Law prof named new dean after long search

After a 15-month search, Professors Michael Fitts became the third internal candidate to be named to a deanship this year. Law Professor Michael Fitts was named the new dean of the Law School yesterday, ending a 15-month search and marking the third time this academic year that the University has selected a candidate from within its own ranks for a top-level position. "Michael Fitts has superb academic judgement and proven leadership and administrative skills," University President Judith Rodin said in a statement. "We are absolutely delighted that he has accepted this new assignment." In February, Rodin appointed Patrick Harker to head the Wharton School, and she named Eduardo Glandt to the Engineering School's top post in November. Fitts succeeds former Law School Dean Colin Diver -- who stepped down in August after a decade of leadership -- and will replace Interim Dean Charles Mooney. In an interview yesterday, Fitts said he expects his new job to be both a challenge and an opportunity, as he prepares to enlarge the faculty and increase the school's endowment. "I like institution building," Fitts said. "I like hiring faculty. I like building programs. I like speaking with alumni." Over the next few years, Fitts said he hopes to hire between seven and eight new professors as well as expand the Law School's interdisciplinary reach, strengthening ties with the University's other professional schools. And, in the process, he said he will be able to improve the school's standing in various academic rankings. Currently the Law School is ranked 12th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. "We have to take [the rankings] very seriously and I take them seriously," Fitts said. "As we expand the faculty and expand the endowment, it can only help us." The announcement is the culmination of an exhaustive search, that ranks among the longest in the University's history. The search that landed Provost Robert Barchi took 13 months, and 16 months were required to select School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston. "The conclusion was terrific," said Wharton Vice Dean Richard Herring, who chaired the Law School dean search committee. "But if we had gotten the decision at six weeks, we would have been all the happier." A West Philadelphia native, Fitts graduated from Harvard University in 1975, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. He later received a law degree in 1979 from the Yale University Law School. While at Yale, he served as editor of the Yale Law Journal. Before coming to Penn in 1985, Fitts worked as an attorney advisor for the Office of Legal Council at the U.S Justice Department and served as a law clerk for former University Trustee Leon Higginbotham, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Court. But while Fitts comes with a distinguished legal and academic background, he has never before been a rainmaker. "I have not done a lot of fundraising," Fitts said, unfazed by his inexperience at what has become a priority for most deans these days. "But I have a great product to sell -- an excellent law school with a lot of opportunities." According to Herring, Fitts' genuine enthusiasm gave the committee confidence that he could raise money. But it was his experience as the chairman of the Law School personnel committee at a time "when it did its best hiring in years" that made him stand out from the more than 100 candidates the committee reviewed. Although the nationwide search process dragged on for more than 15 months, Herring said Fitts was identified as a candidate right away. "If you went around the table that first day, [Fitts] was on the list. It was an obvious choice," Herring said. "But Fitts said that he wasn't willing to do it." According to Herring, before Fitts finally agreed to be considered late in the search process, the committee had reviewed a diverse group of candidates -- including practicing lawyers, other law school deans and six internal faculty members. Herring would not reveal the names of any other candidates the committee considered. As they narrowed their selections during the fall, Herring said the committee met more frequently -- conducting almost 80 hours of off-site interviews -- and meetings became more intense. "It was as rambunctious a committee as you will find, but we were all very collegial," Herring said. Herring said the committee submitted its final list of between three and six candidates to Rodin and Barchi in late December. The two then met privately with the individuals on the list before deciding on Fitts in early February. Although he never attended Penn, Fitts' connection to the University runs deep. His father,William Fitts, was the chairman of the Surgery Department in the Medical School. And his grandfather, Joseph Willits, was the dean of the Wharton School.

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