Interview with Dean Michael Fitts, University of Pennsylvania Law School--

Interview with Dean Michael Fitts, University of Pennsylvania Law School(1)

2007-04-26 13:45:59 [ Big Normal Small ] zong xing 　Comment

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Editor's Note: Xing Talk is a new column runs regularly by Xing Zong, a Chinese graduate student at Duke University pursuing a Ph.D. degree in physics. As a rocket scientist, Xing’s passion also lies in writing and interacting with people. He contributes to China.com regularly with his interesting interviews of Presidents in U.S. top universities, Nobel Laureates, business/law school deans and leading academicians. As Xing said, “my biggest discovery after arriving in U.S. was that my first name “Xing” had a nice interpretation of the on-road sign crossing. Indeed, I stand at the cross road of two different cultures and eager to connect Uncle Sam and Red Dragon.” Recently Xing held an exclusive interview with Prof. Michael Fitts, Dean of law school at University of Pennsylvania.

About Dean Michael Fitts

Michael Fitts has made – and is continuing to make – his mark on legal education and scholarship through his support for interdisciplinary research and teaching. As a scholar and as an administrator, he has crossed traditional boundaries, co-authoring and co-teaching with scholars from other disciplines and establishing new joint programs within the University. Today Penn Law has a strong cross-disciplinary perspective that starts in the Law School classroom and extends to the certificate and joint programs throughout the University, from a joint degree from Wharton to one in Bioethics at the Medical School. He was the impetus behind many of these programs as Chair of the Faculty Appointments Committee, Associate Dean and then Dean. Today he remains the force that continues to expand, refine, and improve this cross-disciplinary approach.

Fitts began his career as an Attorney Advisor to the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice, which serves as outside Counsel to the President, White House and Cabinet. He then joined the Penn Law faculty, concentrating his scholarship on issues affecting the Federal Government. He has written extensively on questions of administrative law, presidential powers, and separation of powers, often using the tools of political science. He is a member of the Law and Political Process Study Group of American Political Science Association and the Committee of Seventy, a community watch-dog group.

Xing Zong: Dean Fitts, thanks for granting this interview! Penn Law school is very diverse, which is quite impressive and adds a lot of synergy. Could you comment on the benefits of diversity that you’ve seen personally? What does Penn Law School do to keep a high level of diversity?

Fitts: Let me start by also thanking you for giving me the opportunity to share the story about Penn Law School with your readers.

In answer to your question about diversity, it is important to understand that at Penn Law we define diversity very broadly, including cultural and intellectual perspectives, philosophy, race, political beliefs, socioeconomic backgrounds, religion, sexual orientation, work experience, geographic backgrounds, and much more. Having a rich tapestry of people teaching and learning in our classrooms enhances the process of legal education and contributes greatly to the Penn Law experience.

We generally have between 33-36 percent students of color, in the J.D. student body, and our present LL.M. program class hails from 33 countries, with work experience as diverse as judges, government officials, academics, NGO workers, business-oriented professionals, and students directly from law school.

Xing Zong: Great diversity! Putting together an entering class is like organizing a choir; you want distinct voices. Could you please elaborate upon what qualities Penn Law is looking for when selecting its student body?

Fitts: One of the advantages of valuing diversity is that we really appreciate and seek out the “distinct voices” that you reference in your previous question, making it ever so much more difficult to define what Penn Law looks for in selecting its incoming classes. We read every application thoroughly so that we can learn about the applicant’s interests, motivations, background, and what they are seeking in their law school experience. We want to understand and get to know the person behind the application and not rely entirely on test scores or previous academic accomplishments. My only advice to the aspiring young student is to let your true voice come through in your application.

Xing Zong: On a related note, why do you think students should choose Penn Law over other top law schools?

Fitts: At Penn Law you will get a terrific legal education – as you might at other top law schools. What distinguishes a Penn Law legal education is the environment in which you will be learning. Our program offers the best cross-disciplinary program in the country. What this means is that within the classroom students are taught by a faculty renowned for both their knowledge in a particular area of law and their knowledge in an area related to law (over 70 percent have advanced degrees outside of law). Students can also avail themselves of some of the finest graduate and professional schools in the country (Wharton School, Annenberg, bioethics etc.) all within close proximity on the University of Pennsylvania campus. Not to be overlooked is the atmosphere in which a student will study. Penn Law is a very welcoming, collegial community where students work hard and feel very supported by each other, the faculty, and the administration.

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