Amy Wildermuth is stepping down as Associate Vice President for Faculty, Chief Sustainability Officer and a professor of law at the University of Utah to assume a new position as dean of the University of Pittsburgh’s law school.
“For me, leaving the U, a place I have been for 16 years, is bittersweet,” Wildermuth said. “I will miss my dear friends and colleagues across the campus, but I will mostly miss my students.”
An accomplished academic, Wildermuth has a Bachelor of Arts in history and a Bachelor of Science in engineering and policy from Washington University in St. Louis, as well as a master’s degree in electrical engineering and a J.D. from the University of Illinois.
Wildermuth has previously clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stevens, as well as Judge Guido Calabresi of the Second Circuit and Judge Harry T. Edwards of the D.C. Circuit.
Her 16 years at the U have been momentous. At the U, Wildermuth worked to transform the Sustainability Office, moving it into academic affairs and giving it a more local approach. She also pushed the university to cut back on carbon emissions and for renewable energy to be used across campus.
“When I was nominated as a candidate in the search for Pitt Law’s new dean, I knew very little about Pitt,” Wildermuth said. “Through the process, it became clear that this is the kind of opportunity one cannot turn down and that I am fortunate to have. I am grateful for all my time at the U and the opportunity I have had to contribute to this amazing place. Now I will watch from afar as the U continues on its very positive, upward trajectory toward new heights and breaking new ground.”
Wildermuth’s appointment as dean will become effective July 1. She only recently accepted the position, but the search for her replacement is in full force, according to the U.
Members of the faculty will take on her roles in the interim. Harriet Hopf, Vice-Chair for Faculty Development in the Department of Anesthesiology, assumed the role of Associate Vice President for Faculty on April 2, and the school said it will soon appoint an interim chief sustainability officer.
“Amy is a talented legal scholar, educator, and leader in higher education,” said U President Ruth Watkins. “I am grateful for her service to the university as associate vice president for faculty affairs and her passionate advocacy as our chief sustainability officer. Amy is very well prepared to succeed as a dean and all of us at the U wish her well in this wonderful new opportunity. Utah’s loss is the University of Pittsburgh’s gain.”
@jacqmumford
