University of Wisconsin Law School Professor Linda Greene will be the inaugural dean of the Michigan State University College of Law following its transition from an affiliate to a Michigan State University constituent college.
Greene joined the UW School of Law faculty in 1989 as a full professor and holds the Evjue-Bascom Professorship. From 1999 to 2004 she was the inaugural vice-chancellor of equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University of California, San Diego. She was a visiting professor at both Georgetown University Law Center and Harvard Law School. At Harvard, Greene was the first African-American woman to teach law.
“It will be a great honor to serve as the next dean of the Michigan State University College of Law and to continue the great work of previous leaders and members of faculty,” said Professor Greene in MSU Today. “I have been blessed with experience at a sister land-grant university that shares MSU’s commitment to rigorous intellectual endeavor and service to the broader community. I’m honored by the opportunity to lead the College of Law at this exciting moment in its history. I look forward to raising the visibility of the College of Law’s excellence and collaborating on new ventures that will benefit the college and its stakeholders, the university, and the state.”
Greene earned her bachelor’s degree at California State University-Long Beach, her juris doctor at the University of California–Berkeley and a certificate in public international law from The Hague Academy of International Law. Prior to entering academia, Greene served as an attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in New York City, a deputy city attorney in Los Angeles and as counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
Professor Greene will begin her new job on June 1.
