Biography: Dean Claudio M. Grossman
Claudio Grossman is Professor of Law and Dean of American University Washington College of Law (WCL) and the Raymond Geraldson Scholar for International and Humanitarian Law. Since his appointment as dean in 1995, WCL has further developed its intellectual creativity, pursuing numerous and exciting initiatives. For example, more than 25 full-time faculty members have been hired, dramatically improving the law school's student-faculty ratio and expanding and enhancing scholarship, teaching and service. New WCL programs have been developed during Dean Grossman's tenure including: dual JD Programs with institutions in Canada, France and Spain, the LL.M. in Law and Government Program, the Supervised Externship Program, the S.J.D. Program, new LL.M. specializations in Gender and the Law and in Free Trade Agreements and Regional Integration, summer and semester abroad programs, the International Arbitration Program, a new Intellectual Property Program, as well as new clinics in IP, Disability Rights Law, and an evening section of the Civil Practice Clinic, and integrated sections in the first year so as to promote interconnectedness among the different law courses.
Dean Grossman was elected Chair of the United Nations Committee against Torture in April 2008, where he has been a member since 2003 and previously served as Vice Chair (2003-2008). He is also a member of the Commission for the Control of Interpol's Files (since February 2005) as well as Chair of the Committee on International Cooperation of the Association of American Law Schools. In May 2009, Dean Grossman was named to the judging panel for the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights.
Dean Grossman served as President of the College of the Americas (COLAM), an organization of colleges and universities in the Western Hemisphere, from November 2003-November 2007. He was also a member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) from 1993-2001. He was twice elected its President, first in 1996 and again in 2001. He also served twice as the IACHR's First Vice President (2000-2001, 1995-1996) and Second Vice President (1999-2000). He was the IACHR's Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women (1996-2000), Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Populations (2000-2001), and Observer of the AMIA Trial (2001-2005). Representing the IACHR, Dean Grossman participated in missions to Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru, among others. On behalf of international and non-governmental organizations, he has also chaired or participated in missions to observe elections in Nepal, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Romania, Surinam, and the Middle East.
Dean Grossman is the author of numerous publications regarding international law and human rights (see http://www.wcl.american.edu/dean/cv.cfm). He has also received numerous awards for his work with human rights and international law, including the René Cassin Award from B'nai B'rith International in Chile and the Harry LeRoy Jones Award from the Washington Foreign Law Society. In October 2000, Dean Grossman was named Outstanding Dean of the Year by the National Association of Public Interest Law (now known as Equal Justice Works). In addition, the Inter American Press Association named Dean Grossman as the recipient of the Chapultepec Grand Prize 2002 for his achievements in the field of human rights and his work and commitment to promoting and protecting the freedom of expression and of the press for all people. In 2007, Dean Grossman received the Simón Bolívar Award from the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in recognition of his lifetime achievements in promoting human rights, and the Charles Norberg International Lawyer of the Year Award from the Washington, D.C. chapter of the Inter-American Bar Association.
Dean Grossman is a member of numerous associations, including the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights, for which he is a member of the Board of Directors.
Office of the Dean
Suite 366
Phone: 202-274-4004
Fax: 202-274-4005