Touro Professor Tom Rozinski Named President of Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisors
New role recognizes Rozinski's commitment to improving law school education
Thomas (Tom) Rozinski, JD, MA, pre-law advisor and associate professor of Political Science at Touro’s Lander Colleges, was recently elected President of the largest pre-law advising association in the country. His new role with the Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisors (NAPLA) recognizes his dedication to students and commitment to improving undergraduate and law school education.
For over a decade, Professor Rozinski has worked with Touro students in navigating their paths to law school. “Professor Rozinski guided me through every step of applying to law school, from developing my personal statement to advising me on which schools to apply to. He truly went above and beyond. And now that I am in law school, the classes I took with him have proven incredibly valuable,” said Rivka Arno, a 2017 Lander College for Women graduate currently attending Columbia Law School. Arno was recently selected as a Columbia Law Review editor. The election by NAPLA’s membership is an acknowledgement of the strength of Touro’s pre-law program, with many students admitted to top-ranked law schools.
Professor Rozinski has brought this same focus and determination to NAPLA since joining the association six years ago. In discussing Professor Rozinski’s contributions to the NAPLA as a Vice President, outgoing President Kyle C. Kopko noted his involvement in “establishing a new pre-law pedagogy track for NAPLA conferences, which will serve students as undergraduates, law students, and as legal practitioners.” Professor Rozinski recognized the disconnect between colleges and law schools over the teaching of law and legal writing, and designed this track to build bridges between law professors and the political science professors who teach their future students.
Professor Rozinski hopes to use his new position to expand on this type of work. He wants to help the advising community better prepare students for law school by shifting the focus from admission strategies to development of skills helpful for student success in law school. By helping college professors better understand what law professors will expect, he hopes to make the transition to law school less mystifying for students.
NAPLA’s mission is to provide training and resources for pre-law advisors. It has approximately 400 members from 15 states. As president, Professor Rozinski will be responsible for the organization’s finances, fundraising, strategic planning, and external partnerships. He earned his JD and MA from Harvard and spent seven years working for the City of New York in both the Parks Department and the Department of Homeless Services. At Touro, Rozinski teaches undergraduate courses in constitutional law, judicial politics, the American legal system, and political theory.
About the Touro College and University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 19,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 30 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and Touro University Nevada; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to www.touro.edu/news
