John Sexton
Encyclopedia
John Edward Sexton is the fifteenth President of New York University
, having held this position since May 17, 2002, and the Benjamin Butler Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law
. From 1988 to 2002, he served as Dean
of the NYU School of Law, which during his deanship became one of the top five law schools in the country according to U.S. News and World Report. From January 1, 2003 to January 1, 2007, he was the Chairman of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
; in 2006, he served as chair of the Federal Reserve System's Council of Chairs.
in comparative religion (1965), a Ph.D.
in history of American religion (1978) from Fordham University
, as well as a J.D.
(1979) magna cum laude from Harvard Law School
, where he was Supreme Court Editor of the Harvard Law Review
.
From 1966 to 1975, he taught religion at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY, where he was chair of the Religion Department.
From 1961 to 1975, Sexton coached the debate team at St. Brendan's High School, a Catholic girls' school in Brooklyn, NY, leading the team to five national championships and numerous invitational titles. He was named to the National Forensic League
Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005, the Barkley Forum
at Emory University
presented him with a Golden Anniversary Coaching Award recognizing him as a top high school debate coach of the past 50 years. Still an avid proponent of interscholastic debate
, he is chairman of the board of ALOUD, the Associated Leaders of Urban Debate, which seeks to bring debate activities to underserved communities in America's urban areas
After graduating from Harvard Law School
, he clerked for Harold Leventhal (judge)
and David L. Bazelon
of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
in 1979-80, and he clerked for Chief Justice of the United States
Warren E. Burger
in 1980-81.
in 1981; he received tenure in 1983.
Sexton has written several books and many articles, including Redefining the Supreme Court's Role: A Theory of Managing the Federal Judicial Process ISBN 0-300-03734-1 (with Samuel Estreicher
(Yale University Press
, 1986)), and the 141-page A Managerial Theory of the Supreme Court's Responsibilities: An Empirical Study published in the NYU Law Review
in October 1984. This book and study were the centerpiece of a national debate over the creation of a new intermediate court to fit between the Supreme Court of the United States
and the state supreme courts and the United States courts of appeals
.
Sexton co-edited Civil Procedure: Cases and Materials ISBN 0-314-25329-7 (along with John Cound, Jack Friedenthal, Helen Hershkoff, and Arthur R. Miller
) a widely used textbook on civil procedure
.
, succeeding Norman Redlich
. During his deanship, NYU’s School of Law rose to number five in the U.S. News & World Report
rankings of law schools; an emphasis on faculty recruitment reduced the student faculty ratio from 19:1 to 12:1; the Hauser Global Law School Program http://www.law.nyu.edu/global/index.htm was established; the school became among the most selective in the U.S. (average LSAT scores rose from the 94th to the 97th percentile; average GPAs rose from 3.54. to 3.66); and in 1998 the school completed the then-largest fundraising campaign in the history of legal education ($185 million). In 2000, Kent D. Syverud
, then-dean of the Vanderbilt University Law School
, called John Sexton the most effective dean of his generation http://www.utlaw.edu/students/lawreview/volumes/v31n4/syverud.html.
by NYU's Board of Trustees on May 8, 2001, about two months after then-President L. Jay Oliva announced that he was stepping down. "I am a very fortunate man," Sexton told the New York Daily News
in an article published the next day. He assumed the post of president on May 17, 2002, one day after the 2002 All-University Commencement, and his official installation occurred on September 26, 2002. In 2009, NYU’s Board of Trustees asked him to stay on as president until 2016, and Sexton accepted.
In addition to his duties as president, Sexton actively teaches; in 2008-09, he taught two courses for NYU undergraduates – a fall freshman seminar on the Supreme Court’s church and state cases, and a spring class for upperclassmen called “Baseball as a Road to God” (which he discussed at length in a conversation on Bill Moyers Journal)http://video.pbs.org/video/1439361363. In addition, he taught a year-long course on the American Constitution, religion, and government for the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Scholars Program (outstanding undergraduate students in United Arab Emirates’ institutions of higher learning who are selected for special academic and leadership opportunities).
During his presidency, NYU has been named the “number one dream school” four times by The Princeton Review
. In 2009, a record number of prospective students applied to NYU for freshman admission http://www.nyu.edu/public.affairs/releases/detail/2453.
As president, Sexton has written a number of “Reflections” on the nature of higher education and challenges facing universities http://www.nyu.edu/about/sexton-writings.appearances.html. He has also discussed the nature of the university extensively on The Open Mind (TV series) http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=mediatype%3Amovies%20AND%20collection%3Aopen_mind%20AND%20subject%3A%22John%20Sexton%22.
He appeared as a guest on The Colbert Report on December 6, 2006; during his time in the studio, he gave Mr. Colbert one of his famous hugs http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/79178/december-06-2006/john-sexton.
In May 2010, Sexton was profiled by Bloomberg Businessweek in an article that focused on his priorities for New York University
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_23/b4181072514193.htm.
In its 25th anniversary issue in June 2010, Crains New York Business named Sexton one of its 25 People to Watch http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=CN&Date=20100606&Category=ANNIVERSARY&ArtNo=606009999&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=21.
