Dean of Syracuse University College of Law and Professor of Law Hannah Arterian today announced that after 13 years of service, she will complete her term as dean on Aug. 1. She will be on leave, focusing on research and scholarly activities, before returning to Syracuse Law faculty at a later date.
Hannah Arterian
During her distinguished tenure as dean, which began in 2002, Arterian increased the quality and size of the college’s faculty, diversified educational opportunities for students and oversaw one of the most ambitious building projects in the University’s history.
In August 2014, the College of Law moved into its new home, Dineen Hall, a 200,000-square-foot building on the western edge of campus. The building allowed for the entire University law community to be located within a single state-of-the-art facility dedicated to education and research. The building has received numerous accolades from stakeholders and was ranked as the 25th most architecturally attractive law school in the world.
“Dean Arterian has been a constant asset to the University with her unwavering dedication to the growth and success of the College of Law,” says Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost Liz Liddy. “She has ushered in a new era of success for the college. Last year, the College of Law bar exam pass rate was the highest it has been among the law schools in New York State. We are grateful for her service and thankful that she will remain at the University as a member of the faculty.”
For more than a decade, Dean Arterian has focused on creating a law college known for a high-quality and distinct legal education that prepares profession-ready lawyers. She worked to build upon the strengths of the College of Law by expanding legal centers and institutes, including the Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media and the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT).
During her tenure, the College of Law has also dramatically expanded its joint degree programs with other schools and colleges across campus. Arterian expanded the college’s free legal clinics, increasing them from five to nine. The clinics provide legal help for community members while preparing students to work with clients. The newest clinic, the Veterans Legal Clinic, opened in January. She also launched additional student internship and externship opportunities, including the new Washington, D.C., externship program.
Arterian has been instrumental on a state level in evaluating the Uniform Bar Examination and was one of two law school deans named by New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman to the committee. Prior to joining Syracuse, Dean Arterian spent 23 years on the faculty of Arizona State University College of Law, including 10 years as academic associate dean serving under the leadership of three successive deans. Chancellor Kent Syverud said that Arterian has left a lasting legacy within Syracuse University.
“Hannah’s leadership in cultivating a strong faculty and student body will have a lasting positive impact on the College of Law and the University,” Syverud says. “Her dedication to Syracuse is manifested physically in the beautiful and state-of-the-art Dineen Hall, the contributions of faculty in legal scholarship and the work of alumni practicing law throughout the nation and the world. The University is grateful for Hannah’s leadership and her 13 great years of distinguished service.”
William C. Banks
Liddy has appointed William C. Banks, Board of Advisers Distinguished Professor of Law and founding director of INSCT at the College of Law, to serve as interim dean effective Aug. 1. Professor Banks also holds a joint appointment at the Maxwell School as professor of public administration and international affairs.
“Professor Banks is a tremendous teacher, scholar and leader of INSCT, I am certain he will be a strategic interim dean and an advocate for the College of Law,” says Arterian.
Banks joined the faculty of the College of Law in 1978. In 1998, he was named a Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence. In 2003, Banks’ areas of expertise were the foundations for the development of INSCT, and in 2005, he was named the College of Law Board of Advisors distinguished professor. The author of several books and dozens of scholarly articles, he serves on the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security and is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of National Security Law & Policy and a distinguished fellow of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families.
Professor Banks says, “All of us in the College of Law—students, faculty, staff and alumni—are deeply appreciative of the dedicated service and many accomplishments Hannah Arterian made during her period as dean. As interim dean, I will do my very best to build on those accomplishments and help guide the College of Law toward additional success and distinction. The college has tremendous upside potential—a fabulous new facility in Dineen Hall, a highly talented and motivated faculty and staff, some superb specialized academic programs and an enthusiastic and talented student body. Building on Dean Arterian’s legacy, the College of Law will continue to strive for excellence in its academic programs and approaches to learning the law so that our 21st-century law graduates will be more prepared than ever for their professional futures.”
