M. Elizabeth Magill : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Liz Magill, Dean of Stanford Law School from 2012 to 2019, reflects on her career in law and her time leading the Stanford Law School. Magill describes her education at Yale and University of Virginia Law School, as well as her experiences working for Senator Kent Conrad and clerking for J. Harvie Wilkinson in the Fourth Circuit and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Turning to her career in academia, she speaks about returning to UVA as a professor and her recruitment to the Stanford Law School deanship in 2012. Magill describes the opportunities and challenges of her time as dean, including recruiting new faculty to the school; responding to racist incidents and student protests; making changes to the Law School curriculum; and helping to rewrite the university’s policies on sexual assault and harassment. Magill concludes by reflecting on her time at Stanford and looking forward to her future as provost at UVA.
Description
| Type of resource | moving image, sound recording-nonmusical, text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 2 video files; 2 audio files; 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | May 29, 2019 - 2021-05-31 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Magill, M. Elizabeth | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Magill, M. Elizabeth | |
| Interviewer | Brest, Paul | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Magill, M. Elizabeth |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. School of Law |
| Subject | University of Virginia. School of Law |
| Subject | Ginsburg, Ruth Bader, 1933-2020 |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | M. Elizabeth Magill is a distinguished scholar and teacher of administrative and constitutional law. Before becoming executive vice president and provost of the University of Virginia in 2019, Magill served seven years as the Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and dean of Stanford Law School. Before joining Stanford, she was on the faculty at the University of Virginia School of Law for fifteen years, serving as vice dean, the Joseph Weintraub-Bank of America Distinguished Professor of Law, and Elizabeth D. and Richard A. Merrill Professor. After completing her BA in history at Yale University in 1988, Magill served as a senior legislative assistant for energy and natural resources for US Senator Kent Conrad, a position she held for four years. She left the Hill to attend the University of Virginia School of Law. After graduating in 1995, Magill clerked for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and then for US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Magill is the first woman to serve as provost at UVA. |
|---|---|
| Summary Part 1 | Part 1 [00:00:00 – 00:30:02] Growing up in Fargo, North Dakota • Decision to attend Yale • Girls State; childhood interests • Transition from North Dakota to Yale • Getting involved in New Haven Democratic politics during the 1984 Dukakis campaign • Majoring in history and Yale’s History Department in the 1980s • Student government and chairing the Yale College Council • Divestment protests at Yale • Union activities in New Haven during the 1980s • Academic pursuits while an undergraduate; memories of coursework for David Brion Davis and Nancy Cott • Historical research project on literary accounts of women who dressed as men • Reflections on Yale’s history as a men’s college and its exclusive clubs [00:30:03 – 00:46:48] Working for Senator Kent Conrad; staff work on Energy Committee • Decision to attend law school • Marriage to husband Leon • Deciding between Stanford and University of Virginia (UVA) for law school; a memorable conversation with Mike Klarman [00:46:49 – 01:16:06] Academic interests in law school • Memories of influential professors: John Ely, Mike Klarman, Jody Kraus, Dick Merrill • Interest in food and drug law • Clerking for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson in the Fourth Circuit • Clerking for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg • Co-clerks at the Supreme Court • Ginsburg’s approach to working with clerks • Searching for a law faculty teaching job [01:16:07 – 01:42:56] Memories of Justice Ginsburg • Job talk on Administrative Procedure Act and textualist turn in administrative law • Decision with Leon to accept a position at University of Virginia • Early experiences teaching law • Reflections on Magill’s legal scholarship, especially “Agency Choice of Policymaking Form” and “Standing for the Public: A Lost History” • Preference for interpretive over normative scholarship |
| Summary Part 2 | Part 2 [00:00:00 – 00:27:53] Appointment to be vice dean of the UVA Law School • UVA Law administrative structure • Challenges while vice dean at UVA • Recruitment to the deanship at Stanford Law School • Interview process at Stanford • First month as dean and getting to know Stanford • Family’s transition to California • Leon’s involvement with the Woods Institute [00:27:54 – 00:58:38] Preconceptions of Stanford Law School • Working with former Dean Larry Kramer, Provost John Etchemendy, and President John Hennessy • Opportunities and challenges facing the Law School in 2012 • Efforts around Law and Policy labs and a global curriculum • Hiring new faculty at Stanford Law School • Working with Dan Ho on hiring issues • Recruitment of Jacob Goldin and Michelle Mello • Faculty diversity [00:58:39 – 01:27:15] Issues of diversity and inclusion at Stanford Law School; student activism • Racist incidents at the Law School • Racism Lives Here Too protest • Response of students and faculty of color to the incidents and protest; appointment of working group • Involvement with rewriting campus sexual assault and sexual harassment policies [01:27:16 – 01:52:54] Legacy and accomplishments while dean • Interactions with Stanford Law alumni • Appreciation for staff members • Creation of an endowed faculty chair in Magill’s name • Returning to UVA as provost |
| Transcript |
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| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/gm665jd4643 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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