In July 2010, he appeared on Charlie Rose (talk show)
to discuss the global network university, NYU's Abu Dhabi campus, and the state of public discourse, among other topics http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11134.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/nyregion/30nyu.html. NYU Abu Dhabi recruited an outstandingly strong first freshman class, which was notable for its selectivity (189 students were accepted out of 9,048 applicants worldwide (an acceptance rate of 2.1 percent), with a 79.4 percent yield), its geographic diversity (the class of 150 students will include students from 39 countries on six continents), and the academic qualifications of its students (at the classes’ 75th percentile, the SAT critical reading score was 770 (ranking it fifth among US universities) and the math score was 780 (ranking it sixth); the median SAT score (on the 1600 scale) was 1470). The recruitment of the class was reported on in an article in The New York Times
on June 21, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/education/21nyu.html?ref=education
During Sexton’s presidency, the percentage of NYU students studying abroad has increased to over 40 percent, and the Institute for International Education recognized NYU as sending more students abroad than any other US university http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=131592. The number of Study Abroad sites doubled, including the first sites in Asia and Africa. In fall 2009, NYU opened its latest site in Tel Aviv. In addition to its portal campus in Abu Dhabi
, NYU currently operated ten Global sites on five continents http://www.nyu.edu/global.network/our.programs/semesterlong.academicyear.html. In addition to its global sites, individual NYU schools and programs operate some two dozen international programs, including NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts
’ TischAsia in Singapore http://www.tischasia.nyu.edu.sg/page/home.html. The Stern School of Business implemented global components in its undergraduate curriculum http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/uc/prospectivestudent/scholarsprogram.cfm?doc_id=7480. And the NYU School of Law established an LL.M. joint degree program http://www.law.nyu.edu/llmjsd/llmsingapore/index.htm with the National University of Singapore
.
Newsweek
magazine carried a Q+A with Sexton about the Abu Dhabi campus in August 2008 http://www.newsweek.com/id/153330. In August 2009, Sexton discussed the emergence of NYU as a Global Network University in an interview http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111931436 on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition – Sunday with David Greene, as well as in two articles http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090717/REVIEW/707169966 in Abu Dhabi’s English-language newspaper, The National (AbuDhabi). He also discussed the idea of the Global Network University at length in late 2009 with Richard Heffner
on The Open Mind (TV series) http://www.nyu.edu/about/leadership-university-administration/office-of-the-president/redirect/multimedia.html. "The New Global University" was a topic of the British Council
's Going Global conference in March 2010, at which Sexton was invited to speak http://chronicle.com/article/Education-Leaders-Gather-in/64843/.
At the events marking the announcement of Gordon Brown
as NYU's first Global Distinguished Leader in Residence in December 2010, he discussed the Global Network University concept at length http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/nyregion/15brown.html?scp=1&sq=NYU%20brown&st=cse.
In March 2011, NAFSA: Association of International Educators
recognized NYU with its Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization http://www.nafsa.org/about/default.aspx?id=16295, and Fast Company (magazine)
named NYU #1 on its list of education innovators, citing the opening of NYU Abu Dhabi http://www.fastcompany.com/1738940/the-10-most-innovative-companies-in-education.
On March 28, 2011, the University made an important announcement that marked a major new step in the evolution of NYU as a Global Network University: the creation of NYU Shanghai, a comprehensive research university with a liberal arts and science college in China’s financial capital, the first American university with independent legal status approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education, and the result of a partnership between NYU and Shanghai http://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2011/03/27/nyu-and-shanghai-partner-to-create-nyu-shanghai.html.
In April 2011, at the U.S. State Department's US-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton
specifically cited NYU's announcement about the opening of NYU Shanghai as a cause for celebration, and lauded John Sexton's global vision http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/04/160631.htm.
In June 2008, the NYU published Framework 2031 http://www.nyu.edu/about/framework.2031/, which reviewed and addressed the key issues, concerns, and opportunities the University would confront over the two-plus decades leading to its bicentennial.
Increases in the size of the student body and program development that began to accelerate in the 1990s sparked resistance in the Greenwich Village neighborhood, as community members became upset over NYU's expansion projects (though, in fact, NYU has much less academic square footage per student than other major research universities: NYU has 160 sq ft (14.9 m²). of academic space per student; Columbia has twice that, Harvard has four times as much, and Yale has six times as much). In 2007, NYU began a space planning process with intensive community involvement to provide a roadmap for aligning the University’s academic needs and its growth through 2031 http://www.nyu.edu/nyu.plans.2031/; the process included a number of open houses to provide for community input http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/02/nyregion/02nyu.html. In April 2010, the University publicly shared NYU 2031: NYU in NYC, a long-term, city-wide strategic framework for how and where NYU should develop space for its academic mission. The strategy envisioned the addition of as much as 6000000 sq ft (557,418.2 m²) of space over more than two decades, but recognized that all of NYU's space needs could not be accommodated within its neighborhood; therefore NYU 2031: NYU in NYC called for fully half of the growth to be spread over three locations outside Greenwich Village—along Manhattan's Eastside health corridor, in Downtown Brooklyn, and on Governors Island—and half in or near its core http://www.nyu.edu/nyu2031/nyuinnyc/.
In March 2011, NYU shared updated information on its plans to meet its academic space needs over the coming two decades, and in particular its proposal for the two "superblocks" near its campus core http://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2011/03/16/nyu-prepares-submission-to-begin-public-review-of-nyu-core-expansion-plan.html.
. In 2009, Sexton served as chair of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, vice-chair and chair-designate of the American Council on Education
, and chair of the New York Academy of Sciences
. He is also a member of the board of the Association of American Universities
, a member of the board of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
, and a member of the board of the Institute of International Education
.
