Michael Ruttinger Wins College of Wooster's Carpenter Pre-Law Prize

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April 27, 2005

Michael Ruttinger

WOOSTER, Ohio - Michael Ruttinger, a senior history major at The College of Wooster and a resident of Chagrin Falls, has been awarded the 2005 David L. Carpenter Pre-Law Prize. The $5,000 award is presented annually to Wooster's top pre-law student. In order to be considered for the award, the student must have an exemplary record of academic achievement, noteworthy involvement in co-curricular activities, significant participation in Wooster's Pre-Law Advising Program, experience as a student leader, and a commitment to personal honesty and integrity. The student must also have been accepted into an accredited U.S. law school.

"The Carpenter Prize is a great opportunity to recognize students who have excelled in both academic and non-academic areas while at Wooster," said Henry Kreuzman, associate professor of philosophy and director of Wooster's Pre-Law Program. "Michael Ruttinger embodies the principles behind this award because he is an exceptional student whose interests range from British military history to classical Greek language to contemporary political science. At Wooster, he was a leader of numerous student organizations and was a quarterfinalist at the National Moot Court Competition in Texas."

Established by the Figgie Family Foundation in 1999, the Carpenter Prize commemorates the life of the late David Lyle Carpenter, a 1965 Wooster alumnus who became a leading tax and corporate lawyer and a partner in the Cleveland law firm of Calfee, Halter & Griswold L.L.P. Prior to his death in 1999, Carpenter was recognized by Best Lawyers in America for excellence in the category of corporate law. He was also an active member of the Heights Christian Church and served on the board of the National Conference for Community and Justice. At Wooster, he won departmental honors in economics and lettered in track and field. He later attended the University of Michigan, where he earned both an M.B.A. and a J.D.

While at Wooster, Ruttinger was active in College Republicans and Moot Court competition. He also was a College Scholar and was elected into Phi Beta Kappa as a junior. In addition, he was a member of Eta Sigma Phi Classics Honorary and Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. He was named to the Dean's List every semester and was awarded the Phi Beta Kappa Prize.

"I am extremely honored to be chosen from this exceptionally talented group of law-school bound seniors to receive the Carpenter Prize," said Ruttinger, who plans to attend law school at The University of Michigan in the fall. "Wooster's pre-law advising staff has been a great help to me through both my undergraduate years and the applications process, and I owe this recognition in no small part to the strong program in place here at the College."