Siena College’s Pre-Law and Summer Legal Fellows Programs, under the direction of Dr. Len Cutler, are crown jewels in Siena’s crown. Dr. Cutler has been and continues to be an inspiration to generations of Siena students, many who are also quick to credit his wife, Sheila, for her involvement in their journey as well.
Recently Eric A. Scalzo ’08, a partner at Holland & Knight, LLP, Co-Practice Group Leader-Healthcare Transactions and his wife, Adrienne, joined his friend Tim Hannigan ’08, a member of Hannigan Law Firm PLLC and his wife, Emily, to create The Dr. Len and Sheila Cutler Pre-Law Endowment in recognition of the legendary dedication of Dr. Len and Sheila Cutler to the Siena community and to celebrate the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Summer Legal Fellows Program.
Eric and Tim shared the inspiration behind this generous gift.
"Dr. Cutler’s Pre-Law Program and the Summer Legal Fellows program are the reasons I only applied to Siena. The Dr. Cutler experience prepared me for success in law school and beyond. My hope for this gift is to help Dr. Cutler solidify his legacy at Siena and provide the same experience for Siena’s pre-law students for years to come,” said Eric.
Tim added, “Dr. Cutler’s tireless dedication to Siena and the Siena Pre-Law Program, as well as Sheila Cutler’s support of Dr. Cutler and her personal involvement in pre-law events, had a profound impact on my Siena experience and equipped me with the tools and training necessary for law school. The stories of Dr. Cutler’s impact on students are legion, and I am fortunate to count myself among those students who enjoyed the privilege of his mentorship. It was incredibly important to Eric and me to create this endowment. We spoke with Dr. Cutler and asked what we could do to give back in a meaningful way. The robust prelaw programming Dr. Cutler provides to Siena students gave us a competitive advantage in both the law school admissions process and in law school. My hope is this endowment grants Dr. Cutler the resources he needs to continue to deliver transformative opportunities for Siena students in the same way – or even better ways – that he made such programs available to me.”
Eric added, “Generations of future Siena students will be able to have the pre-law experience that benefitted me immensely; but more importantly, the generations of pre-law students who benefitted from Dr. Cutler personally will have the ability to show their appreciation for his and Sheila’s commitment to the College.”
Not only have Eric and Tim created The Dr. Len and Sheila Cutler Pre-Law Endowment, their fellow alumni and friends have joined them with their support:
- Gloria Bruzzano '01
- Katie (Donahue) Cintolo '05
- Mike Ellement '10
- Andrew Fleming '13
- Hanok George '09
- Ryan Keleher '04
- James Lyons '12
- Rob Manfredo '05
- Patrick Marinello '08, M.D.
- Kristen Scanlon '06
- Sonya (Smelyansky) VanBortel '03
*Gifts received as of March 3, 2023
