ByGeorge!

May 12, 2004

Utah Turns to GW for New President

Law School Dean Michael Young Selected as Utah’s 14th President


Michael Young, dean of GW’s Law School since 1998, was selected as the 14th president of the University of Utah by a unanimous vote of the State Board of Regents on April 29. Young, this summer, will begin his presidency of the state’s flagship university located at the foothills of Salt Lake City with 28,000 students, 2,750 faculty members and 11,500 staff personnel.

“It is a wonderful opportunity to be asked to come to the University of Utah, which has a wonderful reputation in a number of areas,” Young said. “I look forward to working with the excellent administrators, faculty and staff of the university, getting to know the students and becoming part of the larger Utah community.”

Young and his family have ties to the state — he attended Brigham Young University and his wife hails from Orem. “Suzan and I have loved Utah for a very long time, and to be able to return to this state for this purpose is very gratifying.”

As dean of GW’s Law School, Young was instrumental in major renovations of school facilities, an increase in the mean GPA and LSAT scores of students, strengthening the school’s profile of minority students and substantial gains in the amount and availability of research grants. Young also led the charge to create a number of areas of excellence recognized internationally, including the Sloan Program in Corporate Responsibility and Accountability, and the Joint Master’s Degree Program in International Intellectual Property.

“Mike Young has been a brilliant dean and inevitably talent draws attention to itself, and others come and try to steal your people,” said University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. “We, as an institution, are interested in keeping our best people here, but we don’t discourage professional growth. We thank Mike for guiding GW’s Law School to new heights, and we wish him great success as president of the University of Utah. He goes with our blessing and our full support.”

Young is currently serving his second term as chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, a federal advisory commission created by Congress in 1998 to advise the President, the secretary of state, the national security adviser and the Congress on ways in which the United States can more effectively deploy its foreign policy to advance the cause of religious liberties. Young brings considerable academic experience, including more than 25 years as a faculty member and significant government experience as a former Department of State official. Prior to GW, Young was on the faculty of Columbia University.


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