Dear Members of the Santa Clara University Community,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Michael J. Kaufman as the next dean of the School of Law. Dean Kaufman currently serves as dean of Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Vice Provost for Academic Strategy, and Professor of Law, and will begin his appointment at SCU on July 1, 2021.

Dean Kaufman is an exceptional leader and a prolific scholar who has served as Dean since 2016 and as Vice Provost since 2018 at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Dean Kaufman also served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Loyola for 11 years, from 2005-2016. For more about Dean Kaufman, please see the press release here. We look forward to working with Dean Kaufman to build upon the proven distinctive strengths of our law school in high tech, social justice and global law. His dedication to excellence in teaching and research, student formation and success, as well as his commitment to the Jesuit, Catholic ideals, make him an outstanding choice to lead Santa Clara University’s School of Law into the next decade. 

I wish to thank the members of the search committee who managed the search process that culminated in a successful appointment under extraordinary circumstances: David Yosifon, committee chair, Evangeline Abriel, Susan Erwin, Laura Norris JD ’97, The Honorable Risë Jones Pichon BS ’73, JD ’76, Father Rob Scholla, S.J., Thi Tran JD ’21, Tseming Yang, and Sabrina Zirkel. Vice Provost Ed Ryan offered invaluable assistance in coordinating the search. I am grateful for their flexibility and creativity in seeing the search through to its conclusion.

Finally, I offer my very special thanks to Anna Han for serving as interim dean of the School of Law for almost two years. With grace, conviction, and generosity, she led the Law School on a steady course in a time of great transition. We are all indebted to Anna for her dedication to our colleagues, law students, the Law School, and the University.

Please join me in welcoming Michael to the Santa Clara community and thanking Anna for a job well done as interim dean.

Sincerely,

Kevin F. O'Brien, S.J.
President