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MICHAEL SOVERN Obituary

SOVERN--Michael Ira. The Columbia Law School community mourns the death of Michael I. Sovern '55, Chancellor Kent Professor of Law, a lifelong Columbian, and one of our most distinguished alumni. Sovern earned a B.A. with honors from Columbia College in 1953 and graduated first in his class at Columbia Law School in 1955. Just two years later, he joined the law faculty, and, in 1960, became the youngest full professor in the modern history of Columbia University. He guided Columbia University through the vitriolic protests of the late 1960s, and went on to serve as the eighth dean of Columbia Law School, from 1970 to 1979. During his tenure, Sovern presided over the expansion of clinical education programs, instituted small sections in the first-year curriculum, and oversaw the hiring of the Law School's first Black and first female tenured faculty members -- Kellis E. Parker and Ruth Bader Ginsburg '59, respectively. A renowned mediator and labor lawyer, Sovern went on to serve as university provost (1979 to 1980), and as the 17th president of Columbia University from 1980 to 1993. Sovern received many awards and honors over the course of his distinguished career, including the Law School's Medal for Excellence in 1997 and the Lawrence A. Wien Prize for Social Responsibility in 2010 for his contributions to the public good. The faculty, administration, students, and alumni of Columbia Law School offer our deepest condolences to the Sovern family, including his wife, Dr. Patricia Walsh Sovern, and his children, Douglas, Elizabeth, Jeff '80, and Julie '93.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by New York Times on Jan. 22, 2020.

Memories and Condolences
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3 Entries

Steven Kiyasu Nose

January 30, 2020

My condolences to the Sovern family. I met President Sovern many times during my college years, and shortly after. Thank you for giving prestige to the University.

Tod Hawks

January 25, 2020

If you wanted a mix of genius and compassion, you'd go directly to Michael Sovern. Columbia was graced by his presence virtually his entire adult life, from his undergraduate days at the College to the august position of president of the University. If ever you had the opportunity to chat with him, as I did on several occasions, Sovern always made you feel you were his equal, a magnanimous gesture. So when he and you were sipping drinks in Low's rotunda, he shared with you what he was, a man of greatness and humility. This is the gift of all great men.

allen hyman

January 22, 2020

We will sorely miss Mike, our dear friend.

Valerie and Allen Hyman

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