Woman Tenured At Law School

A University of Chicago Law School professor of international law will become Harvard Law School's fifth tenured woman faculty member.

University officials announced Wednesday that Anne-Marie Slaughter Burley, a 1985 cum laude graduate of the Law School, will join the faculty next fall.

Slaughter Burley's appointment is the first one this year for the Law School, Dean of the Law School Robert C. Clark said in a statement that the move will assist the institution in becoming a "world law school."

The professor joins a faculty which many have criticized in recent years for not including enough women or minorities.

At times, the debate over faculty diversity has been especially intense. Former Weld Professor of Law Derrick A. Bell Jr. resigned from the faculty last year after a two-year leave of absence to protest the lack of a tenured minority woman.

But there are some signs the tide may be turning. Joining Slaughter Burley at the Law School next fall will be Diane M. Ring '86, who currently works at a Washington law firm and will begin an assistant professorship.

According to news officer Michael J. Chmura, women now comprise 10 percent of the tenured or tenuretrack faculty--six out of 65--consisting of four full professors and two assistant professors. None is a minority.

But three of the four Law School positions offered this year have been offered to women, Chmura said.

Neither Clark nor any of the six current female professors at the Law School could be reached for comment about the hiring trend. But at least one professor was pleased with the recent appointment.

"We would certainly like to appoint more women, and we're lucky that we've had some very qualified ones," said Hal S. Scott, Nomura professor of international financial systems.

Slaughter Burley said yesterday she would miss the University of Chicago, but that she looked forward to areturn to Harvard.

"I'm very sad to leave Chicago, but I'm reallyexcited to come to the East Coast again," shesaid. "[Harvard] presents an extraordinary rangeof opportunities for anyone interested ininternational legal studies."

Scott, who hired Slaughter Burley as a researchassistant for a time after her graduation, praisedthe professor's mastery of her field.

"Her work is in the public international lawarea, and this is a field where it's hard to findgood people, and she's very good," Scott said.

Slaughter Burley said she would be arriving inCambridge in early July

"I'm very sad to leave Chicago, but I'm reallyexcited to come to the East Coast again," shesaid. "[Harvard] presents an extraordinary rangeof opportunities for anyone interested ininternational legal studies."

Scott, who hired Slaughter Burley as a researchassistant for a time after her graduation, praisedthe professor's mastery of her field.

"Her work is in the public international lawarea, and this is a field where it's hard to findgood people, and she's very good," Scott said.

Slaughter Burley said she would be arriving inCambridge in early July