Barnard College Picks Laura A. Rosenbury To Be Its Next President

Barnard College has selected Laura A. Rosenbury, currently the Dean of the University of Florida Levin College of Law, to become its next president, beginning on July 1, 2023. She will be the ninth president of Barnard in its 130 year history. Rosenbury is succeeding Dr. Sian Beilock, who will begin her term as the president of Dartmouth College this summer.

A leading scholar on the law of private relationships, including topics such as reproductive rights, children’s rights, and sexual harassment and abuse, Rosenbury, 53, is the first woman to hold the permanent position of Dean of the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law, a post she was appointed to in 2015. Under her leadership, the college rose from #24 to #6 among public law schools, according to the U.S. News law school rankings.

Rosenbury earned her B.A. summa cum laude in women’s studies from Harvard-Radcliffe College. She received her J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School where she also served as the primary editor for the Harvard Law Review.

Prior to entering academia, Rosenbury worked as a litigation associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York City. She also clerked for Judge Carol Bagley Amon of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and Judge Dennis Jacobs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

In 2002 Rosenbury became a professor of law at Washington University Law School in St. Louis, Missouri. She was elected Vice Dean there in 2010. She has also been a visiting professor at Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Chicago. She is the co-author (with Cynthia Grant Bowman, Deborah Tuerkheimer and Kimberly A. Yuracko) of Feminist Jurisprudence: Cases and Materials.

Of her selection, Rosenbury said, “I’m thrilled to be returning to New York under these circumstances. I was raised in a very rural part of northern Indiana and moved to Rye, New York, with my family my senior year of high school. It was a pretty formative move. I remember being captivated by the plurality of New York City, and for the first time was challenged to see the world from new perspectives. This experience continues to inform my approach to building community on the campuses I’ve had the pleasure to be part of.”

“Being elected Barnard’s next president is a tremendous honor,” said Rosenbury. “I’ve devoted my academic and legal career to understanding the relationship between society’s construction of gender and the law because I’m passionate about ensuring women’s rights and their access to opportunity are protected. To be part of an institution that shares that vision is invigorating.”

Cheryl Milstein, Chair of Barnard’s Board of Trustees, said “we believe we found the most outstanding candidate to become the ninth President of Barnard College. Laura’s appointment is a culmination of a life and career dedicated to empowering women. She is a committed leader and scholar whose values and passions align with Barnard’s mission.”

Rosenbury’s appointment was the result of a search process that began last summer and was led by a 16-member search committee with the support of the executive search firm, Russell Reynolds Associates.

Noting that she could not be prouder of the process that led to Rosenbury’s selection, Ina Drew, co-Chair of the Search Committee and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, said, as part of the college’s announcement, “it was not just her incredible biography and remarkable scholarship that led to the unanimous decision by the board, but also her character and belief in the mission of our liberal arts college. Her devotion to an arts and science education, thoughtful and strategic approach to leadership, and striking emotional intelligence demonstrated that Barnard and Laura Rosenbury are a perfect match.”