In 2008-09, Sexton co-chaired (with Rick Trainor
, the principal of Kings College London) the US-UK Study Group on Higher Education in a Global Environment http://www.international.ac.uk/resources/Final%20Report.pdf, a working group of university presidents constituted by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
.
In August 2008, Sexton was cited in Newsweek
magazine in a piece called “The Campus of the Future” http://www.newsweek.com/id/151686.
In October 2009, Sexton was suggested as a recipient of a prize for leadership on the Washingtonpost.com site http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/panelists/2009/10/nominee-ben-bernanke.html by Paul R. Portney, dean of the Eller College of Management
at the University of Arizona
.
In November 2009, Time (magazine)
named Sexton one of the 10 Best College Presidents http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1937938_1937933_1937915,00.html.
In March 2010, Sexton was named Chair of the American Council on Education
http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Press_Releases2&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=35770
In December 2010, Sexton was cited in the On Leadership section of The Washington Post
for his efforts as president of NYU http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/panelists/2010/12/the-higher-educators-steven-sample-and-john-sexton.html.
In 2011, Sexton led a blue ribbon panel assembled by the American Council on Education
that issued a report on the competitiveness of U.S. universities and the global higher education environment http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News_Room&CONTENTID=43105&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm.
Sexton was interviewed by education scholar David L. Kirp
for chapter four of his book Shakespeare, Einstein, and the Bottom Line: The Marketing of Higher Education ISBN 0-674-01634-3 http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/KIRSHA.html. He was also interviewed by Stephen Nelson about universities and their place in public dialogue for the book Leaders in the Labyrinth ISBN 0-275-99792-8 http://www.greenwood.com/books/printFlyer.aspx?sku=C9792&location=international. And he has discussed issues relating to the academy several times http://www.theopenmind.tv/searcharchive_guest.asp?page=14 on The Open Mind (talk show)
, the National Labor Relations Board
reversed its 2000 ruling involving NYU and – reverting to long-standing prior precedent—determined that graduate students are not workers http://www.nlrb.gov/shared_files/Board%20Decisions/342/342-42.pdf. In the spring and summer of 2005, there were discussions between NYU and the United Auto Workers
(which represented the GAs) to try to come to terms on a new contract. Ultimately, this proved unsuccessful, and NYU decided not to negotiate a second contract http://www.nyu.edu/provost/communications/ga/communications-080505.html with the Graduate Student Organizing Committee
, sparking a strike among graduate assistants in late 2005 and criticism of Sexton. GSOC called off the strike in 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/07/nyregion/07nyu.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=nyu%20strike%20ends&st=cse. In 2009, NYU’s Graduate School of Arts & Science – home to most of the NYU's fully funded graduate students—modified its financial aid packages for graduate students to eliminate assistantship duties; thereafter, graduate students who wished to teach could do so (with additional compensation beyond their graduate study stipends) as adjunct faculty, who are unionized at NYU http://gsas.nyu.edu/page/grad.financialaid.gradfellowships.
(FIRE). FIRE claimed that NYU wrongly (but constitutionally, since NYU is a private school) suppressed the display of Mohammad cartoons in April 2006, which were planned to accompany an event sponsored by an NYU student organization, the Objectivist Club. The student organizers had been given a choice by the University: the cartoons could be displayed, in which case the event would have to be an NYU-only event, open to the 60,000 member NYU community; or the Club could choose not to display the cartoons, in which case the event could be open to the general public as well. The Objectivist Club chose the latter format. In a letter, Sexton challenged FIRE claims http://www.thefire.org/public/pdfs/e13006dd4b0c40bc4b1cfac9b10bc2c4.pdf.
and President of the New York Academy of Sciences
. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
.
In 2002, an endowed professorship – the John Edward Sexton Professorship of Law – was created in his honor at the NYU School of Law.
In 2003, the 60th anniversary edition of NYU’s Annual Survey of American Law was dedicated http://www1.law.nyu.edu/pubs/annualsurvey/dedications/dedication_2003.html to Sexton.
In July 2008, he was named a Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur
.
He has received honorary degrees from Hamilton College, the University of Warwick
in the UK, Fordham University
, St. John's University (New York), the University of Rochester
, St. Francis College, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
, Saint Joseph's College (New York), and the University of Surrey
.
Sexton was named the Brooklyn Prep “Alumnus of the Year” in 1995. And he was selected as the featured speaker Harvard Law School Forum Speaker in 2005 http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/forum/past.html#00.
He is a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association based in New York City.
's New York Times Bestseller Praying for Gil Hodges briefly mentions that Sexton grew up as a Brooklyn Dodgers fan. In fact, Sexton is such a well-known baseball fan that he was an early participant in Rotissere (or Fantasy) Baseball, as a member of the Eddie Gaedel Baseball League. Sexton was one of a number of celebrities who reminisced about their baseball memories on the HBO special Brooklyn Dodgers - Ghosts of Flatbush. In July 2009, Sexton was invited to throw out a first pitch at Washington Nationals Game http://www.nyu.edu/about/video.html?videoName=first.pitch.
In September 2009, he was featured in The New York Times
’ Sunday Routines section. He is a Roman Catholic.
In March 2010, he was interviewed by Bill Moyers
on the PBS Public Broadcasting Service
show Bill Moyers Journalhttp://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/03122010/profile.html.
