Amy J. Wildermuth, Professor of Law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, has been appointed associate vice president for faculty at the U. She succeeds Susan Olson, who stepped down June 30. Wildermuth has degrees in engineering, law, and the humanities—and leadership experience as a law professor and lawyer. The position of AVP calls for someone who can interpret University policies such as those governing retention, promotion, and tenure; sabbaticals and leaves; and auxiliary faculty reviews. The AVP represents the administration on the Academic Senate Executive Committee and also facilitates resolutions when parties disagree. “The opportunity to be part of the University of Utah’s administration team is one that comes along only rarely,” Wildermuth said. “Indeed, there are many exciting issues on the horizon for the University. I would like to be part of those developments.”
Wildermuth served as a visiting professor at the law school in 2001-2002, and returned in 2003 after clerking for Justice John Paul Stevens on the U.S. Supreme Court. She received a masters degree in environmental engineering and earned her law degree from the University of Illinois. She also earned undergraduate degrees in history and in engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. At the U, she teaches and writes on administrative law, civil procedure, environmental law, and property law. She also is involved with the Wallace Stegner Center and is a member of the executive committee for the new Global Change and Ecosystem Center. Her research and scholarship have focused on the intersection of law, science, and culture. At the College of Law, she was the recipient of the 2007 S.J. Quinney Early Career Faculty Award, the 2008 Jackie Chiles Society’s Professor of the Year, the 2009 Peter W. Billings Excellence in Teaching Award, and the 2011 S.J. Quinney Faculty Service Award.