Charlotte Taylor has been appointed to the newly created position of assistant dean for multicultural affairs at the DePaul University College of Law. She will focus on maintaining the College of Law's stellar reputation for providing people of all ethnic, religious and economic backgrounds the opportunity to study the law. She begins her duties this month.

     "DePaul College of Law has a long and proud tradition of accessibility to all persons, regardless of race, religion, ethnic origin or economic status," said Teree E. Foster, dean of the College of Law. "I am proud that by creating this position we can provide enhanced services to minority applicants, students and alumni. I am delighted that Charlotte Taylor, a DePaul law graduate and a woman of extraordinary talents and abilities, dynamic vision and unbounded energy, has accepted this new assistant deanship."

     Of the 1,170 students currently enrolled in the College of Law, nearly 20 percent are minorities. Eighty-five are Latino, 73 African-American, 65 Asian, and five Native American. Women account for 52.5 percent of the enrollment.

     As assistant dean, Taylor will work directly with the law school's minority constituencies at all levels. Her responsibilities will include developing affiliations with employers and minority organizations and groups, as well as minority recruitment, counseling and mentoring. She also will chair the law school's diversity committee and assist with the development of education programs for faculty, staff and students in the area of diversity sensitivity.

     Taylor received her undergraduate degree from Bradley University in 1992 and earned a law degree from DePaul in 1996. After graduating from DePaul, she worked as an associate in the Chicago law firm of Greene & Letts, where she specialized in tort liability and insurance defense.

     She began her academic career at DePaul in 1994 as a teaching assistant in the Academic Support Program, which is designed to help first-year law students successfully meet the challenges of law school. In 1997, she joined the law faculty as the assistant director of the Academic Support Program, where she was responsible for organizing and teaching classes and seminars on study skills and exam preparation.

     Taylor also was a key player in implementing the Council on Legal Education Opportunity program hosted by DePaul during the summers of 1998 and 1999. The program is designed to give minority and economically disadvantaged individuals a chance to pursue a legal education.

     "I have a sincere desire to help make law school an accessible and palatable proposition for those who have an aptitude and sincere desire to become lawyers," said Taylor who is a native Chicagoan who currently resides in Hyde Park. "As an African-American woman who knows firsthand the barriers that can come between minority and disadvantaged students and the chance to study the law, I am extremely proud to be in a position where I can truly help make a difference. DePaul is committed to providing a diverse population the opportunity to experience a top quality legal education."