Kristen Clarke, Hamden’s Marcus McCraven Receive Quinnipiac BLSA Awards

From Quinnipiac University: Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the national Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, received the Quinnipiac University Black Law Students Association's (BLSA) Thurgood Marshall Award on Feb. 21.

The Thurgood Marshall Award is given in honor of the first African American to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Marshall epitomized individual commitment, in word and action, to civil rights. Each year, the BLSA recognizes an outstanding person in law, education or politics who exemplifies Marshall's dedication to improving society through the advancement of civil rights, civil liberties and human rights.

Clarke, who lives in Washington, D.C., is the former head of the Civil Rights Bureau for the New York State Attorney General, and was an attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. and the U.S. Department of Justice in the Civil Rights Division.

Hamden’s Marcus McCraven, a trustee emeriti at Quinnipiac, received the BLSA’s Community Service Award. He is the former vice president of United Illuminating and was chairman of Edison Electric Institute Environmental Committee. He also served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Air Pollution Control Techniques Advisory Committee, the Executive Science Advisory Committee, and was project leader of the Nuclear Systems Branch, Naval Research Laboratory.

The Emmy-nominated documentary, "No Barriers Too High," depicts McCraven's contribution to the United States nuclear development program when he was project leader at the University of California’s Livermore Lab.

The 29th annual awards Ceremony took place in the Ceremonial Courtroom on Quinnipiac’s North Haven Campus.

About Quinnipiac University

Quinnipiac is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution located 90 minutes north of New York City and two hours from Boston. The university enrolls 6,784 full-time undergraduate and 2,884 graduate and part-time students in 100 degree programs through its School of Business, Communications, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, Medicine, Nursing, and College of Arts and Sciences. Quinnipiac consistently ranks among the top regional universities in the North in U.S. News & World Report’s America’s “Best Colleges” issue. Quinnipiac also is recognized in Princeton Review’s “The Best 381 Colleges.” The Chronicle of Higher Education has named Quinnipiac among the “Great Colleges to Work For.” For more information, please visit www.qu.edu. Connect with Quinnipiac on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/quinnipiacunews and follow Quinnipiac on Twitter @QuinnipiacU.

Photos courtesy of QU (Caption 1: Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the national Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, received the Quinnipiac University Black Law Students Association's (BLSA) Thurgood Marshall Award on Feb. 21.

Caption 2: Hamden’s Marcus McCraven, a trustee emeriti at Quinnipiac, received the BLSA’s Community Service Award. He is the former vice president of United Illuminating and was chairman of Edison Electric Institute Environmental Committee. He also served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Air Pollution Control Techniques Advisory Committee, the Executive Science Advisory Committee, and was project leader of the Nuclear Systems Branch, Naval Research Laboratory.)