UH Law Assistant Professor Troy J. H. Andrade ’11 has been chosen by the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) to receive the national 2018 SALT Junior Faculty Teaching Award.
This award honors one or two emerging teachers each year, in recognition of their extraordinary commitment to justice, equality, and academic excellence.
SALT singled out Prof. Andrade particularly for his work as Director of the Ulu Lehua Scholars Program at the William S. Richardson School of Law. The program offers additional tutoring and support during the first year of law school to law students who have overcome adversity and show promise of serving underserved communities.
Prof. Andrade is himself an alumnus of the Ulu Lehua Program and has gone on to excel following graduation, including serving as a law clerk for Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald of the Hawai‘i Supreme Court and then becoming a civil litigator with McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP, where he focused on complex commercial issues and important constitutional cases.
As well as receiving a JD from Richardson Law School, Prof. Andrade earned a PhD from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. His BA is from Pacific Lutheran University.
In notifying Prof. Andrade, who is in his third year on the Law School faculty, the SALT committee stated: "SALT was deeply impressed by your outstanding work and contributions to both the academy and your community. To quote the nomination submitted by your colleagues and students, you are incredible!"
Prof. Andrade said he was both honored and humbled to receive the award “from an organization that has been at the fore of ensuring that law schools reflect the diversity and richness of our community.
“This recognition is particularly important to me as SALT's mission aligns with the dream that CJ Richardson had for our Law School,” he said. “I am so appreciative of the support that I have received from students, colleagues, the Law School, and my family."
In nominating Prof. Andrade, law students lauded him for his teaching ability, compassion, and understanding of the law. “Troy has pushed us to think about how the law affects our communities and has designed a curriculum that reflects that for us, here in Hawai‘i,” wrote one student.
“He is very knowledgeable and has great work and life experiences that he brings to the table to help me better understand and approach law-related and social justice issues,” wrote another. “He is the professor I trust the most. I am able to talk to him about problems I may face in regard to both my law school career and personal life situations.”
Law School Dean Avi Soifer added: “All of us who know Troy join in SALT's celebration of his ‘efforts as an Assistant Professor of Law and the Director of the Ulu Lehua Scholars Program, among other impressive and inspiring endeavors and accomplishments.’"
Prof. Andrade will accept the honor at the SALT Teaching Conference October 6-8 at Penn State University’s Dickinson Law School.