In a press release late last week, Rachel Van Cleave was announced as the interim dean for the Golden State University School of Law. Van Cleave is a Fulbright Scholar and has been the school’s Associate Dean of Academic Affairs since 2008.
“Rachel has been an outstanding administrator and professor,” said University President Dan Angel. “Her ability to augment the substance of our work as educators with the innovative leadership needed in the 21st century bodes exceptionally well for our law students.”
Van Cleave acquired her BS at Stanford and her JD at UC Hastings College of the Law. Van Cleave worked as a clerk for Baker and McKenzie and then for Judge Sam Johnson of the Fifth Circuit. Van Cleave also worked as a visiting professor at the University of Richmond School of Law and at UC Hastings College of the Law.
“I am delighted to serve as Interim Dean and look forward to continuing Golden Gate Law’s long tradition of high quality, practice-rich education. Working with our talented faculty, staff and alumni, as well as local and national professional organizations, I will seek to foster even stronger connections among our students and the amazing constellation of legal professionals in the Bay Area,” Van Cleave said.
A law professor and the Faculty Chair at the law school, Eric Christiansen, said, “Rachel is just the type of leader GGU Law needs in these challenging times for legal academia. With her wealth of experience in legal education and her impressive accomplishments as a scholar, teacher, and senior administrator, Rachel has the trust and confidence of the faculty and staff of the law school. We expect great things for the law school under Dean Van Cleave’s guidance.”
