an adjunct professor of law at Brooklyn Law School. He has taught courses in business associations, corporate finance, securities regulation, and international business transactions.

"The creative leadership and high energy Dean Blackburn demonstrated in founding and launching the School of Diplomacy and International Relations for Seton Hall University has been recognized by members of the faculty and Board of MSU-DCL," said MSU President Peter M. McPherson. "We are confident that his vision in national and international arenas will bring an important added dimension to the Law College."

"The faculty of the Law College played an integral role in the selection of Dean Blackburn and we look forward to welcoming him," said Professor C. Nicholas Revelos, chairperson of the dean selection committee. "We are confident that his experience, especially in the area of international diplomacy and law, will enable the college to maximize the benefits of our affiliation with MSU. Dean Blackburn's keen understanding of the role of technology in legal education and legal practice make him well-suited to lead one of the most wired law schools in the nation."

Blackburn received his bachelor's degree from Duquesne University, where he graduated magna cum laude and received a gold medal for his outstanding work in social sciences. He received his Juris Doctor from the Columbia University Law School, where he was named a Charles Evans Hughes Fellow, for his achievements in public interest law.

Blackburn has written numerous publications and papers dealing with corporate and securities law and has delivered papers in corporate governance and the banning of nuclear testing. He has been a consultant, chair and moderator of several prestigious symposiums on Northern Ireland, the future of South Africa, and the global economic crisis.

"Dean Blackburn's scholarship in the areas of International Relations and Securities and Corporate Law will enrich the academic program of the Law College," said MSU Provost LouAnna K. Simon. "He will be a valuable addition to the Council of Deans at MSU as the interdisciplinary efforts between the Law College and MSU academic programs continue to grow."

Blackburn is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association-International Law and Corporate Law Section, and the American Bar Association-International Law Section. He is president of the New Jersey Division of the United Nations Association of the USA. Blackburn has visited more than 50 countries, and speaks Italian and French.

Blackburn is married to Catherine T. Dwyer, who is a former corporate counsel at a NASDAQ corporation and is pursuing an LLM in European Business Law at the University of Nijmegen, Netherlands. She specializes in teaching international trade and finance, contracts, and American Constitutional Law and History.

Founded in 1891, MSU-DCL is the nation's oldest independent, continuously operating school of law. In 1995, it began a unique affiliation with Michigan State University. Under the terms of the affiliation, MSU-DCL retains its independent status-no state monies are used to support its activities.

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