Board honors Law dean with chair

By Bill Sublette

The Board of Visitors honored the dean of the University's School of Law April 14 by establishing the Robert E. Scott Distinguished Professorship in Law, bringing the total number of endowed professorships to 427. The chair was made possible by an outpouring of support from some 250 of Scott's colleagues on the faculty, former students, and other alumni and friends of the school, who together committed $1.9 million for the professorship.

Among law faculty on hand for the announcement was Paul Mahoney, who praised Scott's contributions to the school. "He is widely known as America's best law school dean, for his leadership, vision and ability to build consensus and create a sense of optimism and progress," he said. The resounding show of support, Mahoney added, "was a measure of how strongly the faculty felt about the improvements Bob has made at the Law School and in all of our lives."

A member of the law faculty since 1974, Scott became dean in 1991. He currently holds both the Lewis F. Powell Jr. and the Arnold H. Leon law professorships.

Consistently ranked among the nation's top 10 law schools, the Law School has advanced in many areas under Scott's leadership, most visibly in the expansion and renovation of its facilities. The law grounds project was one of the major goals in the school's successful fund-raising campaign, which to date has raised $135 million under Scott's tenure.

The son of Methodist missionaries, Scott was born in India, where he lived until he was 11. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and William & Mary Law School and is a nationally recognized scholar and teacher in the fields of contracts, bankruptcy and commercial transactions. In 1999, he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Another chair was renamed to recognize a U.Va. leader in the Health System. The Distinguished Professorship in Neurosurgery will now be the John A. Jane Professorship in Neurosurgery after Dr. Jane, who chairs the department.