NASHVILLE, Tenn. ñ Professor of Law John Goldberg has been named associate dean for research, a new position at Vanderbilt University Law School.
As associate dean, Goldberg will coordinate the law faculty‘s research-related activities and will help develop strategic initiatives to enhance the scholarly environment and reputation of the law school. On making the announcement, incoming Dean Ed Rubin said, “I‘m really pleased to enlist John‘s enormous talent and experience as part of the law school‘s administration.”
Rubin, who will join the law school as dean in summer 2005, said Goldberg will work closely with Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Chris Guthrie, who will oversee curriculum, communications and various other aspects of administration and strategic planning. “Having Chris and John working together as part of our administrative team will be a tremendous asset,” Rubin said.
According to Rubin, the change is intended to provide additional administrative support to academic research initiatives at the law school as well as to ensure that both associate deans can continue to pursue their own research while serving in their administrative positions.
“Research is an absolutely essential part of our mission, and we need to have someone in the administration who is specifically charged with assisting and encouraging it,” Rubin explained. “And it‘s important to me that any faculty member who serves in an administrative role also have sufficient time to continue his or her own research efforts unabated.”
Rubin said he also anticipates that the curriculum reform process the faculty will undertake over the next several years will require additional time and effort on the part of both associate deans.
Goldberg, whose research focuses on torts, legal history and jurisprudence, joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1995 after clerking for Supreme Court Justice Byron White and District Judge Jack Weinstein and practicing at the Boston firm of Hill & Barlow. Recognized as a leading torts scholar, he is widely published in leading law journals.
He is a frequent recipient of the Hartman Teaching Award, given annually by Vanderbilt Law School students to faculty who exemplify excellence in teaching. Among the courses he teaches are torts, advanced torts, products liability, contracts and philosophy of law.
Goldberg is a member of the executive committee of the Association of American Law Schools‘ section on torts and compensation systems, and he serves on the Members Consultative Group for the Third Restatement of Torts.
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Media contact: Susanne Hicks, (615) 322-NEWS
Susanne.hicks@vanderbilt.edu