Spotlight on Faculty
Moonlighting as Madison: Alumni Distinguished
Professor Jim Soles
Political Science professor Jim Soles has recently
accepted a secondary appointment with the Legal Studies
Program. Soles commented: "I see Legal Studies
as an opportunity for students to have an interdisciplinary
minor which provides them with approaches to the law
from a number of different perspectives. Whereas the
so-called ‘prelaw’ programs tend to be narrow,
the Legal Studies program is broader; it’s a wonderful
adjunct to students’ majors. If students go to
law school, they won’t learn the sociology of
law, and they won’t learn about the behavior of
courts and judges, so I think Legal Studies is an essential
minor for our students because it teaches them things
that they’ll never get in law school."
Soles was named the University of Delaware’s
first Alumni Distinguished Professor in 1992; he will
keep this post, established to recognize superior teaching,
until he retires.
The past year has been as productive as ever for Soles;
he and his colleague Jim Magee in Political Science
have together received a Center for Advanced Study Fellowship
for the purpose of developing an introductory course
that will serve as a model both within their department
and for other disciplines on campus.
In 1974 he took a leave of absence from teaching at
the University of Delaware to run for Delaware’s
sole congressional seat. "In 1963 I cried when
they killed John Kennedy, and in 1968 I cried when they
killed Dr. Martin Luther King, but when they killed
Robert Kennedy I didn’t cry — I swore that
some day I would run for public office. I ran against
Pete DuPont and lost, but realized that it’s not
so much that you win; it’s what you have an opportunity
to say." Even though he did not run for office
again, he has remained active in Democratic politics
ever since.
Over the years Soles has played the role of James Madison
some 60 times in nearly 20 states, and he will be reviving
his role as Madison again this fall, this time in conjunction
with the characters of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander
Hamilton as well. Soles explains that they will perform
without a script — it will be a completely spontaneous
performance in which he and his fellow characters must
remain "in character."
In addition to developing new courses for Political
Science majors and moonlighting as Madison, Jim Soles
became Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Delaware
Technical and Community College in 1997. Commenting
on this role, Soles said: "In a sense, the University
of Delaware and Del Tech both help keep the American
dream alive, making it possible for people to succeed.
If a new industry comes into Delaware, and they need
to hire employees quickly, we’re already training
the kind of work force they’re looking for...
Many of my former students from the University of Delaware
teach at Del Tech or are administrators there."
So many of Soles’ former students continue to
look to him for guidance and inspiration that he often
receives five or six calls a day from former students.
Soles smiles: "I believe that ultimately, people
learn more from people than they do from books." |
Spotlight on Alumni
Looking for Logic: Federal District Judge Sue
L. Robinson
University of Delaware alumna Sue L. Robinson was appointed
United States District Judge for the District of Delaware
in 1991. In 1994 she was inducted into the University
of Delaware’s Wall of Fame. Judge Robinson majored
in Sociology here as an undergraduate, and strongly
supports the concept of the interdisciplinary approach
to law as provided by the Legal Studies Program. "When
I’m looking for law clerks," she explains,
"I don’t necessarily look for those with
a pre-law background; I’m looking for law clerks
with a science background because we have so many patent
cases. I’m also looking for law clerks from any
discipline that teaches logic and reasoning."
As an undergraduate, Robinson worked on Political Science
professor Jim Soles’ 1974 campaign for Delaware’s
lone congressional seat in the House of Representatives.
It was a very positive experience for her, and she says:
"I would like to see more young people go into
public service. Public service has a tarnish at present,
but we still need to encourage our students to become
public servants."
Referring to her decision to attend the University
of Delaware, she says: "My brother took me to the
campus when I was 12 years old and I thought it was
the most beautiful place I’d ever seen. I thoroughly
enjoyed my four years there." She says: "I
really believe that if you want to get the best education
possible, you can certainly do that at the University
of Delaware."
After graduating from the University in 1974, Robinson
received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania
School of Law. She was an associate in the law firm
of Potter, Anderson & Corroon for several years,
and then became an Assistant U. S. Attorney for the
District of Delaware in 1983. She was appointed U. S.
Magistrate Judge for the District of Delaware in 1988,
where she served until President Bush appointed her
as a federal district court judge.
Judge Robinson has had some high-profile, controversial
cases during the last few years, including the 1995
"desegregation ruling," in which she held
that three decades of busing had accomplished the goal
of desegregating the public schools in northern New
Castle County, and it would no longer be necessary for
the state to continue forced busing of students. In
1996 the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
upheld Judge Robinson’s decision in this case,
and the United States Supreme Court declined to hear
it, resulting in a green light for the school districts
to re-evaluate the need for busing black students to
suburban schools and white students to inner-city schools
(Coalition to Save Our Children v. State Board of Education
of the State of Delaware, 1995).
Despite pervasive praise for her independent and forceful
decisions in such high-profile cases, Judge Robinson’s
approach to her work is down-to-earth: "Whenever
I write a decision, I’m just trying to apply logic
and sound reasoning — I’m focused on the
process. You never really know how others will use your
decisions in the future."
Judge Robinson enjoys her role as a mentor for her
law clerks, and she encourages law students to do summer
internships with judges. We believe that those whom
she selects as law clerks are fortunate indeed, and
we know that she will be both a role model and source
of inspiration for our Legal Studies minors for years
to come. |