In May 2010, he was the subject of a NY1
profile on One on 1 with Budd Mishkin
.http://www.ny1.com/content/features/one_on_1/118402/-i-one-on-1---i--john-sexton-expands-on-life-s-lessons/
His wife, Lisa E. Goldberg, president of the Charles H. Revson Foundation
, died suddenly of an brain aneurysm on January 21, 2007 at age 54 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/24/nyregion/24goldberg.html.
He has a son, Jed, and a daughter, Katie. Jed is married to Danielle DeCrette and has three daughters: Julia, Ava, and Natalie. Sexton also has a dog, LEGS.
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, having held this position since May 17, 2002, and the Benjamin Butler Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law
New York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
. From 1988 to 2002, he served as Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the NYU School of Law, which during his deanship became one of the top five law schools in the country according to U.S. News and World Report. From January 1, 2003 to January 1, 2007, he was the Chairman of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is one of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks of the United States. It is located at 33 Liberty Street, New York, NY. It is responsible for the Second District of the Federal Reserve System, which encompasses New York state, the 12 northern counties of New Jersey,...
; in 2006, he served as chair of the Federal Reserve System's Council of Chairs.
Education and early career
Sexton graduated from Brooklyn Prep, a Jesuit high school, in 1959 (it closed in 1972). He holds a B.A. in history (1963), an M.A.Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in comparative religion (1965), a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in history of American religion (1978) from Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, as well as a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(1979) magna cum laude from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, where he was Supreme Court Editor of the Harvard Law Review
Harvard Law Review
The Harvard Law Review is a journal of legal scholarship published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School.-Overview:According to the 2008 Journal Citation Reports, the Review is the most cited law review and has the second-highest impact factor in the category "law" after the...
.
From 1966 to 1975, he taught religion at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY, where he was chair of the Religion Department.
From 1961 to 1975, Sexton coached the debate team at St. Brendan's High School, a Catholic girls' school in Brooklyn, NY, leading the team to five national championships and numerous invitational titles. He was named to the National Forensic League
National Forensic League
The National Forensic League is a non-partisan, non-profit educational honor society established to encourage and motivate American high school students to participate in and become proficient in the forensic arts: debate, public speaking and interpretation. NFL is the America's oldest and largest...
Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005, the Barkley Forum
Barkley Forum
The Barkley Forum, named after Emory alumnus and former United States Vice-President Alben W. Barkley, is the intercollegiate debate and forensics organization at Emory University. Debate at Emory began in the 1830s...
at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
presented him with a Golden Anniversary Coaching Award recognizing him as a top high school debate coach of the past 50 years. Still an avid proponent of interscholastic debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
, he is chairman of the board of ALOUD, the Associated Leaders of Urban Debate, which seeks to bring debate activities to underserved communities in America's urban areas
After graduating from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, he clerked for Harold Leventhal (judge)
Harold Leventhal (judge)
Harold Leventhal was a United States federal judge.Leventhal was born in New York City, New York. He received an A.B. from Columbia University in 1934. He received an LL.B. from Columbia Law School in 1936. He was a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court justices Harlan Fiske Stone and Stanley Forman Reed...
and David L. Bazelon
David L. Bazelon
David Lionel Bazelon was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.-Early life, education, and career:...
of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit known informally as the D.C. Circuit, is the federal appellate court for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Appeals from the D.C. Circuit, as with all the U.S. Courts of Appeals, are heard on a...
in 1979-80, and he clerked for Chief Justice of the United States
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
Warren E. Burger
Warren E. Burger
Warren Earl Burger was the 15th Chief Justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Although Burger had conservative leanings, the U.S...
in 1980-81.
Faculty Member
Sexton joined the faculty of the New York University School of LawNew York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
in 1981; he received tenure in 1983.
Sexton has written several books and many articles, including Redefining the Supreme Court's Role: A Theory of Managing the Federal Judicial Process ISBN 0-300-03734-1 (with Samuel Estreicher
Samuel Estreicher
Samuel Estreicher is Dwight D. Opperman Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, director of its Center for Labor and Employment and co-director of its Opperman Institute of Judicial Administration...
(Yale University Press
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
, 1986)), and the 141-page A Managerial Theory of the Supreme Court's Responsibilities: An Empirical Study published in the NYU Law Review
NYU Law Review
The New York University Law Review is a law review edited and published by students at New York University School of Law.- Overview :The New York University Law Review was founded in 1924 as a collaborative effort between law students and members of the local bar...
in October 1984. This book and study were the centerpiece of a national debate over the creation of a new intermediate court to fit between the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
and the state supreme courts and the United States courts of appeals
United States courts of appeals
The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system...
.
Sexton co-edited Civil Procedure: Cases and Materials ISBN 0-314-25329-7 (along with John Cound, Jack Friedenthal, Helen Hershkoff, and Arthur R. Miller
Arthur R. Miller
Arthur Raphael Miller is a leading scholar in the field of American civil procedure and a University Professor at New York University. Before that he was the Bruce Bromley Professor of Law at Harvard Law School , after being on the faculties of the University of Michigan and the University of...
) a widely used textbook on civil procedure
Civil procedure
Civil procedure is the body of law that sets out the rules and standards that courts follow when adjudicating civil lawsuits...
.
Dean of the New York University School of Law
In 1988, Sexton was named dean of the New York University School of LawNew York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
, succeeding Norman Redlich
Norman Redlich
Norman Redlich was an American lawyer and academic. As a lawyer he is best remembered for his pioneering work in establishing a system of pro bono defense for inmates in New York State who did not have the finances for a lawyer...
