Laura Rosenbury, the first female dean of the UF Levin College of Law, will leave the university in July to become the president of Barnard College, UF announced Thursday morning.
Rosenbury began as dean in 2015 and saw a rise in the college’s donations, applications and ranking on U.S. News & World Report over her eight years in the role.
In an interview with the New York Times, Rosenbury reflected on her academic history in feminist legal theory as she looks forward to her presidency at Barnard. The private liberal arts women’s college nestled in Manhattan was established by feminist activists in 1899 and was the first to offer degrees to women in New York City.
“As a scholar who has long studied the law’s role in the construction of gender, I am excited to be part of an institution that has a deep history of studying gender in all of it[s] complexity,” she said.
UF President Ben Sasse expressed his enthusiasm for the change in a statement Thursday.
“Dean Rosenbury’s strategic focus and determined leadership elevated UF’s law school,” Sasse said. “I’m confident that President Rosenbury will do the same at Barnard College. We’ve got big shoes to fill in the upcoming dean search, but we’re proud of our friend and colleague.”
Details on when the search for Rosenbury’s replacement will take place are unclear as of Thursday.
Contact Veronica at vnocera@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @vernocera.
Veronica Nocera is a third-year journalism major, history minor and The Avenue editor. She spent two semesters reporting arts and culture for The Alligator and also writes for Rowdy Magazine. When she’s not writing, she’s probably reading, journaling or taping random pictures to her wall. Also, she’ll probably be wearing yellow.
