Judge Marjorie O. Rendel to receive college's prestigious Judge Edward R. Becker Citizenship Award as part of the 11th Annual Law and Society Week activities

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 24, 2010 — Judge Marjorie O. Rendell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit will receive the College's prestigious Judge Edward R. Becker Citizenship Award at 8 a.m., Friday, Feb. 26, kicking off the College's 11th Annual Law and Society Week.

The award ceremony is by invitation only and will be held at the College's Center for Business and Industry, 18th and Callowhill streets.

Judge Rendell, the first lady of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, will be the fourth recipient of the award named in honor of the late Edward R. Becker, a brilliant scholar and one of America's most respected judges. Judge Becker served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from December 1981 to May 2006. He was chief judge for the court from 1998 to 2003 and senior judge until 2006.

Previous Becker award winners include U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter in 2007; William T. Coleman, Jr., a well-known civil rights attorney and former U.S. Transportation Secretary, in 2008; and Sister Mary Scullion, co-founder and co-director of Project H.O.M.E., in 2009. The Becker award is presented by the College's Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society as part of its Law and Society Week activities, which include a variety of lectures, workshops, films, exhibits and public service events from Feb. 27 through March 5.

Other scheduled highlights of Law and Society Week include:

  • Wills for Heroes - 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 27, in the College's Center for Business and Industry, 18th and Callowhill streets. Providing free wills, living wills and financial powers of attorney to Pennsylvania first responders, sworn personnel and their spouses or significant others. The College is believed to be the first higher education institution in the country to turn a Wills for Heroes clinic into a student-service learning opportunity. Co-sponsored by Wills for Heroes and Ballard Spahr, LLP. Attorneys from major Philadelphia law firms will help provide the service.
  • Lost Dreams on Canvas: Portraits of Murder Victims - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 1 through March 3 in the College’s Mint Rotunda on Spring Garden Street, between 16th and 17th streets. The free exhibit includes more than 150 portraits of innocent victims of random violence painted by local artists who donated their time and talent.
  • Snitching Project - 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday, March 1 at the College’s West Regional Center, 4725 Chestnut Street. Rick Frei, Ph.D., associate professor of Psychology, discusses data gathered from 1,500 College students regarding snitching. In January, Frei testified before a U.S. Senate crime subcommittee about the results of his Snitching Project.
  • The Crime Reporters – 11 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., Tuesday, March 2 in Room BG-10, Bonnell Large Auditorium, 17th and Spring Garden Streets. Panelists will include: Joyce Evans, Fox 29 News; Dave Gambacorta, Philadelphia Daily News; Harry Hairston, NBC 10 News; and Elizabeth Hur, CBS 3 News. Moderated by William Colarulo of the Philadelphia Police Department.
  • A Conversation with Seth Williams, Philadelphia District Attorney – 12:30 p.m. to 1:50 p.m, Tuesday, March 2, Room BG-10, Bonnell Large Auditorium, 17th and Spring Garden Streets. Recently elected District Attorney Seth Williams discusses his vision for the office as well as future challenges and opportunities.
  • Gun Violence Survey – 11 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., Thursday, March 4, Room S2-3 in the Winnet Student Life Building on the west side of 17th Street, between Spring Garden and Callowhill streets. Rick Frei, Ph.D., associate professor of Psychology, will discuss a student-driven, interdisciplinary research initiative. Frei will use the results of the survey to discuss and explain gun behavior and people’s attitudes toward guns in Philadelphia.

A complete schedule of Law and Society Week activities can be found at: www.ccp.edu/site/law_center/law_week.php.

The College’s Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society offers academic programs in Paralegal Studies, Justice, Computer Forensics, Geographic Information Systems and Fire Science.