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BY ANN DETHLEFSEN Stanford Law School Dean Kathleen M. Sullivan announced today that she will
conclude her tenure as dean as of September 1, 2004.
President John Hennessy said he accepted Sullivan's decision to step down as
dean "with reluctance," but was very pleased she has agreed to serve
as the inaugural director of a new Stanford center on constitutional law.
"Kathleen Sullivan has been one of the preeminent deans in U.S. legal
education," Hennessy said. "She has articulated a strong vision for
the Law School and has led the school unerringly toward that vision. There is a
new sense of vitality and excitement at the Law School that will be one of her
greatest legacies to the school. On a broader scale, she has made thoughtful and
insightful contributions to the university at large, and she has Stanford's deep
gratitude for the tremendous job she has done."
A celebrated constitutional law scholar, Sullivan came to Stanford in 1993
from the Harvard Law School faculty and became the Stanley Morrison Professor of
Law in 1996. She was appointed Dean and Richard E. Lang Professor of Law in
1999.
Sullivan's tenure as dean has been marked by increased national visibility
and prominence for the school and numerous accomplishments, including the
recruitment of seven rising stars to the faculty and retention of an array of
nationally known tenured scholars; the creation of new centers on Internet and
society, e-commerce, and law and bioscience; the expansion of clinical programs
and creation of a new clinical faculty track; the establishment of a new legal
services office in East Palo Alto at which law students represent clients in
need; and the renovation of the school's 30-year-old campus, bringing multimedia
capacity and wireless connectivity to its classrooms and a spacious,
light-filled reading room to its library. She also proved to be an extremely
successful fundraiser in support of the school's mission despite the economic
downturn in recent years.
"I have loved this job and have loved working with our faculty, alumni,
students, staff and friends to take the school to new levels of energy,
excitement and excellence," Sullivan said in a letter to the Law School
community announcing her decision. "Our faculty is one of the most
brilliant and productive in the nation. Our students are among the very
brightest from the widest diversity of backgrounds, talents and ambitions. And
the school is in fabulous shape, both physically and financially."
Sullivan to direct new Stanford constitutional law center
Hennessy said that Sullivan was a natural choice to lead the new center and
her expertise in the area of constitutional law would help build on Stanford's
historical strength in this area of scholarship.
"Prior to becoming dean, Kathleen contributed enormously to public
debate on the most pressing constitutional controversies of our time," he
said. "I have therefore asked her to lead the new center on constitutional
law when she returns to the faculty. I know that Stanford's traditional pinnacle
of excellence in constitutional law will shine much brighter with her future
contributions to teaching and research."
Former Stanford President Gerhard Casper, who appointed Sullivan dean, said
there could be no better choice for leading the new center and that it was
particularly fitting given Sullivan's close collegial relationship with their
fellow scholar of constitutional law, Gerald Gunther, who died in 2002 after
four decades on the Stanford faculty.
"Indeed, the idea for this center was conceived out of a desire to
provide a fitting memorial to Gerry Gunther -- a giant in the field, Kathleen's
casebook co-author and one of my closest friends and colleagues," Casper
said. "At this point in our nation's history, the discussion of
constitutional rights and the limits of power is of momentous consequence. With
the founding of this center and Kathleen at its helm, Stanford will be in the
vanguard of intellectual exploration of these issues."
"I am delighted and honored that President Hennessy has asked me to
direct a new center for constitutional law at Stanford, and I am eager to begin
that work after my deanship concludes," Sullivan wrote. "I am
especially pleased that President Hennessy intends the center to honor the work
of my late friend and colleague Gerald Gunther, a towering figure in the life of
the school for more than four decades."
Duane C. Quaini '70, Chairman of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, LLP, and
chair of the Stanford Law School Board of Visitors, said Sullivan had been an
exemplary dean and served alumni particularly well.
"She has reached out to alumni and engaged them with her energy and
enthusiasm about the school, and they have responded generously by becoming more
involved and offering their support," Quaini said. "In four years as
dean, she has made a tremendous impact on the school, and the school will reap
the benefits of her vision and tenacity for many years to come."
Sullivan holds a bachelor's degree from Cornell, as well as one from Oxford
University, where she was a Marshall Scholar. She also holds a doctorate in
jurisprudence from Harvard University. Following graduation from law school, she
served as a clerk to Judge James L. Oakes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Second Circuit and worked as a constitutional litigator in Cambridge before
joining the Harvard Law faculty in 1984.
Sullivan co-authored the 14th edition of the casebook Constitutional Law
as well as the casebook First Amendment Law with Professor Gunther. She
also co-wrote New Federalist Papers: Essays in Defense of the Constitution,
with Alan Brinkley and Nelson W. Polsby.
Sullivan is frequently cited as one of the country's most influential lawyers
and businesswomen. She has litigated numerous constitutional cases in the
federal courts and served on the California Governor's Commission on Hate Groups
and the National Commission on Federal Election Reform (co-chaired by Presidents
Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter). An elected member of the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, she also has been
recognized for her skill in the classroom, having won teaching awards at both
Stanford and Harvard law schools.
A search committee appointed by President Hennessy is being formed to name a
successor to Sullivan. The selection process is expected to take several months.
Kathleen Sullivan to
step down
as dean of Law School