TRANSITIONS AT NYU LAW
John Sexton Passes the Baton During the 14 years since John Sexton became Dean, NYU Law has experienced a remarkable transformation into one of the world’s leadership law schools. Key to this change has been a strategy based upon attracting extraordinary faculty, developing a strong sense of community among faculty and students, establishing the Law School’s unique Global Law School Program, creating advanced interdisciplinary colloquia for faculty and students, enhancing clinical offerings, and expanding the research and pedagogical use of technology.
Standing before a gathering of his colleagues on the Dean’s Search Committee, John Sexton handed Richard Revesz a purple “baton of excellence” he said had been held successively by the law school’s past deans.
Throughout the year, we said goodbye and honored this special man with a variety of events designed to make his last year at the Law School a memorable one. And during the Fall 2002 semester there will be even more celebrations to commemorate his installation as NYU’s 15th president. PORTRAIT UNVEILING
It’s tradition at NYU Law to adorn the walls of Greenberg Lounge with portraits of the school’s Deans as they retire their post. But no amount of preparation could have readied Sexton for the admiration and adoration that filled Tishman Auditorium on the occasion of his portrait unveiling.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Lester Pollack (’57), opened the ceremony, observing that a picture may be worth a 1,000 words, but speakers would “not be held to word limits in reviewing Sexton’s achievements.” Every part of the Sexton community—NYU Law and beyond— came together to express its appreciation of him, making clear that Sexton does not distinguish among the many hats he wears. Whether as Dean, professor, colleague, clerk, relative, or friend, he exudes enthusiasm, encouragement, and love. Many who know Sexton have experienced his enthusiasm in the form of his infamous bear hugs. Martha Minow, a professor
at Harvard Law who clerked with Sexton as a young lawyer, said that when John joined Judge David Bazelon’s chambers as a clerk, he greeted everyone with hugs, eventually destroying the competitive atmosphere that had dominated the office. He was “larger than life many years ago, and he’s only grown,” Minow said. Sexton’s immense presence was also celebrated by his good friend and counselor-designate, NYU Law Professor Norman Dorsen, who spoke via videotape of Sexton’s accomplishments (see page 10 for the full text of Dorsen’s speech). NYU Law professor Oscar Chase reported that the faculty had struggled to think of a gift that would reflect their collective sense of affection and admiration for Sexton. They considered a fine clock or a watch, but dismissed both ideas. “So,” Chase said as he brought John onstage, “we are honoring future generations with an endowment for excellent service to the community that Sexton embraced.” Student Bar Association President Rishi Bhandari made reference to the annual Law Revue, in which Sexton’s character is always featured prominently, when he remarked that he hoped the portrait would be threedimensional because “John’s not just a Dean, he’s a poetic muse.” A medley of musical numbers from this year’s show were then performed by the cast, including “Don’t cry for me NYU Law—the truth is I’ll never leave you,” which Sexton’s character sang to the tune of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.” The ceremony culminated with DeanDesignate Richard Revesz describing Sexton as “the finest Dean of all time.” When Sexton took the microphone, the emotion in the room was palpable. “The portrait is a moment in an institutional history, and one volume is now complete,” Sexton said. He was quick to recognize others who had helped shape and contribute to his success as Dean: his family; a high school teacher (who was in attendance); former Law School Dean Arthur Vanderbilt; Martin Lipton; Lester Pollack; Norman Dorsen; and the trustees and alumni with whom he served. Sexton deflected responsibility for the school’s success, crediting the outstanding faculty, the hard-working administration, and the excellent student body. “It’s all about staying in the race of improvement,” he said. “What we’ve created doesn’t depend on one person, thankfully. It wouldn’t have been worth creating if it did.” ■
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