Top Law Professor Leaves for Brown

Hudson Professor of Law David W. Kennedy, one of Harvard’s top scholars on international law and human rights, will leave for Brown University this winter to become its new vice president of international affairs.

Kennedy will lead Brown’s efforts to broaden its international involvement, Vincent J. Tompkins, Brown’s deputy provost, said yesterday.

Kennedy will continue to hold a position at the Law School, with the title of visiting professor. He will take over the position at Brown on Jan. 1.

“I think it’s exciting to go back to Brown where I studied and help them make a major transition from a national university to a global university,” Kennedy, who received his bachelor’s degree from Brown, said in an interview yesterday.

Tompkins emphasized Kennedy’s experience in international law, saying that it made him stand out from the pool of over 300 applicants for the job.

“He’s a scholar of enormous accomplishment and international reputation,” Tompkins said. “During his career at Harvard Law School he’s demonstrated his capacity to provide leadership.”

Kennedy served as director of International and Graduate Legal Studies at Harvard Law School from 1991 to 1997.

Kennedy said he has enjoyed his time at Harvard.

“I’ve been here for more than 30 years, if you count my time as a student,” Kennedy said. “And it’s been more than a home for me,”

One of Kennedy’s colleagues, Ames Professor of Law Philip B. Heymann, said he believed Brown had made a good decision.

“He’s a great scholar, very deeply read in social sciences and philosophy. He has considerable knowledge and work in the field of international relations,” Heymann said. “He’ll be wonderful at Brown and he’ll be a big loss to us.”