I am Goldie Pritchard and I love what I do! I recognize that it is quite rare for one’s passion and proficiency to intersect but please do not think that I am not challenged on a regular basis. I serve as one of two Co-Directors of the Academic Success Program at Michigan State University College of Law (MSU-COL) and as Adjunct Professor. I have worked at MSU-COL for seven and a half years now and had the unique opportunity to create and establish the academic support program we currently have which is now an integral part of the law college. I started as Interim Director and later became Co-Director providing general academic support and bar exam preparation support. As an adjunct professor, I teach Effective Legal Analysis and Process, a 1L course and Problem-Solving in Contracts, a bar preparation course. For approximately two and half years, I served as Director of the Legal Education Opportunity, a conditional admission program MSU-COL no longer offers. When I was a law student, my mentor encouraged me to enter the academic support workforce but I resisted for a period of time. Who knew that years later, this would be the best professional move for me.
I also serve as advisor to the Black Law Student Association and participate in various support programs lead by the Diversity Services Office and targeting students of color. For my own professional development, I strive to stay engaged with the Academic Support Section of Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and Association of Academic Support Educators (AASE) by serving on committees. I had the opportunity to chair the ASP section program at AALS one year and to present at AASE another year.
Writing for the Law School Academic Support Blog has been a rewarding experience for me thus far. It gives me an opportunity to reflect on what I do, how I do it, how to maximize impact with limited resources, and how to best engage students in their learning. I am very grateful for this opportunity.
