University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law welcomed Michael Hunter Schwartz, a national leader in legal education reform, as its new dean. He started on July 1, 2017.

Schwartz previously served as the dean of the William H. Bowen School of Law at University of Arkansas at Little Rock. During his tenure there, the law school overhauled its curriculum, greatly expanded its support for student success and bar pass, and created a cutting-edge student mentoring program that received the American Bar Association's prestigious Gambrell Professsionalism Award. Schwartz has climbed the National Jurist's list of the 25 Most Influential People in Legal Education for the past three years, this year being ranked ninth. He has written extensively on teaching law, including What the Best Law Teachers Do, published by Harvard University Press. Schwartz is the 10th dean of McGeorge School of Law.

Project to help south Stockton students with applying for college, financial aid, other services

University of the Pacific has been awarded a $1.3 million five-year federal grant for an Upward Bound project that will put eligible Edison High School students on a college-bound trajectory. The project will provide needed instruction, tutoring, advising, and assistance with applying for financial aid and college to help students graduate high school, enroll in college and earn a degree.

“It’s very exciting for all of us to be partnering with the Stockton Unified School District on what should be a very powerful, transformative opportunity to help Edison students make it through high school and onto college,” said Patrick Day, Pacific’s vice president for Student Life. “Upward Bound is a strong, proven program and will give students a great chance to succeed and someday give back to their communities.”