The University of Washington Board of Regents sent around the following email this morning announcing Michael K. Young as the new President of the University of Washington
Dear Members of the University of Washington Community:
President Young attended Brigham Young University, where he graduated summa cum laude and Harvard Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude and served as a note editor of the Harvard Law Review. He served as a law clerk to then Associate Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist before joining the faculty of the Columbia University’s School of Law in 1978. At Columbia, where he held the Fuyo Professor of Japanese Law and Legal Institutions, he headed the Center for Japanese Legal Studies, the Center for Korean Legal Studies, and the Project on Religion, Human Rights, and Religious Freedom. From 1998 to 2004, he served as dean and Lobingier Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence at The George Washington University Law School, and then in 2004 was named president of the University of Utah.
During the administration of President George H.W. Bush, he served as ambassador for trade and environmental affairs (1992 to 1993), deputy under secretary for economic and agricultural affairs (1991 to 1993) and deputy legal adviser to the U.S. Department of State (1989 to 1991). He has published extensively on a broad range of topics, including the Japanese legal system, dispute resolution, mergers and acquisitions, labor relations, the legal profession, comparative law, industrial policy, international trade law, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), international environmental law and international human rights and freedom of religion.
He comes to us from the largest institution in the Utah system of higher education. The University of Utah, a major academic and research institution, with an extensive health sciences center—and, coincidentally, the newest member of the Pac-12 conference—has more than 30,500 students, 3,000 faculty and almost 21,000 staff. We are very pleased to have selected President Young to lead the UW and hope you will join us all in welcoming him to our community.
I also want to express on behalf of the entire University community, the Board’s deep appreciation for the work Interim President Phyllis Wise has done during this academic year. She has served extremely well and represented this institution brilliantly during a very challenging time. She is the interim president until June 30.
Sincerely,
Herb Simon, Chair
Board of Regents
