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By Robert Deal
Docket Editor
www.docketonline.com
George Mason University Provost Peter Stearns announced last Thursday that, of the names submitted by the Dean selection committee, Dan Polsby was offered, and has accepted, the position of Dean of the School of Law.
Dean Polsby came to GMUSL in 1999 as a professor of law and Associate Dean where, aside from his administrative duties, he taught classes on criminal law and torts and supervised the regulatory track thesis. Upon previous Dean Mark F. Grady’s resignation last Spring, Dean Polsby was promoted to Interim Dean of the Law School until the final selection could be made.
“I am very grateful to Dan for his stewardship in years past, and for his willingness to take on this new assignment,” said Dr. Stearns in an email to the faculty. “I believe he offers a stimulating vision of change and continuity for the school.” He added that it was his “own pleasure, and that of his colleagues in central administration and among the other deans,” to work with Dean Polsby. “His contributions to general university policy, as well as his role in the School of Law, will remain important – he offers wisdom and humor, both commodities in short supply.”
Dean Polsby hopes to use his time as Dean to solidify George Mason’s place among the nation’s best law schools and further enhance the Mason Law name throughout the legal community.
“Our overall mission is to upgrade the value of the George Mason University School of Law credentials,” said Dean Polsby. “We will keep getting stronger faculty and stronger students and we will make better use of location. It is a heaven-send.”
He further explained that, though highly visible, the U.S. News rankings are not the most important factor in the law school’s national credibility.
“Our U.S. News ranking is not just going to keep going up without going down at some point,” he said. “At the level we’re now at it’s all very close, and you see how the numbers come out each time. We now need to take steps to affect the long term trends.”
In selecting the names to be sent to Provost Stearns for consideration, the Dean Selection Committee, chaired by Professor Timothy Muris, reviewed more than 15 applications for various qualified candidates from around the country, and narrowed the selection down to eight candidates that were interviewed in person. Along with Dean Polsby, the committee recommended Dean James Huffman of Lewis and Clarke School of Law.
The Dean Selection Committee was comprised of professors Muris, Maxwell Stearns, Michael O’Neill, Nelson Lund, Chief Justice Douglas Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Sara Cobb as the director of the Institute of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Rodney Turner as a representative of the Alumni Committee, and Brendan Lynch (3D) as a representative of the Student Search Committee.
The Student Committee, composed of a cross-section of 11 students at Mason, met with five of the candidates. After each interview, it discussed the candidate. Lynch then brought student ideas to the full Dean Search Committee for discussion.
“As students, we were incredibly impressed with the quality of candidates who were keenly interested in the deanship at GMUSL,” said Lynch. “Dean Polsby was particularly impressive in his interview with the students. He was candid and engaging, and clearly felt a powerful connection to George Mason, due to his work here over the past five years. His vision for George Mason Law was both expansive - the desire to continue to grow and improve - but was also respective of the traditions that have brought us to this point - law and economics.”
The Alumni Committee, functioning in a similar manner, was also pleased with the Provost’s selection.
“We are very pleased that Dan [Polsby] has been chosen, and that he has accepted the position,” said GMUSL Alumni President David Reed. “These are very exciting times at George Mason Law, and we are pleased that Dean Polsby appreciates the opportunities ahead for the school and recognizes the importance of good alumni relations. On behalf of the Alumni Association, we look forward to working with Dean Polsby as he leads our law school to even greater success in the future.”
Prior to arriving at GMUSL, Dean Polsby graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Oakland University in Rochester. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota, magna cum laude, where he was a member of the Law Review and Order of the Coif. After law school, Dean Polsby clerked for the Honorable Harold Leventhal of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He later worked as an associate at Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering in Washington D.C., and as Legal Counsel for Commissioner Glen O. Robinson on the Federal Communications Commission. After working as a Chicago correspondent for The Economist, and legal counsel for “Beyond the Beltway with Bruce Dumont,” Dean Polsby entered academia. He served as a professor at the Northwestern University Law School for 23 years before arriving at GMUSL.
Dean Polsby replaces Mark F. Grady, who left after serving for seven years, to teach at the UCLA School of Law. When asked to comment on his replacement, former Dean Grady responded that the University had made an outstanding choice.
“Dan Polsby has already done so much to build the George Mason Law School, and this new responsibility will give even more scope to his ambitious plans,” he said. “I wish him all the best, and I know that the law school community will provide him the same high level of support that it provided me when I was dean.”