Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thu, 20 May 2010
This past Saturday, May 15, Liberty University School of Law Class of 2010 gathered at the Towns-Alumni Lecture Hall, located on the campus of Liberty University, to be awarded the degree of Juris Doctor and commissioned into service. The Class of 2010 marks the fourth and largest class since the inception of the law school in 2004.
Graduates were recognized for their accomplishments during the ceremony, which was an intimate time to reflect on the students’ past three years in law school, a time to honor God through prayer, and a time to perform the ceremonial hooding. The hooding of graduates is symbolic as it highlights the achievement of students who have attained academic degrees higher than the bachelor’s degree.
Featured speakers during the 2010 School of Law Hooding Ceremony included 2009-2010 Student Bar Association (SBA) Chaplain, Matthew Hegarty; Spirit of Liberty award winner, Mark Tolles II; and summa cum laude graduate, Benjamin Walton.
Speaking to the Class of 2010, Walton said, “[Liberty] has been God’s training ground for us over the past three years. This law school is indeed God’s Bootcamp for training His special warriors. The Book of Isaiah tells us: when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him. This law school is a banner that God has raised up to train His special warriors, to defeat the enemy that is coming like a flood into our culture today. God has called us–Class of 2010–to be that standard.”
Addressing the graduates, Mathew D. Staver, Dean of Liberty University School of Law, said, “The calling of law is one of the highest callings that God could call you into, because it opens up so many avenues for either bad or good. The difference is how you will use the training you have experienced and have achieved over the past three years…God has called you to use your legal education in ways to use law as a fulcrum for good. Law is a wonderful creation. Don’t waste your education. Don’t waste your training. You have accomplished so much.” Referencing the late Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr., Dean Staver challenged the Class of 2010, “Finish the course. Finish the race. Finish strong.”
By graduating the Class of 2010, the School of Law achieves another milestone as it continues the vision of the late Dr. Jerry Falwell, the founder of Liberty University, to produce champions for Christ trained to use law as a fulcrum for good.