report celebrating 100 years womenat ut law - The University of ...

D E A N ’ S
L E T T E R
A Bright Future
EVEN A GLANCE AT THE CONTRIBUTORS’ REPORT IN
this issue of UTLAW makes one thing abundantly
clear. In a time of change at the Law School,
the loyal and generous support of our alumni
and friends remains a constant. And just as you
have been steadfast in your support, I can assure
you that we are unceasing in our gratitude.
The big change at the Law School is, of
course, Bill Powers’ ascension to the presidency
of the University. All of us associated with the Law
School are delighted with Bill’s good fortune and
the University’s good luck in having him at the
helm. We fully expect Bill to replicate University-wide the
great success he enjoyed in improving the Law School.
Indeed, what has happened at The University of Texas
is unique in American higher education. Two former
deans of our Law School now occupy the two most prominent
leadership positions in our University—Mark Yudof
as chancellor of the UT System and Bill Powers as president
of UT-Austin. I do not know of another major university
where this has ever happened, and I think it is
something in which we can all take pride. First, it says a
lot about the exceptional talent the Law School attracts.
Both Mark and Bill started out here as young professors.
They established themselves as renowned scholars, superb
teachers, and then as remarkable administrators. But, as
talented as they are, they did not do this alone. As young
professors, they flourished in our faculty’s collegial community
of scholars and teachers. As deans, they were able
to build on the accomplishments of their extraordinary
predecessors. There are few law schools in the country
that have a more illustrious roster of deans.
Their accomplishments also say a lot about you. Law
deans don’t just become university presidents and chancellors.
That happens only if they are enormously successful,
and no law dean can be successful without the strong and
unstinting support of the alumni. In so many ways, you
have responded generously over the years to their calls for
help. Your assistance has made possible many of the initiatives
they, and other deans, have pursued in our efforts to
become the finest public law school in the nation. And I
am pleased to report that your continued support has
enabled us to remain on an upward trajectory.
We continue to improve our already strong faculty.
This spring was highlighted by success after success on the
hiring front. We lured Bill Sage away from Columbia Law
School; we enticed Dan Rodriguez, who recently stepped
Our alumni and friends constitute an incomparable asset.
down as dean of the University of San Diego, to choose us
over a bevy of other suitors; and we won out in the bidding
for John Golden, an enormously promising rookie.
Sage, who holds both a J.D. and an M.D., is the nation’s
leading health law scholar, and he will also hold the newly
created post of vice provost for health affairs. Rodriguez
served on the faculty of Boalt Hall before his highly successful
deanship. A prolific author, he stands at the forefront
of scholarship in local government law, federal and
state constitutional law, and the political economy of regulation
and government. Golden earned both a Ph.D. in
physics and a J.D. from Harvard. He comes to us after a
Supreme Court clerkship with Justice Breyer and several
years in private practice in patent litigation, and will add
depth to our intellectual property faculty.
Among the many, many generous gifts we received in
the past year, I would like to highlight one. The Reaud
Charitable Foundation has pledged to give $350,000 per
year in perpetuity to fund the Wayne Reaud Public
Interest Scholarship Program. This program will provide
full-tuition scholarships and an annual stipend to five students
per class who agree to work in public interest programs
for three years immediately following graduation.
This magnificent gift, valued at approximately $7 million,
is the largest single gift in the history of the Law School.
The Reaud Scholars Program will stand as a powerful
symbol of the Law School’s commitment to the ideal of
access to justice for all. We are indebted to Wayne Reaud
for his vision, commitment to justice, and munificence.
I would like to end this letter on a personal note. I am
greatly honored to have had the opportunity to serve as
your interim dean. I cannot begin to express adequately
my gratitude to all of you who have been so encouraging
and helpful in this time of transition. I appreciate beyond
measure your many kind words and cooperation. The
Law School is stronger than ever, and I am confident that,
with your help, it will continue to prosper under the leadership
of the next dean. And I am sure that our new dean
will quickly discover that our alumni and friends constitute
an incomparable asset.
Sincerely,
Steven Goode
Interim Dean
Spring 2006 UTLAW 9