Professor Ann Shalleck Retires After 39 Years at American University Washington College of Law
Celebrating the legacy of Professor Ann Shalleck, champion of equality and social progressivism.
After 39 years at American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL), Professor Anne Shalleck taught her final class Wednesday morning. Students and faculty lined the hallways of the school, celebrating Shalleck’s years of instruction, guidance, and mentorship.
During her nearly four decades of work at AUWCL, Shalleck instructed students as a Clinical Lecturer, Associate Professor, and as a Professor of Law. She was also the director of the Women and the Law program.
“I love law teaching. I love my job,” Shalleck said. “I feel so fortunate to have entered this field and to have had the opportunities that I’ve had.”
Shalleck was instrumental in developing the clinical law program into one of the top clinical law programs in the entire country. During her career, Shalleck co-authored Transforming the Education of Lawyers: The Theory and Practice of Clinical Education and received several awards for her work, including the Association of American Law Schools “William Pincus Award” for outstanding contributions to the cause of clinical legal education and the Clinical Legal Education Association’s “Outstanding Advocate for Clinical Teachers” award.
Shalleck’s career at American University Washington College of Law began in 1984 when she was given “the enormous opportunity” of creating the Women and the Law program, which was created to expand on AUWCL’s commitment toward inclusion that has defined the school since its creation.
Thanks to Shalleck’s vision and leadership, the program ranks among the best programs in the country for preparing lawyers to fight for social equality and defeat gender-based inequality. In the Women and Law program’s success, Shalleck said there is a message for aspiring students: "[Have] the confidence, the skill, to look at the world creatively, openly, critically and with a sense of risk-taking."
Through years of hard work and dedication, Professor Ann Shalleck leaves American University Washington College of Law as a champion of equality and a with legacy of social progressivism.
To see photos of the retirement celebration, click here.
~Story by Brice Helms.