MORGANTOWN — The Center for Consumer Law & Education will host its launch event Wednesday at the West Virginia University College of Law.
The event will be held in Event Hall from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.
WVU and Marshall University collaborated on the creation of the center.
“The center’s core mission is one of service," CCLE Director Jonathan Marshall said in an interview with The West Virginia Record. "We will serve the public by educating consumers through outreach efforts focused on financial literacy and the dissemination of consumer-resource materials."
Marshall said the center will serve policymakers in the state and nationally by developing original scholarship and research to address emerging issues in consumer law and policy.
"We will serve students through experiential learning opportunities and courses on consumer law and policy," Marshall said. "We will serve the legal community and our other partners by providing educational opportunities and truly acting a center by helping with the coordination of efforts and resources."
Marshall said the center's mission is ambitious, but they believe that the center can serve not only as a state resource, but also a national one.
Marshall said the joint collaboration was the vision of David Romano, who provided the initial seed money for the center.
"David recognized the benefit to be obtained between a collaboration between Marshall University and the West Virginia College of Law," Marshall said. "Through this collaboration, the center will be able to channel the knowledge and expertise of both institutions to tackle broader consumer problems."
Marshall said it is also that institutional collaboration that makes the center unique nationwide.
"There are only a few centers like this one around the country and this is only one that I am aware of that brings together multiple institutions in this manner," Marshall said.
CCLE's purpose is to educate consumers through outreach efforts focused on financial literacy and the dissemination of consumer-resource materials to the public; develop original scholarship and research to address emerging issues in consumer law and policy; educate students through experiential learning opportunities; and help with the coordination of efforts, resources and education of other interested partners in West Virginia and nationally, according to a media advisory sent out by WVU.