Law professor Edward McCaffery has been appointed dean of the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law on an interim basis effective July l, 2006, through June 30, 2007, the university's Office of the Provost announced.
McCaffery succeeds Matthew L. Spitzer, who announced earlier this year that he would resign on July 1, 2006. Spitzer, who has been dean for the past six years, will remain on the faculty at USC Law.
"I want to thank Dean Matthew L. Spitzer for his outstanding service as dean of the Gould School of Law," said Provost C. L. Max Nikias. "Under his leadership, the Gould School has added eminent, interdisciplinary scholars to its impressive faculty, significantly increased the quality of its excellent student body, embarked on an LL.M. program for international lawyers and moved even higher in the quality of its educational and research environment. I am confident that Professor McCaffery and the faculty, staff and students of the Gould School will continue the momentum of the school toward even greater academic success."
McCaffery, holder of the Robert C. Packard Trustee Chair in Law and Political Science, joined the USC Law faculty in 1989 and is among the school's most prolific and influential faculty members.
As one of the nation's leading scholars in tax law, McCaffery has served in several leadership roles in the Gould School of Law, including serving as the former director of the USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics. He also served on the school's administration and finance committee; chaired the appointments committee; and oversaw the continuing legal education program, including serving as the executive director of the USC Institute on Federal Taxation.
McCaffery received his B.A., summa cum laude, from Yale University, his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and his M.A. in economics from the University of Southern California . He is the author of numerous books, book chapters and articles, including "Fair Not Flat: How to Make the Tax System Better and Simpler" and "Taxing Women."
"I am excited, honored -- and a little bit scared -- to be assuming the title of Dean on an interim basis,” McCaffery said. “I have a deep love for USC Law School, and I look forward to serving in this new role for a year, continuing the impressive legacy of Matt Spitzer and others before him. I also look forward to working with all members of the USC Law community."
McCaffery has been a visiting professor of law and economics at the California Institute of Technology since 1995, and he has been a visiting professor at Yale Law School and UCLA Law School. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform on tax policy; he consulted with the Russian Federation on its comprehensive tax code; and he is of counsel with Sonnenschein, Nath and Rosenthal, where he advises clients on tax and estate planning.
Provost Nikias said a committee will be formed to oversee a national search for the next dean of the USC Gould School of Law.
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