In the Handbook for Student Law for Higher Education Administrators, author James Ottavio Castagnera endeavors to provide a quick reference guide for academic administrators to assist in addressing the myriad of legal issues that can arise on campus. The author's professional background covers thirty years of legal practice including several in the private sector prior to his current position in academe, as legal counsel for Rider University. Castagnera organizes his handbook thematically, with each chapter providing relevant and appropriate legal cases depending on the topic. The focus is clearly on the student experience and the required legal knowledge to get started when addressing challenging problems on campus. Essential cases and analysis are offered across admissions, financial aid, academic policies, student activities and campus life, student privacy, and the intellectual property created within the university. Despite its slim stature, there is good breadth in the material presented by Castagnera.-Education Review (2015)
As American society grows increasingly litigious and courts less deferential to the academy, colleges and universities find themselves mired in an onslaught of litigation that spans a wide array of issues, from student concerns through indemnification to employment disputes and far beyond. Higher education administrators are faced with daily decisions that may result in litigation and are liable in both personal and professional capacities, based on the nature of the claim, for their decisions. James Ottavio Castagnera has written an accessible, easily readable handbook that is intended to provide busy administrators with a resource for assessing questions and developing an understanding of the relevant legal issues regularly encountered in the course of their practice. The book's 10 chapters focus on the treatment of student-related legal issues facing postsecondary institutions, and student affairs administrators will find the book's easily readable tone and practical advice following topical discussion of key cases a useful starting point for exploring important legal issues.-Project Muse (2012)
James Ottavio Castagnera's book provides a useful framework for administrators regarding the legal landscape of higher education related to college students. Although the full spectrum of each topic cannot be explored, the book is not intended as an exhaustive treatment but rather, as a handbook. Administrators will find here a useful starting point for learning about key legal topics facing colleges and universities relative to student issues. They can use the text to inform themselves and conduct further research as they work with university counsel to enhance student safety and insulate themselves and their institutions from liability arising from student-related disputes.-The Review of Higher Education (2012)
What makes the book particularly worthwhile is that it includes checklists and sample university policies. I am not aware of another book which comprehensively examines the subject. While the book is clearly designed for non-lawyer university administrators, lawyers and others interested in higher education could surely benefit.-Adjunct Law Prof Blog (2010)
