Today in a memo to the AU community, Provost Scott A. Bass announced that following twenty-one years of outstanding leadership to the Washington College of Law and American University, Dean Claudio Grossman will return to full-time service on the WCL faculty at the end of this academic year.  

"Dean Grossman's tenure as dean is remarkable, given that the average law school deanships is 2.78 years, and reflective of sustained impact," said Bass.

Grossman joined the American University Washington College of Law faculty in 1983 as director of the International Legal Studies Program after a decade of legal education at universities in Chile and the Netherlands. Grossman later served as WCL's acting dean and as dean of graduate studies before his appointment as the 17th dean—and the longest serving dean—of the Washington College of Law.

During Dean Grossman's tenure over two decades, the law school experienced profound transformation, enhancing the law school's stature both nationally and internationally includinga substantial increase in the size of the full-time faculty, moving the student-faculty ratio from 24:1 to 11:1. Grossman also helped foster unparalleled learning opportunities for its students;considerably increased alumni engagement, and improved the school's endowment and net assets.

The search for a new dean will begin immediately. Dean Grossman will continue to serve as dean.