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SIUC law professor to teach in Lithuania

SIUC law professorWilliam Schroeder has always known what he wanted to do with his life.

"I always wanted to be a lawyer," Schroeder said. "I don't know if I could ever remember not wanting to be a lawyer."

The only real obstacle in his way, he said, was if it were financially possible.

Despite monetary woes, Schroeder did get to go, earning degrees at the University of Illinois and Harvard University. Now a law professor at SIUC, he is set to leave soon teach the fall semester in Lithuania, thanks to a scholarship program.

Schroeder found out in May that he was chosen by the Fulbright Eurofaculty Program to teach an American civil trial practice course. He will be an instructor at the University of Vilnius and the Law University of Lithuania and will also participate in lectures at the two higher education institutions.

The Fulbright program offers grants for faculty and administrators at U.S. colleges and universities who demonstrate interest in lecturing and conducting research in countries all over the world. The scholar program sends 800 members each year with every grant lasting between four and 10 months.

Scholarships through the program are highly selective. Two or more grants are awarded per year to undergraduate and graduate instructors in one of three disciplines, which include economics, law and public administration.

The Fulbright Eurofaculty Program has been instated since 1946, when U.S. Sen. William Fulbright of Arkansas proposed a program that promoted "mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries in the world."

Lithuania, located on the Baltic Sea, had been under rule of the former Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991. In August of that year, the country was recognized by Russia, but the last Russian soldier did not leave Lithuania until August 1992. On Sept. 17, 1991, Lithuania became a full member of the United Nations.

Schroeder said he is looking forward to interacting with people of different backgrounds.

"I was just interested because I want to do something on my sabbatical that would be different and useful," he said.

Working at the University since 1984, Schroeder leaves close to his 20th anniversary as an SIUC professor. He started as an associate professor and became a professor in 1998. He currently teaches criminal law and procedure.

A visiting professor is planned to assist the school in Schroeder's absence. Schroeder will be back to his regular duties at the Law School at the beginning of the spring 2005 semester.

With his new adventure approaching, Schroeder said he believes other legal systems could teach him more about the U.S. system.

"I do feel very strongly that the other countries may have some ideas to offer on how to improve our system," he said. "The outlines of our system are pretty good, but day-to-day applications have a lot of things wrong."

Alhough Schroeder now accredits his year at Harvard as the most memorable moment of his career, he said the upcoming semester could prove to be another highlight.

"This may turn into one," Schroeder said.