Instead of erecting fences, remember our traditions
By: Dennis O. Lynch
dlynch@law.miami.edu

For many people, Hispanic Heritage Month passes without much notice. This year, amid the acrimonious debate surrounding immigration issues in this nation of immigrants, it seems like an appropriate time to reflect on the importance of the continuing growth, vitality and success of our Hispanic population.

Miami, a modern and diverse metropolis with one of the most prosperous groups of Hispanics, is a prime example of the long-term benefits a community reaps when it welcomes and assists immigrants as they establish themselves in a new land. Cuban lawyers offer a case in point.

In the 1960s, hundreds of Cuban lawyers living in Miami, refugees from Fidel Castro's regime, could not practice their profession because they were not licensed in Florida. They were forced to take menial jobs to support their families. The University of Miami Law School and the University of Florida Law School reached out to assist them. In partnership with the Florida Bar and the Florida Supreme Court, members of each law school faculty developed their own special curriculum to prepare them for the Florida Bar Exam. The UM Cuban Lawyers Program enabled many Cuban-trained lawyers to resume their careers as practicing attorneys.

More than 30 years later, our commitment to providing an excellent education to our students -- a body that fortunately includes many Hispanics from all over the Americas -- is stronger than ever.

The UM School of Law was recently ranked as the No. 2 law school in the country for Hispanic students by Hispanic Business Magazine. In fact, the magazine has ranked the School of Law among the top 10 law schools for Hispanic students in eight out of the last nine years, and six of those years the magazine has ranked the School of Law either first or second. This recognition reflects the number of Hispanic students we enroll, the depth and quality of the curriculum we offer them, and the outstanding faculty who trains them.

But that is not all it reflects. We are located in Miami, where the Hispanic success story is palpable at every level. Our students are surrounded by a prominent and thriving Hispanic community of successful professionals, executives, business people, entrepreneurs, politicians and judges. Thus, our students benefit from one of the best legal educations available in the country while observing and working with Hispanics who are making significant contributions and high-level, far-reaching decisions on a daily basis.

After only one generation, our alumni feature prominently in this success story.

In the public sector, incoming Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio; Miami Mayor Manny Diaz; Raquel Rodriguez, general counsel to Gov. Jeb Bush; and Cristina Mendoza, general counsel of Florida International University, hold important decision-making and advisory roles.

In the bench and bar, Federal Judges Federico Moreno, Jose Martinez and Adalberto Jordan sit in one of the busiest courts in the country; and Frank Angones, president-elect of the Florida Bar, is the first Hispanic to lead the institution.

In the private sector, Alberto Mora, former general counsel to the U.S. Department of the Navy and now general counsel for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.'s international division; Aileen Ugalde, general counsel of the University of Miami; and Carlos de la Cruz, president and CEO of Eagle Brands, Inc., form part of the leadership of some of the largest institutions and companies in our community and the country.

At our UM Law School, we not only educate Hispanic law students in substantial numbers; we train them to assume positions of influence in their communities, throughout the country and internationally. We prepare them to use their legal skills in transformative ways. We encourage them to ''think big'' and give them the necessary tools to fulfill their ambitions and reach their goals. In short, we expect them to become the leaders of their generation.

We are proud of our Hispanic alumni's response to this call. In the process, they have become a living testament to the value of diversity in this nation.

In these times when some want to erect fences around our borders, let us not forget our better traditions. Let us reinforce the bridges that support and nourish our commitment to success and excellence.

Dennis Lynch is dean of the University of Miami School of Law.