February 25, 2000
Human rights authority honored with Brotman law professorship
An expert on international human rights law, Joan Fitzpatrick, has been named the holder of a new endowed professorship at the University of Washington School of Law.
Fitzpatrick’s appointment to the Jeffrey and Susan Brotman Endowed Professorship will be celebrated at a March 8 ceremony and inaugural lecture at the Law School (Condon Hall 109/129, 3:30 p.m.).
Author of two books and dozens of articles on international law, refugee law and the death penalty, Fitzpatrick is a Harvard law graduate who joined the UW faculty in 1984. She recently was in the news as a commentator on the immigration cases of 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez and hundreds of smuggled Chinese refugees.
She is the first woman to hold an endowed professorship at the UW Law School.
The donors are longtime UW supporters. Jeffrey Brotman, the founder and chairman of Costco Inc., earned his law degree from the UW in 1967 and has been a regent since 1998. His wife, Susan Brotman, chaired the UW Foundation in 1995-96 and serves on its board.
Law School Dean Roland Hjorth said the Brotmans’ gift has special meaning for him because Jeff Brotman was one of his students.
“I have observed his success in law and later in business with much satisfaction,” Hjorth said, “knowing that his success would result in public good.”
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For more information, contact Fitzpatrick at (206) 543-9368 or fitzp@u.washington.edu, or Paula Littlewood, the Law School’s assistant dean for administration and public relations, at (206) 685-1998 or pcl@u.washington.edu.
