Costa Rica President Receiving Honorary Law Degree at Duquesne

The School of Law will present an honorary law degree to Cost Rica President Luis Guillermo Solís during his historic visit to Duquesne’s campus this Saturday, Sept. 27.

The University will honor Solís, who was elected the 47th president of Costa Rica in April, at 11:30 a.m. in Room 303 of the law school during a special ceremony to celebrate his distinguished leadership of one of the Western Hemisphere’s most stable democracies. Duquesne President Charles J. Dougherty will present Solís with the honorary degree.

“It is a great honor to host the President and First Lady of Costa Rica, and to display our admiration for President Solis’s accomplishments by presenting him with an honorary Duquesne Law School degree,” said Law Dean Ken Gormley. “Duquesne has developed a strong cooperative relationship with judges, lawyers, educators and law students in Costa Rica. This creates rich opportunities for Duquesne, the Pittsburgh region, and our partners in this vibrant Latin American nation as we move forward with joint initiatives.”

Through the efforts of Distinguished Law Professor Robert S. Barker, Duquesne and the Costa Rica Supreme Court signed a formal agreement in 2012 renewing its program of faculty and student exchanges between both organizations. As part of the agreement, Costa Rican supreme court justices and judges will continue to be invited to participate in seminars and conduct legal research at Duquesne University.

“For 19 years, Duquesne’s School of Law and the supreme court of Costa Rica have been implementing a program of academic cooperation that has been of great benefit to all concerned,” said Barker. “The visit of President Solís to our campus underscores our mutual commitment to continue and strengthen that cooperation.”