School of Law

Nancy Staudt, JD, PhD, vice dean for faculty and academic affairs at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, has been named dean of the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis, effective May 15, 2014, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. She also will become the Caroline and Howard N. Cayne Professor of Law as well as a professor at the Brown School.

Civil rights champion and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission member Chai Feldblum, JD, will visit Washington University in St. Louis on March 17 and 18 to participate in programs commemorating the passing of Title VII, a key piece of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as to celebrate International Women’s Day.

Members of the Washington University community follow their research goals to the corners of the world.

Experts weigh in on the definition and context of a popular term.

The way that most scientific reports are presented seems to suggest that clinical trials have controlled for flaws or deviations, but some test subjects secretly break study rules that conflict with their own personal interests. These “subversive subjects” undermine the research endeavor.

This spring, the Supreme Court will consider whether freedom of religious expression applies to for-profit businesses, as well as individuals, in Hobby Lobby’s challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate. Elizabeth Sepper, JD, associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, says that discrimination based on a person’s religious or sexual preferences is a serious harm to society.

Former Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. assesses our nation’s status at the next Assembly Series presentation, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25. in Graham Chapel.  The event is free and open to the public, though seating for the public will be limited due to an anticipated large campus turnout. Visit the Assembly Series website for more information or call 314-935-4620.

Vice Provost Adrienne Davis recommends checking out Cultural Connections this weekend. Portfolio Gallery celebrates its 25th anniversary with a showcase of African-American art and books.

A recent gift of $1,025,000 will establish the Suren G. Dutia and Jas K. Grewal Global Impact Award in the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Washington University. The endowed fund will receive $1 million, with the remaining $25,000 to support awards made during the current academic year. Applications are being accepted until March 24 for awards to support business ventures aimed at catalyzing social change.

School of Law faculty joined in a special moot court program last month to help attorneys prepare for — and students better understand — a landmark intellectual property case that the Supreme Court will consider this month.