. During his deanship, NYU’s School of Law rose to number five in the U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
rankings of law schools; an emphasis on faculty recruitment reduced the student faculty ratio from 19:1 to 12:1; the Hauser Global Law School Program http://www.law.nyu.edu/global/index.htm was established; the school became among the most selective in the U.S. (average LSAT scores rose from the 94th to the 97th percentile; average GPAs rose from 3.54. to 3.66); and in 1998 the school completed the then-largest fundraising campaign in the history of legal education ($185 million). In 2000, Kent D. Syverud
Kent D. Syverud
Kent Syverud is an American legal scholar. He is currently dean of the Washington University School of Law and the Ethan A. H. Shepley University Professor. Syverud previously served as Dean of the Vanderbilt University Law School from 1997 to 2005, where he was the Garner Anthony Professor of Law...
, then-dean of the Vanderbilt University Law School
Vanderbilt University Law School
Vanderbilt University Law School is a graduate school of Vanderbilt University. Established in 1874, it is one of the oldest law schools in the southern United States. Vanderbilt Law has consistently ranked among the top 20 law schools in the nation, and is currently ranked 16th in the 2012...
, called John Sexton the most effective dean of his generation http://www.utlaw.edu/students/lawreview/volumes/v31n4/syverud.html.
President of New York University
Sexton was named the 15th president of New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
by NYU's Board of Trustees on May 8, 2001, about two months after then-President L. Jay Oliva announced that he was stepping down. "I am a very fortunate man," Sexton told the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
in an article published the next day. He assumed the post of president on May 17, 2002, one day after the 2002 All-University Commencement, and his official installation occurred on September 26, 2002. In 2009, NYU’s Board of Trustees asked him to stay on as president until 2016, and Sexton accepted.
In addition to his duties as president, Sexton actively teaches; in 2008-09, he taught two courses for NYU undergraduates – a fall freshman seminar on the Supreme Court’s church and state cases, and a spring class for upperclassmen called “Baseball as a Road to God” (which he discussed at length in a conversation on Bill Moyers Journal)http://video.pbs.org/video/1439361363. In addition, he taught a year-long course on the American Constitution, religion, and government for the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces .-Political and business career:...
Scholars Program (outstanding undergraduate students in United Arab Emirates’ institutions of higher learning who are selected for special academic and leadership opportunities).
During his presidency, NYU has been named the “number one dream school” four times by The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...
. In 2009, a record number of prospective students applied to NYU for freshman admission http://www.nyu.edu/public.affairs/releases/detail/2453.
As president, Sexton has written a number of “Reflections” on the nature of higher education and challenges facing universities http://www.nyu.edu/about/sexton-writings.appearances.html. He has also discussed the nature of the university extensively on The Open Mind (TV series) http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=mediatype%3Amovies%20AND%20collection%3Aopen_mind%20AND%20subject%3A%22John%20Sexton%22.
He appeared as a guest on The Colbert Report on December 6, 2006; during his time in the studio, he gave Mr. Colbert one of his famous hugs http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/79178/december-06-2006/john-sexton.
In May 2010, Sexton was profiled by Bloomberg Businessweek in an article that focused on his priorities for New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_23/b4181072514193.htm.
In its 25th anniversary issue in June 2010, Crains New York Business named Sexton one of its 25 People to Watch http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=CN&Date=20100606&Category=ANNIVERSARY&ArtNo=606009999&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=21.
In July 2010, he appeared on Charlie Rose (talk show)
Charlie Rose (talk show)
Charlie Rose is an American television interview show, with Charlie Rose as executive producer, executive editor, and host. The show is syndicated...
to discuss the global network university, NYU's Abu Dhabi campus, and the state of public discourse, among other topics http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11134.
Expanding the Arts and Science Faculty
In 2004, Sexton announced a program – the Partners Plan - to expand tenured and tenure-track faculty in the arts and sciences by 20 percent http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE4DC1638F934A1575AC0A9629C8B63, the largest such expansion in the University's history. As of fall 2009, faculty hires under the Partners Plan included totaled 245, including 124 hires to replace departing faculty and 121 new hires to expand the arts and science faculty.Fundraising: The Campaign for NYU
In 2008, NYU successfully finished what was then the largest completed fundraising campaign in higher education http://www.nyu.edu/public.affairs/releases/detail/2339. The Campaign for NYU, with a stated goal of raising $2.5 billion, ultimately raised over $3 billion. In 2009, NYU’s fundraising continued to exceed $1 million per day in spite of the economic crisis.The Global Network University
In October 2007, NYU announced http://chronicle.com/article/Abu-Dhabi-Will-Get-Its-Own-/89/ the creation of NYU Abu Dhabi http://nyuad.nyu.edu/index.html, the first such campus to be operated abroad by a major research university. The school, which the university is referring to as the “world’s honors college” http://nyuad.nyu.edu/about/index.html, is recruiting top students and faculty from around the world http://nyuad.nyu.edu/about/faq.html#academics, and will begin classes in the fall of 2010. NYU Abu Dhabi is led by Vice Chancellor Al Bloom, who took on the post in 2009 after 18 years as president of Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/nyregion/30nyu.html. NYU Abu Dhabi recruited an outstandingly strong first freshman class, which was notable for its selectivity (189 students were accepted out of 9,048 applicants worldwide (an acceptance rate of 2.1 percent), with a 79.4 percent yield), its geographic diversity (the class of 150 students will include students from 39 countries on six continents), and the academic qualifications of its students (at the classes’ 75th percentile, the SAT critical reading score was 770 (ranking it fifth among US universities) and the math score was 780 (ranking it sixth); the median SAT score (on the 1600 scale) was 1470). The recruitment of the class was reported on in an article in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
on June 21, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/education/21nyu.html?ref=education
During Sexton’s presidency, the percentage of NYU students studying abroad has increased to over 40 percent, and the Institute for International Education recognized NYU as sending more students abroad than any other US university http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=131592. The number of Study Abroad sites doubled, including the first sites in Asia and Africa. In fall 2009, NYU opened its latest site in Tel Aviv. In addition to its portal campus in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, NYU currently operated ten Global sites on five continents http://www.nyu.edu/global.network/our.programs/semesterlong.academicyear.html. In addition to its global sites, individual NYU schools and programs operate some two dozen international programs, including NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
’ TischAsia in Singapore http://www.tischasia.nyu.edu.sg/page/home.html. The Stern School of Business implemented global components in its undergraduate curriculum http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/uc/prospectivestudent/scholarsprogram.cfm?doc_id=7480. And the NYU School of Law established an LL.M. joint degree program http://www.law.nyu.edu/llmjsd/llmsingapore/index.htm with the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
.
Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine carried a Q+A with Sexton about the Abu Dhabi campus in August 2008 http://www.newsweek.com/id/153330. In August 2009, Sexton discussed the emergence of NYU as a Global Network University in an interview http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111931436 on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition – Sunday with David Greene, as well as in two articles http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090717/REVIEW/707169966 in Abu Dhabi’s English-language newspaper, The National (AbuDhabi). He also discussed the idea of the Global Network University at length in late 2009 with Richard Heffner
Richard Heffner
Richard Douglas Heffner is the creator and host of The Open Mind, a public affairs television show first broadcast in 1956. He is a University Professor of Communications and Public Policy at Rutgers University and also teaches an honors seminar at New York University...
on The Open Mind (TV series) http://www.nyu.edu/about/leadership-university-administration/office-of-the-president/redirect/multimedia.html. "The New Global University" was a topic of the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
's Going Global conference in March 2010, at which Sexton was invited to speak http://chronicle.com/article/Education-Leaders-Gather-in/64843/.
At the events marking the announcement of Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
as NYU's first Global Distinguished Leader in Residence in December 2010, he discussed the Global Network University concept at length http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/nyregion/15brown.html?scp=1&sq=NYU%20brown&st=cse.
In March 2011, NAFSA: Association of International Educators
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
NAFSA: Association of International Educators is a non-profit professional organization for professionals in all areas of international education including education abroad advising and administration, international student advising, campus internationalization, admissions, outreach, overseas...
recognized NYU with its Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization http://www.nafsa.org/about/default.aspx?id=16295, and Fast Company (magazine)
Fast Company (magazine)
Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and reports on topics including innovation, digital media, technology, change management, leadership, design, and social responsibility...
named NYU #1 on its list of education innovators, citing the opening of NYU Abu Dhabi http://www.fastcompany.com/1738940/the-10-most-innovative-companies-in-education.
On March 28, 2011, the University made an important announcement that marked a major new step in the evolution of NYU as a Global Network University: the creation of NYU Shanghai, a comprehensive research university with a liberal arts and science college in China’s financial capital, the first American university with independent legal status approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education, and the result of a partnership between NYU and Shanghai http://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2011/03/27/nyu-and-shanghai-partner-to-create-nyu-shanghai.html.
In April 2011, at the U.S. State Department's US-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
specifically cited NYU's announcement about the opening of NYU Shanghai as a cause for celebration, and lauded John Sexton's global vision http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/04/160631.htm.
Enhancing the Undergraduate Experience at NYU
Both Sexton’s own transition reports http://www.nyu.edu/transition.team/final.report/ and the Middle States Accreditation Report http://www.nyu.edu/nyutoday/article/1065 cited the need to enhance the experience of NYU undergraduates. Since Sexton’s appointment, NYU put in place the award-winning http://www.naspa.org/programs/awards/excwin.cfm?y=2005 24/7 Wellness Exchange http://www.nyu.edu/999/index.html, specialized programming in student dorms http://www.nyu.edu/residential.education/community/FYRE.html http://www.nyu.edu/residential.education/community/explorations.html http://www.nyu.edu/residential.education/community/rescollege.html, and novel resources to assist students http://www.nyu.edu/src/. In addition, NYU’s Student Health Center http://www.nyu.edu/shc/ has been a pioneer in depression screening among college students http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/05/29/depression.Improved Planning -- Framework 2031, and NYU 2031: NYU in NYC
In 2002, Sexton’s transition teams identified the need for improved and better coordinated planning http://www.nyu.edu/transition.team/final.report/.In June 2008, the NYU published Framework 2031 http://www.nyu.edu/about/framework.2031/, which reviewed and addressed the key issues, concerns, and opportunities the University would confront over the two-plus decades leading to its bicentennial.
