Detroit Mercy Law awards Elizabeth Sherowski 2026 Barnes Scholar Award

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law awarded Elizabeth Sherowski, Assistant Professor of Law, the 2026 James T. Barnes Sr. Memorial Faculty Scholar Award. Each year, a full-time faculty member is chosen to receive this award based on scholarship, teaching excellence, and public service. 

“Professor Sherowski exemplifies Detroit Mercy Law’s mission of educating the complete lawyer through her outstanding scholarship, teaching, and service,” said Nicholas Schroeck, dean of the School of Law. 

Professor Sherwoski was nominated by Gabi Vizzaccaro '26, who served as the 2025-2026 editor-in-chief of the Detroit Mercy Law Review. Any member of the faculty or student body can nominate a professor for the annual Barnes Scholar Award. For Vizzaccaro, Professor Sherowski was the first faculty member to come to mind when thinking about the award. 

In her nomination letter, Vizzaccaro said that Professor Sherowski, "genuinely cares about how students learn and whether they succeed." Professor Sherowski had an exceptionally large section of Evidence in fall of 2024 and Vizzaccaro noted that, "Evidence is a challenging subject, especially in a large, full classroom setting, but Professor Sherowski handled it in a way that made the material feel manageable and relevant...she consistently connects doctrine to practice in a way that makes the law feel real rather than abstract." 

Professor Sherowski joined the Detroit Mercy Law faculty in 2020. She is a nationally recognized expert in learner-focused pedagogy and has written and presented extensively on making legal education more transparent, accessible, and accountable to students. She is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and previously worked as an assistant prosecuting attorney and in private practice. 

Drawing on her legal practice and teaching experience, Professor Sherowski takes a creative approach to educating law students. Her many hours of service coaching Moot Court dramatically improved student brief writing. She also volunteered with the Inns of Court to improve her professional connections and assist students in finding jobs and mentors. Her work on the Teaching Effectiveness Committee helped create supportive structures for observing instructors and providing teaching feedback. As noted by the faculty award selection committee: Professor Sherowski is a master educator who has been a role model to students and faculty. 

Learn more at: law.udmercy.edu.