InBrief eNewsletter | Vanderbilt University Law School

From Dean Rubin's Desk

Dear valued alumni:

It’s been a very eventful summer and fall semester at Vanderbilt Law School. By now, you’re all aware that that Chancellor Gordon Gee, who was a member of our faculty, resigned in August to become president of Ohio State University. Gordon was a personal friend as well as a valued colleague, and I miss him.

However, the announcement of Gordon’s resignation was quickly followed with some very good news for the law school. Nick Zeppos – also a member of the law faculty and a renowned administrative law expert whom I’ve come to know as an invaluable advisor and supporter – is serving as interim chancellor as well as retaining his role as vice chancellor and provost.

Nick’s role has not only assured a smooth transition, but – as Nick has been the member of the university’s administration with whom I’ve worked most closely during my two years as dean – it also assures the university continues to have an able leader who understands our key initiatives and supports the law school.

This issue of In Brief is filled with other good news. We welcomed five new faculty members – two tenured professors who are established scholars in international and administrative law, and three promising young scholars who focus on complex litigation, legal history, and law and economics – as well as our first class of students into our Law and Economics program. We expanded our LL.M. program for foreign attorneys to include a course-track master’s program as well as our traditional thesis-track program. This was extremely successful, and we will welcome another strong LL.M. class this year. And books by three of our highly regarded faculty members — Jim Ely, Richard Nagareda and Don Welch — have been released this fall.

On a sad note, Bob Covington retired from the law faculty in August after serving here for 46 years, longer than any other faculty member. I hope those of you who have fond memories of Bob’s classes and “Head Notes” performances will contact him to express your regard.

I was pleased that some of you could join us to welcome incoming students who have been awarded scholarships at a special luncheon on September 14. This luncheon not only allowed us to recognize these bright students, but also to celebrate the alumni whose contributions have enabled us to increase the number of scholarships we now offer. I can’t emphasize enough how grateful we are for your support in providing merit and financial aid to deserving students, some of whom would be unable to pursue a legal education at an institution of Vanderbilt’s caliber without that help.

We also had the privilege of welcoming some of you back to Vanderbilt Law School for a thoroughly enjoyable reunion weekend Oct. 12 and 13. View reunion photos. This year’s reunion included a new event – a golf tournament –organized and managed entirely by a motivated group of students led by Kris Kavanaugh, ’08, and Tim DeKeyser, ’08, the proceeds of which will fund a summer stipend for a Vandebilt law student to work with the Tennessee Volunteers for the Arts, an innovative legal aid organization that offers support to budding artists and not-for-profit arts organizations, run by Executive Director Casey Gill Summar, ’06.

This summer and fall, I’ve also had the great pleasure of meeting many of you at alumni events in New York, Chattanooga, Houston, Dallas, Murfreesboro and Chicago. My offices recently moved to the first floor of the law school, where I am more accessible to students, prospective students, and to you. If you’re in Nashville, please come by and tour the new Dean’s Suite as well as the law school’s new administrative and Alumni and Development offices, which have moved across the street to the Center Building along with Career Services. If you are among the many alumni who support the law school each fall and spring by returning to interview our students for summer and permanent positions, you’ll be especially interested in the new interview suites. And if you aren’t, I invite you to contact Elizabeth Workman about conducting interviews here.

Alyssa Wilcox, who joined the law school as assistant dean of Development & Alumni Relations last winter, would also welcome to opportunity to meet you if you visit the law school in her new office in the Center Building, where much of our administrative staff moved this summer to create enough room for our growing faculty in the main building.

It’s an exciting time for the law school, and I’m genuinely looking forward to the remainder of this academic year. As always, I welcome your comments and not only appreciate your feedback, but depend upon it. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Ed

Edward L. Rubin
Dean and John Wade-Kent Syverud Professor of Law

Read the press release announcing Nick Zeppos’ appointment as interim chancellor