On December 7, 2012, the University of California Hastings College of the Law Board of Directors adopted the resolution appointing Elizabeth L. Hillman as Academic Dean, beginning July 1, 2013.
Hillman will be replacing Shauna Marshall, who is retiring after eight years of exemplary service in the Academic Dean role at UC Hastings.
"As the chief Academic officer of the college, the new Academic Dean of UC Hastings must be ready to tackle a wide array of issues with a keen eye to looking to the future of academics, scholarship and the financial viability of the institution," said Marci Dragun '86, Vice Chair of the UC Hastings Board of Directors and Search Chair. "Given her background as a productive scholar, her experiences in the public and non-profit sectors, her active engagement in school activities, and her temperament and military training, Professor Beth Hillman has the personal qualities and skills needed to be an effective leader as Academic Dean. We look forward to her tenure in that role."
"Beth Hillman will make an outstanding leader of UC Hastings' academic program," said Professor Aaron Rappaport, Search Vice-Chair. "She is a widely respected scholar in military law and history, and one of our most popular teachers. She is also deeply engaged in the College's strategic planning work, which will ensure continuity in the College's efforts to create one of the nation's top institutions of legal education. On a personal level, Beth is a person of real integrity and warmth, and she has the overwhelming support of the faculty. This is truly an exciting time to be at UC Hastings."
In the fall of 2007, Professor Hillman arrived at UC Hastings from Rutgers University College of the Law-Camden with a reputation as an inspiring teacher and astute observer of public policy, law, and the U.S. military. "I'm excited about the opportunity to shape the academic future of UC Hastings, a law school with a storied history, global reach, and deep commitment to public service. I hope we can continue to use the tremendous legal and intellectual capacity of the College to translate scholarship into public understanding and policy reform, meet the demand for legal education among 21st-century professionals, and prepare our students to thrive in a diverse legal profession."
"Beth Hillman has shown how practical she is," said Frank H. Wu, Chancellor & Dean. "As a lawyer and historian, as well as military veteran, she has set the example of producing engaged scholarship. Her writing and speaking has helped change important public policy. At UC Hastings, she has led the implementation of our strategic plan. I look forward to serving with her, and I believe she is the perfect new leader of academics at UC Hastings."