Florida State University recently honored mediator Donald J. Weidner as the faculty winner of the 2019 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Service Award.
Don is dean emeritus of the FSU College of Law and Alumni Centennial Professor as well as, since August 2016, a member of Upchurch Watson White & Max's panel of neutrals.
According to FSU's online news pages, Don’s colleagues have described him as one of the most transformative deans in the country and said his efforts in developing the Summer for Undergraduates program, now named for him, had expanded the educational possibilities for students who otherwise might have never considered law careers.
"The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Service Award was established in 1986 to honor faculty members, administrators or staff members for their outstanding service in keeping with King’s principles and ideals and carries a $1,000 stipend for the recipient," according to The Center for Leadership and Social Change at FSU.
A staff awardee is also chosen, and this year it was Thesla Berne-Anderson, director of College and Pre-College Outreach at the FSU College of Medicine. "She was nominated for her efforts to increase diversity at the college through the development of the Science Students Together Reaching Instructional Diversity Excellence outreach program. The program works with college as well as middle and high school students who have an interest in pursuing careers in health or medicine."
Don received his award and made remarks at Florida State University’s MLK Commemoration Ceremony on January 22, 2019. FSU College of Medicine Dean John Fogarty accepted the award on Ms. Berne-Anderson’s behalf.
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