Positive Developments

I write to share with you positive developments in advance of our forthcoming public announcements. Please join me in congratulating our colleagues as we bring further substance to “rebooting” legal education at UC Hastings.

A number of professors will be assuming chairs, and others will be fulfilling new roles and appointments:

Naomi Roht-Ariazza will become the Bank of America Foundation Professor of International Law. We have undertaken a comprehensive review of chairs that were set up some time ago under different guidelines. Consistent with the strategic plan, we plan to use both the designations of these chairs and the funds available from them. This chair is a two-year term appointment.

Heather Field will be the inaugural holder of the Bion Gregory Chair. The late Bion Gregory ’68 was the long-time Legislative Counsel to the California Assembly. He left much of his estate to UC Hastings. I would like to express appreciation to his former colleague, our own Professor Michael Salerno, who played a crucial role in finalizing arrangements for this chair. Our governing Board of Directors will recognize establishment of the chair at its December meeting, when Bion's widow Patty is expected to visit campus. This chair is a two-year term appointment.

Former Associate Dean Evan Lee will become the Traynor Director of Scholarly Programs. He will continue to oversee the “Legally Speaking” lecture series program, as well as develop the Edmond Davis Summer Institute “pipeline” program for at-risk youth. His work on the former will be supported by the newly consolidated Honorable Roger J. Traynor Fund, which has made available to the College an endowment of more than $600,000 of previously donated funds. His work on the latter will be supported by the Harry Bronson and Edith R. Knapp Foundation, which made a recent gift of $25,000; the family of the late Edmond Davis '52, as members of the Bronson-Knapp Board, including son Phil Davis ’83, have directed these funds to us.

As previously announced, Professor Bill Dodge will become the new Associate Dean for Research. You may recall the Anderson and Tobriner lectures. I've asked incoming Associate Dean Dodge to arrange speakers for these lectures once again. The Anderson lecture, named for Chancellor & Dean Marvin J. Anderson, is supported by an expendable account rather than an endowment, and it likely will support two final talks. The Tobriner lectures, honoring Justice Matthew O. Tobriner, have been a tradition; the endowment now supports Social Justice Fellowships, but the school has made a commitment to continue the talks as well.

Ben Depoorter will become the Roger J. Traynor Professor. This designation also is supported through the generosity of the Traynor Fund. It is a two-year term appointment.

Professor David Faigman will become the Associate Dean for the UCSF/UC Hastings Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy. He will be given the new Chancellor & Dean Award for Extraordinary Service to the College in recognition of his leadership of the Consortium as it welcomes its initial class of MSL students. The Award for Extraordinary Service, accompanied by an honorarium, will be given every three to five years for the development of new programs.

Associate Dean Joel Paul is resuming his former role and will oversee global and international programs. Former Acting Assistant Dean Chris Mammen is returning to practice, but he will still teach at UC Hastings as a Lecturer.

A new Assistant Dean for the Graduate Division will support both Associate Deans Faigman and Paul, overseeing the administrative aspects of existing programs as well as developing new programs. As we begin a search, Jennifer Dunn ’98 will take on the role on an interim basis.

Professor Jenni Parrish will become the Associate Dean for the Library Services and Educational Effectiveness. I'd like to express appreciation to her again for her dedication to the complex work of accreditation.

Thank you for joining me in the recognition of these positive developments, as we welcome the newly reduced entering class this fall. By working together, we build vibrant community, achieve service excellence, and move forward in the implementation of our bold strategic plan.

Sincerely,

Frank H. Wu

Chancellor & Dean