CU law school dean Phillip Weiser to step down

BOULDER – The University of Colorado announced on Monday that Phillip Weiser will step down as dean of the law school and return to the faculty on July 1, 2016.

Weiser will have served five years in the post once his tenure is complete.

CU-Boulder provost Russell Moore announced that Lori Bergen, dean of the College of Media, Communication and Information will chair the search committee that seeks Weiser’s replacement. The rest of the committee members will be announced in the coming weeks.

Weiser will continue as executive director of the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship.

Moore credited Weiser with creating several new programs that helped engage the community and improve the CU experience for law students, including the Tech Lawyer Accelerator, the Corporate Counsel Intensive Institute and the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative. He also has played a key role in keeping a CU law degree affordable, helping keep tuition constant for four years in a row, more than doubling scholarship support, and establishing a $6.5 million loan repayment fund for graduates working in public service and underserved areas of Colorado.

“During his tenure, Dean Weiser advanced the law school as a nationally recognized innovator and the regional leader in the changing legal landscape,” Moore said in a prepared statement. “He has been a visionary leader of the school during a time of great change in legal education and has worked tirelessly to focus on student success and building community.”

Weiser joined the CU-Boulder faculty in 1999 as a professor of law and telecommunications. He has served as senior advisor for technology and innovation to the National Economic Council at the White House. He’s also served as deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department’s antitrust division.

“It has been my honor to help cultivate an engaged, diverse and inclusive community of outstanding students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends who support one another and serve the legal community,” Weiser said. “I look forward to continuing my passion of teaching students, contributing to scholarly and policy discussions, and being part of this impressive and important institution.”

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