Announcement
May 6, 2004
Dear Colleagues:
It is with deep regret that I have accepted the resignation of Dean David J. Herring, effective June 30, 2005. Professor Herring, who has served as Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law since 1998, wishes to return to the faculty to focus on his scholarship and teaching. His decision to step down from the deanship concludes six years of successful administrative leadership and service to the School and to the University.
Dean Herring received his baccalaureate degree with highest distinction and his Juris Doctorate magna cum laude from the University of Michigan. After serving in legal positions ranging from the Michigan Court of Appeals to the Criminal Appeals Division of the Cook County State’s Attorney Office in Chicago, he began his academic career at the University of Michigan, where he served as Clinical Assistant Professor of Law and Supervising Attorney in the Child Advocacy Law Clinic. He joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Law in 1990, where he was Director of the Legal Clinics from 1990-1998, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 1996-1998, and Interim Dean during the 1998 academic year. Professor Herring is the recipient of the 1998 Children’s Voice Award from the Allegheny County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program and the 1998 Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award. He recently published The Public Family: Exploring Its Role in Democratic Society, drawing on legal scholarship, feminist analysis, and political theory to develop a “rhetoric of associational respect” with which to discuss the family’s role in a democracy.
Under Dean Herring's leadership, the School of Law has developed a notably strong foundation for future growth. The School is fiscally sound. The academic profile of its incoming students continues to grow more and more impressive. The faculty are hard-working and entrepreneurial, enhancing the use of technology in the curriculum and becoming nationally recognized for their scholarship and expertise. The School’s curricula have been enriched through the addition of certificate programs in areas of strength, and the facilities have been extensively renovated. Under Dean Herring’s capable hand, fundraising for the School has exceeded expectations in the Capital Campaign and in annual giving support.
I have been very grateful for Dean Herring's insightful participation on the Council of Deans, and I am very pleased that he will continue at the University as Professor in the School of Law.
A search committee will be formed soon with the intention of identifying Dean Herring's successor by next spring.
Sincerely,