Described as “tough-minded,” Minow has proved in the past year—and in her 30 years on the Law School faculty—her willingness her to “fight for things that she thinks are important,” Law School professor John F. Manning ’82 says.

One of only a handful of female professor when she joined the Law School faculty in 1981, Minow has since pushed through various changes—she spearheaded the overhaul of a century-old curriculum at the Law School under Kagan—and established herself as a thoughtful listener as well as an effective doer.

“You don’t come here in the early 80s as a diminutive young woman and succeed the way she succeeded without being pretty tough,” Jackson says. “You can say she’s conciliatory, or you can say she’s from Chicago and she knows how to get things done.”

STAYING IN TOUCH

Minow’s academic bent has been reflected in her vision for the school’s future, as she hopes to shape the curriculum by drawing from multiple disciplines and linking them more closely to the practice of law.

“She is very strongly committed to the idea that the school should be very in touch with the world of practice,” Coates says.

While the Law School has traditionally served as a pipeline for students to prestigious corporate positions, the recent financial crisis resulted in a steep decline in job offers and provided an impetus to rethink the role of the profession.

Echoing a broader trend in the University, Minow’s own resume follows an interdisciplinary approach that is gaining increasing currency in the academic world.

She received a masters degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she continues to lecture, and has taught classes at Harvard College.

As dean, Minow has prioritized the integration of the Law School with other parts of the University by facilitating cross-school teaching and exploring future avenues for collaboration with Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School.

The recent appointment of Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed to a joint position at the Law School, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is emblematic of Minow’s efforts to build intellectual bridges.

“My sense is that Martha would be really supportive of ways to get faculty here collaborating with other schools,” Bordone says.

MINOW AS SCHOLAR

Despite Minow’s administrative agenda, she has managed to uphold her commitment to teaching and intellectual pursuits.

“It seems one of her goals is to be dean without giving up being an academic,” Manning says. “She thinks of teaching and writing as part of her job.”