���ҹ�����

In Memoriam

Benjamin B. Ferencz: 1920 - 2023

Dear Haub Law Community,

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at ���ҹ����� mourns the passing of Benjamin B. Ferencz, a life-long, legendary advocate for human rights and the rule of law, who served as Adjunct Professor of Law from 1985 to 1996.

Ben passed away at the age of 103 and was the last surviving prosecutor of 1947’s historic Nuremberg trials. A Harvard Law graduate and U.S. Army veteran, he devoted his career to creating an international system of justice that protects every person's right to live in peace and with dignity. As a war crimes investigator and a Nuremberg prosecutor, he was immersed in the horror of Nazi crimes. He became convinced that the world can prevent such atrocities only by outlawing and systematically punishing aggressive war and acts such as genocide and crimes against humanity.

We were privileged to have Ben as a member of our faculty for more than a decade, benefiting from his great intelligence, his world experiences, and his heroic spirit. During his time at the Law School, he taught classes in international law, humanitarian law, with a focus on world peace, among nations and peoples. He also published several books focused on peace themes, and later returned as the 1997 Blaine Sloan Lecturer on International Law. He was an inspiration to a generation of our students, many of whom entered the field of international humanitarian law – a field that he helped to establish. Two of his children, Donald Ferencz ’83 and Nina Dale ’87, graduated from the Law School, following in his footsteps. He and his son Don were also supporters of the ���ҹ����� International Criminal Court Moot from its inception.

Several of our faculty who were Ben’s colleagues at the Law School reflected on his impact:

“Although having had to deal with the worst crimes against humanity and darkest side of our species’ behavior, he was always optimistic and positive about life and the promise of good in people. Ever collegial, Ben was always ready for a discussion about current events, his experiences as a Nuremberg prosecutor, and national or international political and legal developments.”
— Nicholas A. Robinson

“Ben was the perfect example of a life well-lived. He worked tirelessly through his Peace Foundation to create a permanent war crimes tribunal and inspired a generation of our students to join him on that quest. The Foundation was instrumental in establishing several of our international law programs over the years, and placed scores of ���ҹ����� students as summer interns in each of the international criminal law tribunals. I can never express enough my gratitude to Ben and especially Don for their major contributions to the life of the law school and to its many international law students in general, and, happily, to my life in particular. My, how he will be missed.”
— Gayl S. Westerman

Ben’s legacy has been celebrated widely in the media this week and I encourage you to read more about him in , the , or .

On his 100th birthday Ben was quoted, saying: “I have no time to die. I’ve got too much to do.” It is our duty to learn from his legacy, to celebrate all he achieved, and to continue his important work. I invite you to share your thoughts and memories of him with one another, or more publicly on our .

Sincerely,

Horace Anderson
Dean and Professor of Law
Elisabeth Haub School of Law at ���ҹ�����

Three Dyson students—Yara Ammar ’26, Film and Screen Studies, Mariana Rojas ’26, Sociology/Anthropology and Environmental Studies, and Ellis Clay ’25, Political Science and Peace and Justice Studies—have been selected for the prestigious , a three-year cohort experience that connects students from 12 New York City partner institutions to funded internship opportunities across the country and abroad.

“I've always been passionate about learning about different cultures, and after getting the opportunity to study abroad last semester through the First-year Experience in London program, I wanted more,” said Rojas.

Professor of History Bill Offutt, PhD, who serves as ���ҹ�����’s faculty advisor for the Fellowship, noted that this is the first year ���ҹ����� has had three students selected in his tenure. The highly competitive program takes four applications from all 12 participating schools for 48 total applicants, from which the final 15 fellows are selected.

“Professor Offutt was very helpful throughout the entire process,” said Ammar. “In addition to offering many information sessions and always being available to answer questions, as the process went on, he helped me narrow down my strengths and prepare me for my in-person interview.”

Students in the Fellowship are connected to three funded summer internships over the course of the program at leading nonprofit, for-profit, and government organizations in the United States and abroad, encouraging them to explore different career paths and fields of interest.

I’ll be in the spaces that will help me reach my academic and career goals by interning with different organizations and working with Watson mentors.

“It’s an opportunity to challenge myself differently than in my past academic and internship experience,” said Clay. “I’ll be in the spaces that will help me reach my academic and career goals by interning with different organizations and working with Watson mentors.”

In addition to engaging in internship opportunities, Watson Fellows attend cultural events and skill-building seminars, receive $2,000 in a “discovery fund” for conferences and entrepreneurial endeavors, keep a journal for an ongoing dialogue chronicling their experience, forge lifelong bonds with their cohort, and are connected to a Watson mentor.

Rojas added: “As Watson encourages self-discovery and opening yourself up to new opportunities, I hope my varied experiences during my internships help me figure it what exactly it is I want to do in my career.”

Brown, a ���ҹ����� Alumna, Has Served in High-Level Leadership Roles in City, State, and Private Sector

Most Recently Led Legal Affairs at FDNY

Terryl Brown, an attorney with extensive legal, leadership, and management experience in city and state government, has been named vice president and general counsel for ���ҹ�����.

Brown, a ���ҹ����� graduate, most recently served as deputy commissioner of legal affairs and administration for the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), where she oversaw operations and legal matters for a department comprised of 17,000 employees.

Over the course of her impressive legal career, Brown has also been chief ethics officer and counsel with the New York State Attorney General’s Office, acting counsel to Governor David Paterson, first assistant counsel to Governor Eliot Spitzer, a commissioner of the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics, executive vice president and general counsel at the New York Power Authority, and a partner Harris Beach PLLC.

In making the announcement, ���ҹ����� President Marvin Krislov cited Brown’s extensive background working on an array of legal matters and administrative oversight involving large and complex agencies; her experience in city and state government; and her understanding of the university’s mission of Opportunitas or creating opportunities for students.

“Terryl Brown’s accomplished career in law and government exemplifies what it means to make an impact on the world through her hard work and excellence,” said President Krislov. “She embodies our mission and philosophy of creating opportunities for our diverse student body, and we are pleased we’ll be able to benefit from her insight and expertise.”

In her role, Brown will be a key member of the president’s leadership team and as leader of the Office of University Counsel will manage all legal matters for the University and its campuses in New York City, Pleasantville, and White Plains. She begins May 1, 2023.

“I am committed to ���ҹ�����’s mission and believe in the transformative power of education,” said Brown. “���ҹ�����'s values are consistent with my own, and I'm looking forward to helping ���ҹ����� continue its important and transformative work.”

A native New Yorker, Brown graduated from ���ҹ����� with a bachelor’s degree in political science; earned a master’s from Villanova University; and a JD and MBA from University of Pittsburgh. She completed an advanced finance program at the University of Pennsylvania.

She is a member of the state bar of New York and holds court admissions with U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of New York and the Eastern District of New York as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

About ���ҹ�����

Since 1906, ���ҹ����� has been transforming the lives of its diverse students—academically, professionally, and socioeconomically. With campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, ���ҹ����� offers bachelor, master, and doctoral degree programs to 13,600 students in its College of Health Professions, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Lubin School of Business, School of Education, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.