Dr. Stratton holds a Ph.D. and M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and a B.S. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He is a former clerk to U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, and is a member of the bar in Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Dr. Stratton is an ordained Presbyterian Church (USA) minister, a member of the Advisory Board of the Imani Christian Academy of Pittsburgh, a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh, a member of the Greene County Planning Commission, and the Waynesburg Borough Council.
Please describe your program and your vision for it.
The Pre-Law Program provides many benefits and opportunities for students interested in attending law school after their undergraduate career. The program is an intentional creative community for students to explore and dream about possible legal careers. One of the unique aspects of our program is that many faculty and staff members are lawyers, including the president and provost. We also have an En Banc Law School Preparation Discussion Group where students have the opportunity to meet, consult and attend events with current professionals practicing law including Federal and State Judges, law firm partners and associates, and federal and state executive officials.
What are some of your former students up to now?
As we prepare students to fulfill their goal of receiving a law degree, we have built relationships with various law schools, including a particularly strong connection with Duquesne University School of Law. Waynesburg students have been accepted by Harvard Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, the University of Pennsylvania Law School, the University of Chicago Law School, Tulane University Law School, the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State Law School, and West Virginia University Law School, among others.
After law school, our alumni have gone on to enjoy successful legal careers in Pennsylvania and around the country. Some of the top firms represented include K&L Gates, LLC; Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C.; and German & Kelly, P.C. One alumnus has served as a law clerk with a Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice and serves in the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
If I were a student considering this major, what are some career paths I would be able to pursue?
Overall, our pre-law students benefit from the academic profile and goals of Waynesburg University. Some of our students gain additional experience working after college before they pursue law school while others go directly to law school. Regardless, students will ultimately have the opportunity to seek careers as lawyers, legislative assistants, legal scholars and teachers, and compliance officers, among others.
What do you think is a true differentiator for WU or your program?
Waynesburg’s program is shaped by lawyers who are in consultation with prominent attorneys and jurists around the region and country. Our students frequent the local courthouse and build relationships with distinguished judges; they are taught as if they are in law school. More so, students who intend to go to law school are drawn from disciplines across the curriculum, including history, English, nursing, business, communications, religion, criminal justice and various scientific disciplines.
What are you particularly good at that few people know about?
I really enjoy hiking, bicycling, and kayaking. Being outside in nature is such a powerful experience – there is so much to appreciate.
What is the most interesting place that you have visited and why?
One of the most beautiful places that I have visited is Yosemite National Park. It is also a gorgeous place to hike. Other places I enjoy hiking and cycling are Ohiopyle State Park.
Other intriguing places I visit each year are London and Cambridge in England. They are great places to learn about our law heritage from English Common Law. Outside of the United States, I also love visiting Switzerland. I also cherish visits to any of the National Parks, the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., and Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
Anything else you’d like to add?
The Pre-Law Program complements Waynesburg University’s Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership, an interdisciplinary scholarly Center dedicated to bringing insights from the U.S. Constitution’s Founding Era and from Christianity to bear in the contemporary public square. The Center offers experiences that include special seminars, visits with notable government officials and internships in the fields of government, law and public policy.
For me, personally, I love this position because of the constant interaction with current and former students as they continue in their pilgrimage toward the bar. In conclusion, I always have in my heart the motto of my alma mater, Georgetown University Law Center, “Law is but the means, justice is the end.”
Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership
Waynesburg University’s Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership is an interdisciplinary scholarly center dedicated to bringing insights from the U.S. Constitution’s Founding Era and from Christianity to bear in the contemporary public square, with the ultimate goal of creatively transforming the ethical state of the polis.