Humphreys University

Humphreys University, Drivon School of Law will be offering Law & Public Policy, a new elective course for MLS and JD students, that will examine how laws are created and written and especially how lawyers have a role. The course will be taught this summer quarter by two instructors, Dr. Larry Giventer and Greg Aghazarian.

Lawrence L. Giventer is Professor Emeritus (retired) of Political Science and Public Administration at California State University, Stanislaus. He is the author of Governing California (fourth edition, McGraw-Hill, 2015) and Statistical Analysis for Public Administration (second edition, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2008). Giventer joined CSU Stanislaus in 1975 and founded the university’s nationally accredited Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, which he directed for twenty years. He has served as department chairperson, Speaker of the Faculty, consultant and advisory committee chair for state and local government agencies, book reviewer, and accreditation site-visitor. Holding degrees from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (BSME, 1967), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MS, 1968), and University of Pittsburgh (PhD, 1977), Giventer has been called upon as a political analyst by radio, television, print, and Internet media. He continues to be active in nonprofit public service organizations as well as maintaining a research, writing, and presentation agenda in American government. Giventer has been awarded the Law Day, Liberty Bell Award, by the Stanislaus County Bar Association (2015) and the CSU Stanislaus President’s Medal of Distinction (2012). He is currently a certified law student at the Laurence Drivon School of Law, Humphreys University.

Greg Aghazarian leads the Governmental Advocacy practice for the law firm of Beattie & Aghazarian, LLP, working with clients to successfully traverse the challenging landscape of California government at all levels. He is a former California State Assembly Member, representing the 26th District, including San Joaquin and Stanislaus County. During his tenure in the State Assembly from 2002-2008, he served as the Minority Caucus Chair, Co-Chair of the Ethics Committee, and Vice Chair of the Committees on Public Safety, Health, and Environmental Safety. Further, Aghazarian is the recipient of Legislator of the Year awards from the American Electronics Association, the California Optometric Association, Crime Victims United, and the California Association for Health Care Services at Home. He has also received the Civil Justice Leadership Award by the Civil Justice Association of California, been named an Outstanding Assembly Member by the California Sheriff’s Association, and honored with a Special Achievement Award from the California dental Association. Upon leaving the legislature, Aghazarian joined the Administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was appointed Commissioner on the California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, and, because of his strong and intricate ties to the agriculture industry, he was named Deputy Secretary for Legislation and Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture at the California Department of Food and Agriculture. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California (B.S. 1986) and the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law (J.D. 1993).