RWU Law Professor’s Dream Comes True: The Debut of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams
After almost two years of incubation, the President of Roger Williams University Dr. Roy J. Nirschel formally announced the opening of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University. Located in the downtown Providence building that also houses the School of Law’s Criminal Defense and Community Justice and Legal Assistance Clinics, the LPI at RWU will provide sophisticated research and advocacy for public policies that will benefit RI’s fast-growing Latino population.
A moving force in the conception and implementation of the Institute is RWU Law Professor Jorge Elorza, a native Rhode Islander who is driven to improve the quality of debate on key issues facing the Latino community. The Institute has already garnered significant support from generous funders, including the Rhode Island Foundation and the leading law firm of Motley Rice (big supporters of our Pro Bono Collaborative) and the Annie E. Casey Foundation (which collaborates with our Community Justice and Legal Assistance Clinic). The plan is to operate as a consortium, leveraging the intellectual capital available at RWU and other top educational institutions in the Ocean State, including Brown, URI, and Providence College.
“Like many states, Rhode Island is at a critical policy juncture on a number of issues, including education, economic security, immigration and health care,” President Nirschel noted. “The Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University will ultimately shape future public policy by creating a better understanding of the significant contributions—and challenges—facing the Rhode Island Latino population.”
A number of Prof. Elorza’s colleagues joined him at the kick-off event
(Front row L-R) Lydia Hanhardt (Director of Diversity Programs), Regina Curran (2L, President of the Latino Law Students Association), Michael Boylen (Assistant Dean of Admissions), Prof. Elozra, Prof. Andrew Horwitz (Distinguished Service Professor and Director of the Criminal Defense Clinic), and Lorraine Lalli ( Assistant Dean of Students)
Read more about Prof. Elorza and the Latino Policy Institute at:
• RIFuture.com, a leading Rhode Island Blog
• A feature on Prof. Elorza
