Cleveland State University Distinguished Professor of Law Milena Sterio was named to HeinOnline’s list of the Top 100 International Law Scholars, one of only two honorees in Ohio.

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“It is a tremendous honor to be named to the list of 100 most influential International Law Scholars by impact; the list is compiled using objective criteria: by publications and most importantly, the number of citations,” said Sterio. “Being on the list means that your scholarship is influencing and impacting others, as others are citing you and consider you to be a persuasive authority in your field. It is thus an objective recognition of your impact as a scholar.”  

“I am deeply honored and proud to be so recognized.”

Sterio has been a professor at the CSU College of Law for 20 years. She was named a CSU Distinguished Professor in 2023, an honor awarded to only one faculty member university wide. She previously served as associate dean of the College of Law from 2014 to 2019 and now serves as director of LLM programs.

Sterio said CSU has been instrumental in her career, supporting her attendance at conferences, workshops, and research symposia that have expanded her professional network.

“CSU has also supported my research through summer research grants, FSI grants, and I was also able to serve as a Fulbright Scholar in Baku, Azerbaijan, back in 2013, through CSU's generous Fulbright leave policy,” she said.  

Sterio hopes her International Law students understand that we live in a globalized world, where international law and norms positively constrain state behavior.

“It is because of international law that war has been outlawed; it is because of international law that states are obligated to respect human rights; it is because of international law that states have a duty to protect the environment,” she said. “I would argue that these are positive constraints on state behavior, and my hope is to be able to convey that message to my students.”

She added:

"I hope that my students understand, through taking my International Law classes, that we live in a globalized world, where international law and international norms exist as a constraint on state behavior, in the most positive way. It is because of international law that war has been outlawed; it is because of international law that states are obligated to respect human rights; it is because of international law that states have a duty to protect the environment. I would argue that these are positive constraints on state behavior, and my hope is to be able to convey that message to my students."