GW Law Honors Former Dean Paul Schiff Berman with Portrait Unveiling
On June 29, 2016, University leaders, distinguished alumni, faculty, staff, and students gathered to celebrate the Law School Deanship of Paul Schiff Berman and to honor Berman’s tremendous career, accomplishments, and impact, during the official unveiling of his commemorative portrait.
GW President Stephen Knapp thanked Berman for his service to GW not only as Dean from 2011-13 but as Vice Provost for Online Education and Academic Innovation from 2013-16. As Vice Provost, Berman oversaw operations for the more than 100 online degree and certificate programs offered by the university. Upon completion of his three-year term as Vice Provost, Berman has returned to the law school to teach full time as the Walter S. Cox Professor of Law.
“It's a tremendous privilege to join so many distinguished guests, colleagues, friends, and members of the GW Law community today for this very special occasion," said GW Law Dean Blake D. Morant. "I have known Paul for 15 years, and he is well deserving of this honor."
James Humphreys, Law School Alumnus and member of GW’s Board of Trustees, said he was thrilled to honor Paul Berman, “a genuine friend, a great scholar, a great lawyer and an enormous asset to the University.” On behalf of the Trustees, Humphreys said he hopes Berman stays at GW “a long, long time and that his imprint continues to be one that is as powerful and positive as it has been.”
Bobby Burchfield, a member of the Law School’s Dean’s Council and recipient of the University’s Distinguished Alumni Award, catalogued many of Berman’s achievements as Dean. According to Burchfield, Berman “has a rare gift for seeing the future before it is upon us” and called him a thought-leader on the future of American legal education. Observing that Berman’s deanship began at a time of declining law school applications amidst a difficult legal hiring climate, Burchfield praised Berman for tackling these challenges with “an open mind and an open heart.” Among many initiatives Berman pursued, Burchfield particularly recognized Berman’s ability to launch new programs, including new alumni mentoring and support programs, the law school’s innovative Inns of Court program for first-year students, and an expansion of the school’s Pathways to Practice Program to help support students entering the job market in their first year after graduating. Indeed, over 90 percent of Pathways participants have found full-time employment afterwards. In addition, Berman spearheaded a unique interdisciplinary major with GW’s Business School on the Law and Business of Government Contracting. According to Burchfield, Berman “reached out energetically to alumni, speaking with over 2500 alumni. This helped the law school raise an historic $11.5 million over a 14-month period, and allowed the law school to balance two consecutive budgets in a very challenging economic environment.” Finally, Burchfield stressed Berman’s commitment to students, noting that Berman individually “called almost every one of the admitted students to the 2014 entering class to introduce himself and make the case for GW Law School.”
Likewise, Vinod and Laurel Gupta, parents of two law school students, praised Berman as a “visionary in predicting the future of legal education” and noted the many ways in which Berman “both enhanced the reputation of the school and inspired his students.”
Brad Clark, William Cranch Research Professor of Law, praised Berman’s “tireless work ethic” and his ability to empower faculty by finding ways to showcase, support, and enlarge each faculty member’s unique way of contributing to the school. For example, Berman worked with faculty engaged in public policy to create think-tank opportunities for them and their students, collaborated with international faculty to create internship experiences abroad for their student assistants, and conceived, with the Business Law faculty, a Semester in New York City program for students. Clark also described Berman’s efforts to connect students with alumni and create mentoring and job opportunities, as well as his successful reorganization of the Law School’s Career Services office, which Clark described as now running better than at any other time in memory. Throughout his deanship, Clark recounted, Berman “conducted himself with equanimity and always put the interests of the school first.”
Laurie Kohn, Clinical Professor of Law, noted Berman’s tremendous support for clinical education and his “passion for identifying and fostering what is distinctive and special about GW.” She also praised his attentiveness to the needs of junior faculty and his outstanding support for them.
Ben Gottesman, a former law school student, described Berman as an extraordinarily student-friendly dean. He recalled talking to fellow first-year law students during orientation and marveling when each one recounted stories of Dean Berman calling personally “not only to congratulate them on their acceptance to the law school, but to speak to each one individually about what a legal education could provide to them in terms of personal growth and professional achievement.” According to Gottesman, Berman was “a student’s dean…believing that the law school existed to serve students not the other way round and that a legal education is more than just a path to a law firm.”
Former staff members of the law school also returned to honor Berman. Monica Monroe, former Dean of Students, praised Berman’s tremendous support of staff on a personal and professional level and his ability to empower the staff by “identifying their talents and placing them in a position to excel…and for that I am eternally grateful.” She echoed Gottesman’s praise of Berman’s student-centered approach, calling him “an amazing advocate for students.” She recalled that once a week he would hold student office hours beginning at 4:30pm and continuing as late as there were students to meet. Moreover, their concerns always led to real consideration of possible change. “Dean Berman really empowered the students to have a voice, and really understood the value that they brought to the institution,” she said.
PB Garrett, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Innovation and University Chief Academic Officer, praised Berman as a great leader who “could quickly understand the complexity of her department’s work, remember intricate details of project plans and budget information, and ask great questions.” But, she continued, “the single biggest thing that every member of my staff would state that was unique to Paul and his leadership style is that he really listened to us. It let us all feel very valued.” She said that every member of her department would say that he was their favorite supervisor her department has had in its sixteen years of operation.
Finally, Mary Wells, former assistant to the Dean, said working for Berman
"was truly a godsend. I found him to be a leader who was truly open to, and interested in, engaging the staff, empowering them to join him in building an institutional culture that acknowledged and valued their work, and prioritized excellence, collaboration, accessibility, and transparency. He wanted to give opportunity to those with talent and ambition and allow the institution and especially the students to reap the benefits of their fully realized potential. He didn’t let his position create a barrier between him and anyone at the law school. I found him always to be humble, passionate, and tireless, and I hope this portrait inspires current and future members of the law school to follow Paul’s example and approach their work with humility and authentic self, a collaborative spirit, and a penchant for innovation."
After listening to the speakers, Professor Berman expressed his profound thanks to those in the room and all of the collaborators with whom he worked during his time as Dean. “What I loved about being Dean,” he said, “was creating a space where other people could feel safe to contribute ideas and then building a context where those ideas could take flight. It’s not about implementing my ideas; it’s about empowering others to create a better future together.”
Gavin Glakas, an award-winning Bethesda, Maryland artist whose work hangs in the U.S. Capitol, painted the portrait, which is now on permanent display on the second floor of Stockton Hall.