Twelve sunflowers, an orchid, a potted plant and a box.
This is a list of the gifts from the administration and old friends that Laura Ann Rosenbury received on her first day as the new dean of UF’s Levin College of Law.
When she opened the box Wednesday morning, she burst into laughter.
It was a framed New Yorker cartoon, one she implements often in her teachings, she said.
Pictured is a squid working a lunch line with a confused customer looking on with the caption, “He feels he can do more good within the system.”
A perfect first-day-of-work gift, Rosenbury said.
It hangs across a wall in her office, alongside the three sets of flowers.
Rosenbury, 45, began her role as the first permanent female dean of UF’s Levin College of Law on Wednesday.
“I’m glad to finally be beginning,” said Rosenbury, who drove to Gainesville on Monday.
Rosenbury accepted the offer in late April, with a starting salary of $350,000.
After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1997 and practicing law for five years, Rosenbury joined the Washington University Law School’s faculty and was vice dean before coming to UF.
This past summer, Rosenbury traveled to Shanghai, China, for a conference about feminism and law in the U.S. and Asia while teaching an online course, which she is still teaching.
Rosenbury replaced interim dean George L. Dawson, who is retiring after 34 years at UF as a law professor.
Dawson, who saw her speak to a group of alumni, said he was impressed by her enthusiasm about the job.
“I think she’s clearly committed to the job and advancing the law school,” Dawson said.
Robbie Cusmano, a 25-year-old who just finished his last semester at Levin, had the chance to sit in on the faculty and student discussions that reviewed the 14 finalists for the positions back in late March.
Rosenbury sold her vision for the future of the law school, Cusmano said, who watched Rosenbury speak about her qualifications and asked her questions.
“Rosenbury really went above and beyond,” Cusmano said.
He admitted to being a little jealous of current students who now have the opportunity work with her directly, but he is excited for the future of the law school with Rosenbury.
“She’s going to bring a lot to the table,” he said.
Rosenbury’s day began with an 8 a.m. budget meeting with administrators.
At 9 a.m., she returned to her office, where she met with a number of faculty and alumni who stopped by and welcomed her, she said.
Rosenbury said she looks forward to getting settled in and meeting with each faculty member of the law school individually by mid-September.
“It’s the faculty who will be most influential in educating the students and helping us define what’s possible going into the future,” Rosenbury said.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 7/2/15]
Laura Ann Rosenbury, dean of UF’s Levin College of Law, speaks. She began her role as dean on Wednesday.
