Dean Ballan Honored at Local Menorah Lighting
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Dean Ballan Honored at Local Menorah Lighting
December 19, 2017Touro Law Dean Harry Ballan was honored at the Grand Menorah Lighting by the Chabad of Islip Township with the Chabad Lamplighter award, presented by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on Sunday, December 17, 2017 in Brightwaters. The award was presented to Dean Ballan in recognition of his efforts and the efforts of Touro in the wake of Hurricane Maria. The community event was open to the public and was well attended.
Touro Law Center hosted 15-20 displaced students from the University of Puerto Rico Law School this semester. The school, based in Rio Piedras, San Juan, had been shuttered by Hurricane Maria, jeopardizing the education of hundreds of law students. Thanks to the generosity of the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, iLaw-BARBRI and others, Touro provided the students with nine credits of newly created courses, tuition free, as well as free housing for the semester.
Dean Ballan said, "It is a privilege to help those who need our help. This opportunity to teach with, learn from and get to know students from the University of Puerto Rico reminds us of who we are and what our mission is. We hope that their time with us was productive and fulfilling, and will result in lasting and collegial friendships and is beneficial in every way."
Chabad of Islip Township Rabbi Shimon Stillerman commented, “The Maccabees could have thought to wait until they had a larger quantity of oil, and only then proceed to light up the world with the menorah. Instead they shared with the world the light they had. For us today, we should all realize the importance of our small candle and the impact it can have when we share the light with others.”
He continued, “Dean Harry Ballan is a shining example of that - he didn't wait, he stepped up and lit the candle and touched the lives of the students from Puerto Rico. By the students experiencing this outpouring of love and kindness, these souls kindled with the light provided by Harry Ballan, will definitely continue on in this world, to themselves being a light onto others. Harry, I accuse you of starting a hurricane. A hurricane of goodness!”
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Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law is located adjacent to both a state and a federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York. Touro Law’s proximity to the courthouses, coupled with programming developed to integrate the courtroom into the classroom, provide a one-of-a kind learning experience for law students, combining a rigorous curriculum taught by expert faculty with a practical courtroom experience. Touro Law is dedicated to providing hands-on learning that enables students to gain experience while offering much-needed legal services in the community.
Touro Law, which has an alumni base of more than 6,000, offers full- and part-time J.D. programs where students can earn a degree in 2, 3, 4 or 5 years and provides four areas of concentration. Touro Law offers several dual degree programs and graduate law programs for US and foreign law graduates, including a new online LL.M. in Aging & Longevity Law. Touro Law Center is part of the Touro College system.
About the Touro College and University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 30 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: http://www.touro.edu/news/.
Patti Desrochers
Director of Communications
pattid@tourolaw.edu
(631) 761-7062