Michigan Law joins Graham Institute Deans' Council

ANN ARBOR, Mich., October 24, 2007--

The recent addition of the University of Michigan Law School to the university-wide Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute is one more example of the law school’s continuing commitment to environmental stewardship and the development of a top-flight environmental program.

Coming as it does in the wake of the launch of the school’s new Environmental Law and Policy Program, Michigan Law’s membership in the Graham Institute will help the Institute in its drive to become a global leader in addressing environmental sustainability issues, said Michigan Law Dean Evan Caminker. 

“There is no issue that is more significant today than environmental sustainability,” Caminker said.  “I am pleased that Michigan Law and our new Environmental Law and Policy Program will be working with the Graham Institute and our colleagues throughout the University to provide the leadership necessary for lasting environmental progress.”

The Graham Institute is designed to encourage multidisciplinary research and education in the field of environmental sustainability. It works with companies, non-governmental organizations, and communities to bring the University of Michigan’s intellectual heft to bear on solving real-world environmental problems, with a special focus on six areas:

• Energy
• Freshwater and Marine Resources
• Human Health and Environment
• Biodiversity and Global Change
• Sustainable Infrastructure, Built Environment, and Manufacturing
• Environmental Policymaking and Human Behavior

“The Graham institute promotes, across the University, many of the environmental goals that we’re trying to advance at the Law School,” said Professor David Uhlmann, Director of Michigan Law’s new Environmental Law and Policy Program. “The Law School’s participation in the Graham Institute flows naturally from what we’re doing, because all of environmental law is to a significant degree about environmental sustainability – whether it’s pollution prevention, preservation of biodiversity, or addressing climate change.”

The addition of Michigan Law to the Graham Institute means Caminker will become a member of the Institute’s Deans' Council, and Uhlmann will represent the Law School on the Graham Institute Executive Committee.

“There are few aspects of environmental sustainability that aren’t affected by the law and public policy,” said Brian Talbot, the Institute’s interim director and a professor at the Ross School of Business. “Bringing the law school formally into our fold will help those of us on the Executive Committee and the Deans Council better understand those effects, and will help connect environmental research and teaching across campus. I am also convinced that we can help the new Environmental and Policy Program become one of the best in the country.”

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Contact:
John Masson, Michigan Law (734) 647-7352



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