Increases in the size of the student body and program development that began to accelerate in the 1990s sparked resistance in the Greenwich Village neighborhood, as community members became upset over NYU's expansion projects (though, in fact, NYU has much less academic square footage per student than other major research universities: NYU has 160 sq ft (14.9 m²). of academic space per student; Columbia has twice that, Harvard has four times as much, and Yale has six times as much). In 2007, NYU began a space planning process with intensive community involvement to provide a roadmap for aligning the University’s academic needs and its growth through 2031 http://www.nyu.edu/nyu.plans.2031/; the process included a number of open houses to provide for community input http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/02/nyregion/02nyu.html. In April 2010, the University publicly shared NYU 2031: NYU in NYC, a long-term, city-wide strategic framework for how and where NYU should develop space for its academic mission. The strategy envisioned the addition of as much as 6000000 sq ft (557,418.2 m²) of space over more than two decades, but recognized that all of NYU's space needs could not be accommodated within its neighborhood; therefore NYU 2031: NYU in NYC called for fully half of the growth to be spread over three locations outside Greenwich Village—along Manhattan's Eastside health corridor, in Downtown Brooklyn, and on Governors Island—and half in or near its core http://www.nyu.edu/nyu2031/nyuinnyc/.
In March 2011, NYU shared updated information on its plans to meet its academic space needs over the coming two decades, and in particular its proposal for the two "superblocks" near its campus core http://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2011/03/16/nyu-prepares-submission-to-begin-public-review-of-nyu-core-expansion-plan.html.
Leadership in higher education
Sexton has held a number of leadership positions in major higher education organizations. While Dean of the NYU School of Law, Sexton served as president of the Association of American Law SchoolsAssociation of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
. In 2009, Sexton served as chair of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, vice-chair and chair-designate of the American Council on Education
American Council on Education
The American Council on Education is a United States organization, established in 1918, comprising over 1,800 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher education-related associations, organizations, and corporations....
, and chair of the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
. He is also a member of the board of the Association of American Universities
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education...
, a member of the board of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
Founded in 1976, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities is an organization of private US colleges and universities...
, and a member of the board of the Institute of International Education
Institute of International Education
Institute of International Education - is a non-profit organization promoting international exchange of education and training. It was established in 1919 and is based in the USA....
.
In 2008-09, Sexton co-chaired (with Rick Trainor
Rick Trainor
Professor Sir Richard Hughes "Rick" Trainor KBE FRHS FKC is the current Principal of King's College London.-Biography:...
, the principal of Kings College London) the US-UK Study Group on Higher Education in a Global Environment http://www.international.ac.uk/resources/Final%20Report.pdf, a working group of university presidents constituted by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
.
In August 2008, Sexton was cited in Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine in a piece called “The Campus of the Future” http://www.newsweek.com/id/151686.
In October 2009, Sexton was suggested as a recipient of a prize for leadership on the Washingtonpost.com site http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/panelists/2009/10/nominee-ben-bernanke.html by Paul R. Portney, dean of the Eller College of Management
Eller College of Management
The Eller College of Management is a business and public administration school at the University of Arizona located in Tucson, Arizona. The Eller College of Management began in 1913 as bachelor's degree program in commerce before becoming the University of Arizona School of Business and Public...
at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
.
In November 2009, Time (magazine)
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
named Sexton one of the 10 Best College Presidents http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1937938_1937933_1937915,00.html.
In March 2010, Sexton was named Chair of the American Council on Education
American Council on Education
The American Council on Education is a United States organization, established in 1918, comprising over 1,800 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher education-related associations, organizations, and corporations....
http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Press_Releases2&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=35770
In December 2010, Sexton was cited in the On Leadership section of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
for his efforts as president of NYU http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/panelists/2010/12/the-higher-educators-steven-sample-and-john-sexton.html.
In 2011, Sexton led a blue ribbon panel assembled by the American Council on Education
American Council on Education
The American Council on Education is a United States organization, established in 1918, comprising over 1,800 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher education-related associations, organizations, and corporations....
that issued a report on the competitiveness of U.S. universities and the global higher education environment http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News_Room&CONTENTID=43105&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm.
Sexton was interviewed by education scholar David L. Kirp
David L. Kirp
David L. Kirp, is a professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, former member of the Barack Obama Presidential Transition Team and author. His research has explored a wide range of social policy domains, including primary and higher education, race...
for chapter four of his book Shakespeare, Einstein, and the Bottom Line: The Marketing of Higher Education ISBN 0-674-01634-3 http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/KIRSHA.html. He was also interviewed by Stephen Nelson about universities and their place in public dialogue for the book Leaders in the Labyrinth ISBN 0-275-99792-8 http://www.greenwood.com/books/printFlyer.aspx?sku=C9792&location=international. And he has discussed issues relating to the academy several times http://www.theopenmind.tv/searcharchive_guest.asp?page=14 on The Open Mind (talk show)
The Open Mind (talk show)
The Open Mind is a long-running half-hour public affairs interview show. First broadcast in May 1956 over WRCA television in New York City, it currently originates from the studios of the CUNY Graduate Center and airs on public broadcasting stations nationwide...
Grad student labor dispute
In recent years, there has been controversy at NYU over the issue of collective bargaining and union representation for graduate assistants (GAs). In 2001, NYU signed the first and only collective bargaining agreement for GAs at a private university http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/30/nyregion/nyu-and-union-agree-on-graduate-student-pay.html?scp=3&sq=nyu+union&st=nyt. In July 2004 in a case involving Brown UniversityBrown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, the National Labor Relations Board
National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board is an independent agency of the United States government charged with conducting elections for labor union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices. Unfair labor practices may involve union-related situations or instances of...
reversed its 2000 ruling involving NYU and – reverting to long-standing prior precedent—determined that graduate students are not workers http://www.nlrb.gov/shared_files/Board%20Decisions/342/342-42.pdf. In the spring and summer of 2005, there were discussions between NYU and the United Auto Workers
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...
