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Joel Seligman, J.D., dean of the University of Arizona College of Law, has been named dean of the Washington University School of Law, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. Seligman will succeed Daniel L. Keating, J.D., who became dean last summer but chose not to be a candidate for a long-term deanship.
Wrighton also announced the establishment of the Ethan A. H. Shepley University Chair, which Seligman will be the first to hold. The chair is named for Shepley, a law school alumnus who served as the University's chancellor from 1954 to 1961 and chairman of the University's governing board from 1951 to 1954 and 1961 to 1963. Shepley is credited with helping to begin making the University one of the nation's top institutions of higher education.
At a ceremony Saturday, Jan. 23, to introduce Seligman to the University community, Wrighton and the law school announced a plan to establish an interdisciplinary center to encourage collaboration both among law faculty and with other University faculty and students. A $5 million commitment has been made to launch the new center.
"Joel Seligman's leadership as dean at the University of Arizona College of Law and his outstanding scholarship make him well suited to lead the next phase at the Washington University School of Law, as it continues its ascent among the nation's premier law schools," Wrighton said. "I am pleased that Joel has agreed to serve as dean and to build upon the School of Law's fine tradition of excellence in legal education. He is a world-class person in every respect, and I look forward to working with him.
"I am also pleased to announce Joel as the inaugural appointment to the Shepley chair. Chaired professorships are extremely important to Washington University, as they allow us to attract, retain and recognize outstanding faculty," Wrighton said. "Additionally, the School of Law's proposed interdisciplinary center is symbolic of the school's bright future. Such interdisciplinary collaborations are one of the areas in which Washington University truly has excelled."
Seligman, who will become dean July 1, said: "I look forward to working with the talented law students and dedicated faculty and administrators. I am honored to be selected as the new dean and to be named to the Ethan A. H. Shepley University Chair.
"The School of Law's new state-of-the-art Anheuser-Busch Hall will set the pace for legal education into the next millennium. Students, faculty, alumni, parents and friends have been full partners in the school's dramatic progress to date. I look forward to their support to further enhance an already outstanding school. Rarely have my wife and I felt so warmly welcomed to any community as we have been by Washington U."
Kathleen F. Brickey, J.D., the James Carr Professor of Criminal Jurisprudence and chair of the Advisory Committee on the Appointment of the Dean of the School of Law, said the committee is delighted with Seligman's appointment.
"We are thrilled that Joel has agreed to serve as our dean," Brickey said. "He has all the intellectual, administrative, personal and leadership qualities we could ever have hoped to find. Joel's extraordinary accomplishments as a dean and his exemplary record as a teacher and scholar place him in a league by himself. I can think of no one who is better equipped to capitalize on the school's momentum and lead us into the next century."
Among Seligman's accomplishments at the University of Arizona was a $110 million capital campaign launched and completed at the College of Law. Additionally, Seligman spearheaded five construction projects; oversaw the successful completion of three re-accreditation processes; initiated a visiting scholars program; and stabilized financing for in-house law clinics, the Masters in International Law program and the law library.
At the University of Arizona College of Law, Seligman was named dean and the Samuel M. Fegtly Professor of Law in 1995. He previously served on the law faculty of the University of Michigan, George Washington University and Northeastern University. He has been a consultant to the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Office of Technology Assessment.
Seligman received a bachelor's degree magna cum laude from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1971 and a law degree cum laude from Harvard University School of Law in 1974. He and his wife, Friederike, have two children, Andrea, 14, and Peter, 12.
Keating, who succeeded Dorsey D. Ellis Jr. as dean on July 1, 1998, will return to his former position as associate dean and professor of law. Susan Appleton, J.D., professor of law, also will continue to serve as an associate dean.
Keating said he welcomes the opportunity to serve in Seligman's administration. "I look forward to working with Joel as he leads our school in what promises to be a stellar future," he said. "During my tenure as dean, I have become even more fully convinced of just what an outstanding faculty, student body and staff we have at the law school. The last six months have been a tremendous learning experience for me, and I look forward to continued service as associate dean. I also welcome the opportunity to return to teaching, which I have greatly missed, and to having more time to spend with my family."
Wrighton thanked the advisory committee for its work in the dean selection process. "The advisory committee, chaired by Professor Brickey, has done an outstanding job in assisting me during the nationwide search for a new law dean," Wrighton said. "I am grateful for the outstanding work of the entire committee. There are extraordinary opportunities before us at the University, and I enthusiastically welcome Joel Seligman to our team dedicated to accelerate the progress in our law school."
