Handbook for Student Law for Higher Education Administrators, Third Edition: (10 Education Management)

The Handbook for Student Law for Higher Education Administrators, Third Edition is a practical tool, intended for administrators dealing with students in higher education, focusing principally on four-year institutions. Addressing the ever-evolving relationship between higher education and the law, the book will provide the academic administrator with the means to knowledgably and confidently navigate the many legal threats and challenges facing colleges today. Focused on the "hot" issues in higher education today, and using examples from real cases and scenarios from many institutions, the handbook provides sample policies, checklists, and advice that administrators can apply to a wide variety of situations, both preventatively and proactively. The Handbook for Student Law for Higher Education Administrators, Third Edition is a compendium of practical knowledge and guidance, useful to all administrators dealing with the legal minefield that is higher education.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: What This Book Is and Is Not – Admissions – Financial Aid and the Student Loan Crisis – Student Activities – Academic Standing, Probation, and Dismissal – Academic Integrity, Plagiarism, and Cheating – Alcohol and Drugs – Student to Student Harassment, Discrimination, Hazing, and Violence – Physical, Mental, and Learning Disabilities – Privacy Rights and Intellectual Property Issues – International Students – Index.

About the Author :
James Ottavio Castagnera, J.D., Ph.D., has spent more than 30 years in higher education. He has published 20 books, as well as some 50 professional/scholarly articles and book chapters. Dr. Castagnera’s teaching has taken him to the University of Texas-Austin, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the Widener University School of Law, and at present Drexel University’s law school; he also does about 30 webinars per year on higher education topics. Currently, he is Associate Provost and Legal Counsel for Academic Affairs at New Jersey’s Rider University and the managing director of his own consulting firm. In these dual capacities he regularly conducts internal investigations in sexual harassment and assault cases; advises on and develops student policies and adjudicates student disciplinary cases; develops new academic programs; manages international-student legal issues; supervises services for students with disabilities; and handles a wide variety of other regulatory and legal matters.

Review :
“In the Handbook for Student Law for Higher Education Administrators, author James Ottavio Castagnera endeavors to provide a quick reference guide for academic administrators to assist in addressing the myriad of legal issues that can arise on campus. The author’s professional background covers thirty years of legal practice including several in the private sector prior to his current position in academe, as legal counsel for Rider University. Castagnera organizes his handbook thematically, with each chapter providing relevant and appropriate legal cases depending on the topic. The focus is clearly on the student experience and the required legal knowledge to get started when addressing challenging problems on campus. Essential cases and analysis are offered across admissions, financial aid, academic policies, student activities and campus life, student privacy, and the intellectual property created within the university. Despite its slim stature, there is good breadth in the material presented by Castagnera.”—Education Review (2015) “As American society grows increasingly litigious and courts less deferential to the academy, colleges and universities find themselves mired in an onslaught of litigation that spans a wide array of issues, from student concerns through indemnification to employment disputes and far beyond. Higher education administrators are faced with daily decisions that may result in litigation and are liable in both personal and professional capacities, based on the nature of the claim, for their decisions. James Ottavio Castagnera has written an accessible, easily readable handbook that is intended to provide busy administrators with a resource for assessing questions and developing an understanding of the relevant legal issues regularly encountered in the course of their practice. The book’s 10 chapters focus on the treatment of student-related legal issues facing postsecondary institutions, and student affairs administrators will find the book’s easily readable tone and practical advice following topical discussion of key cases a useful starting point for exploring important legal issues.”—Project Muse (2012) “James Ottavio Castagnera’s book provides a useful framework for administrators regarding the legal landscape of higher education related to college students. Although the full spectrum of each topic cannot be explored, the book is not intended as an exhaustive treatment but rather, as a handbook. Administrators will find here a useful starting point for learning about key legal topics facing colleges and universities relative to student issues. They can use the text to inform themselves and conduct further research as they work with university counsel to enhance student safety and insulate themselves and their institutions from liability arising from student-related disputes.”—The Review of Higher Education (2012) “What makes the book particularly worthwhile is that it includes checklists and sample university policies. I am not aware of another book which comprehensively examines the subject. While the book is clearly designed for non-lawyer university administrators, lawyers and others interested in higher education could surely benefit.”—Adjunct Law Prof Blog (2010)