(which represented the GAs) to try to come to terms on a new contract. Ultimately, this proved unsuccessful, and NYU decided not to negotiate a second contract http://www.nyu.edu/provost/communications/ga/communications-080505.html with the Graduate Student Organizing Committee
Graduate Student Organizing Committee
The Graduate Student Organizing Committee is a labor union representing graduate teaching and research assistants at New York University ....
, sparking a strike among graduate assistants in late 2005 and criticism of Sexton. GSOC called off the strike in 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/07/nyregion/07nyu.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=nyu%20strike%20ends&st=cse. In 2009, NYU’s Graduate School of Arts & Science – home to most of the NYU's fully funded graduate students—modified its financial aid packages for graduate students to eliminate assistantship duties; thereafter, graduate students who wished to teach could do so (with additional compensation beyond their graduate study stipends) as adjunct faculty, who are unionized at NYU http://gsas.nyu.edu/page/grad.financialaid.gradfellowships.
Free speech dispute
During Sexton’s presidency, NYU also became involved in a disagreement with the Foundation for Individual Rights in EducationFoundation for Individual Rights in Education
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is a non-profit group founded in 1999 and focused on civil liberties in academia in the United States...
(FIRE). FIRE claimed that NYU wrongly (but constitutionally, since NYU is a private school) suppressed the display of Mohammad cartoons in April 2006, which were planned to accompany an event sponsored by an NYU student organization, the Objectivist Club. The student organizers had been given a choice by the University: the cartoons could be displayed, in which case the event would have to be an NYU-only event, open to the 60,000 member NYU community; or the Club could choose not to display the cartoons, in which case the event could be open to the general public as well. The Objectivist Club chose the latter format. In a letter, Sexton challenged FIRE claims http://www.thefire.org/public/pdfs/e13006dd4b0c40bc4b1cfac9b10bc2c4.pdf.
Honors
Sexton is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
and President of the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
.
In 2002, an endowed professorship – the John Edward Sexton Professorship of Law – was created in his honor at the NYU School of Law.
In 2003, the 60th anniversary edition of NYU’s Annual Survey of American Law was dedicated http://www1.law.nyu.edu/pubs/annualsurvey/dedications/dedication_2003.html to Sexton.
In July 2008, he was named a Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
He has received honorary degrees from Hamilton College, the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
in the UK, Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, St. John's University (New York), the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, St. Francis College, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a Dutch-speaking university in Flanders, Belgium.It is located at the centre of the historic town of Leuven, and is a prominent part of the city, home to the university since 1425...
, Saint Joseph's College (New York), and the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
.
Sexton was named the Brooklyn Prep “Alumnus of the Year” in 1995. And he was selected as the featured speaker Harvard Law School Forum Speaker in 2005 http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/forum/past.html#00.
He is a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association based in New York City.
Personal life
Thomas OliphantThomas Oliphant
Thomas "Tom" Oliphant is an American journalist who was the Washington correspondent and a columnist for the Boston Globe. - Life and career :...
's New York Times Bestseller Praying for Gil Hodges briefly mentions that Sexton grew up as a Brooklyn Dodgers fan. In fact, Sexton is such a well-known baseball fan that he was an early participant in Rotissere (or Fantasy) Baseball, as a member of the Eddie Gaedel Baseball League. Sexton was one of a number of celebrities who reminisced about their baseball memories on the HBO special Brooklyn Dodgers - Ghosts of Flatbush. In July 2009, Sexton was invited to throw out a first pitch at Washington Nationals Game http://www.nyu.edu/about/video.html?videoName=first.pitch.
In September 2009, he was featured in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
’ Sunday Routines section. He is a Roman Catholic.
In March 2010, he was interviewed by Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson Administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public...
on the PBS Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
show Bill Moyers Journalhttp://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/03122010/profile.html.
In May 2010, he was the subject of a NY1
NY1
NY1, New York One, is a 24-hour cable-news television channel focusing on the five boroughs of New York City. In addition to news and weather forecasts, the channel also features human-interest segments such as the "New Yorker of the Week" and the "Scholar Athlete of the Week", and specialty...
profile on One on 1 with Budd Mishkin
Budd Mishkin
Budd Mishkin is a television host and correspondent for New York's 24-hour news network, NY1.He hosts the weekly series "One on 1 with Budd Mishkin," in which he interviews and profiles prominent New Yorkers with significant connections to the city...
.http://www.ny1.com/content/features/one_on_1/118402/-i-one-on-1---i--john-sexton-expands-on-life-s-lessons/
His wife, Lisa E. Goldberg, president of the Charles H. Revson Foundation
Charles H. Revson Foundation
The Charles H. Revson Foundation was founded in 1956 by Charles H. Revson, the founding President of Revlon Cosmetics as a vehicle for his charitable giving. Mr. Revson willed half his estate to the Foundation upon his death. -Background:...
, died suddenly of an brain aneurysm on January 21, 2007 at age 54 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/24/nyregion/24goldberg.html.
He has a son, Jed, and a daughter, Katie. Jed is married to Danielle DeCrette and has three daughters: Julia, Ava, and Natalie. Sexton also has a dog, LEGS.