May 29, 2008—South Texas College of Law Professor Mark E. Steiner accepted The President’s Volunteer Service Award today from the USA Freedom Corps. As a White House office, the Freedom Corps works to promote and expand volunteer service in America, working to strengthen the non-profit sector, connect people to volunteer opportunities, and recognize volunteers. Steiner, one of three honorees from the Houston area, was honored for teaching citizenship classes at the Adult Reading Center in Pearland. The classes are designed to teach immigrants about American history and government to ease the path toward naturalization. “We are very proud of Professor Steiner for demonstrating once again that lawyers –and even law professors— are public citizens who add great value to our society,” says South Texas President and Dean James J. Alfini.

Steiner, a 2005 Fulbright Scholar, teaches American legal history, torts, consumer transactions, and internet legal research at South Texas, where he has been on the faculty since 1995. He is the author of An Honest Calling: The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln, which is included on the “Best of the Best of University Presses” list for 2007, and was given a superior achievement award by the Illinois Historical Society. Steiner holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Houston, a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, and a B.A. in history from the University of Texas.