Marcus Honored by Class of 2010 with the Walter L. Williams, Jr., Memorial Teaching Award
At the Law School's May 16 graduation ceremony, Professor Paul Marcus received the Walter L. Williams, Jr., Memorial Teaching Award, an award given by the 3L class to a member of the faculty in recognition of outstanding teaching. It is the third time that Marcus has received the award from a graduating class.
Marcus, an internationally known scholar who served as the Law School's inaugural KellyProfessor in Teaching Excellence, is no stranger to the spotlight, said Chanel Gray '10, who presented the award on behalf of her class. She noted he also was a 2010 recipient of the Commonwealth of Virginia's Outstanding Faculty Award and also was honored previously for his commitment to public service with the College of William & Mary's Sullivan Award.
Gray '10 praised Marcus, "...for his enthusiasm, dynamic teaching style, and capability to make complex topics understandable."
"By breaking down stereotypes to put a human face on the incarcerated, this professor makes his teaching unique and long lasting," she said. "His dedication to the pursuit of knowledge makes him a world-renowned scholar whose treatises on conspiracy law and the entrapment defense are considered the definitive works in those areas of law."
The award is named for Walter L. Williams, Jr., a member of the faculty from 1972 to 1991. Following his death after a long illness, a faculty resolution lauded his numerous contributions as a scholar of international law, professor and colleague. Williams taught with "enthusiasm, warmth and good humor," the resolution noted, and was loved and admired by students.