Calleros, Soto lauded for work

05/11/2007

Calleros, Soto lauded for work
in social justice, equality

 CallerosCharles2007
Professor Charles Calleros

     Two employees of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law who work to enhance tolerance, diversity and togetherness in the classroom, as well as the community, have been honored by the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost at Arizona State University.
     Professor Charles Calleros and Shelli Soto, Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, received awards from the Intergroup Relations Center, an education, research and advocacy office that advances the understanding and practice of effective intergroup relations.
     Calleros was given the Dondrell Swanson “Advocates for Social Justice” Award, named for Swanson, a former ASU student and employee who demonstrated a strong commitment to social justice and equality. The award is given annually to an ASU employee who is a catalyst for change.
     Soto received the Erin S. Murphy “Intergroup Relations Service Award,” which annually is given to an ASU employee who has consistently volunteered numerous hours to eliminate prejudice and discrimination against many groups. The award is named for Murphy, an ASU staff member who was such a volunteer.

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Shelli Soto, Assistant Dean
of Admissions and Financial Aid
     Calleros was nominated by Dean Patricia White and by Professor George Schatzki, the College’s Associate Dean of Faculty, who complimented Calleros’s leadership in integrating the College and members of the Bar.
     Calleros is the Phoenix organizer of a pilot mentoring program of the Hispanic National Bar Association that joins high school students with a team of law students and attorneys in a variety of educational settings. He also is participating in a joint project of the Sandra Day O’Connor of Law and the Georgetown Law Center to bring an understanding of law via the Internet to middle school students, especially those of color.
     Professor Calleros actively engages each spring in the recruitment of minority applicants and admittees to the law school,” Schatzki said. “He calls them, he meets with them, he conducts special introductory classes for them. The special class for newly admitted students reflects the kinds of issues raised by inter-group relations and how the law can begin to help resolve some of the problems.”
     Calleros said he was pleased with the award: “I am honored, am delighted with the progress made in the mentoring program, and am thankful to Associate Dean George Schatzki for releasing me from some other responsibilities so that I could perform the very time-consuming duties associated with organizing the program.”
     In their nomination letter, White and Schatzki said Soto has organized numerous special events aimed at recruiting a diverse student body and, as a result, about 30 percent of the College’s students are minorities.
     “Dean Soto is a star speaker at a variety of conferences and seminars dedicated to minority recruitment throughout the country,” said Schatzki, noting she also has assembled a compatible staff that is a multi-cultural mix of religions, ethnicities and ages.
     Soto has served on the Law Services Admissions Council’s Committee on Minority Affairs and works in the summer at both the Pre-Law Summer Institute for Native Americans and at summer programs for African-American students.
     “It is an honor to be recognized with the Erin S. Murphy award and an honor to work in a department and on a campus that places such value on access to educational opportunities,” she said. “I will continue to strive to represent the mission of this University and work to contribute to the diversity of the bench and bar in Arizona.”
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