Battaglia, Lynne A.

Bogen, David S.

Hornstein, Alan D.

Reynolds, William

NELLCO Consortium Legal Scholarship Repository

Tributes to Dean James Forsyth

Digital Commons @ UM Law

Maryland Law ReviewVolume 69 | Issue 1 Article 3Tributes to Dean James ForsythLynne A. BattagliaWilliam ReynoldsDavid S. BogenAlan D. HornsteinFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/mlrPart of the Biography CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Academic Journals at DigitalCommons@UM Carey Law. It has been accepted forinclusion in Maryland Law Review by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UM Carey Law. For more information, please contactsmccarty@law.umaryland.edu.Recommended CitationLynne A. Battaglia, William Reynolds, David S. Bogen, & Alan D. Hornstein, Tributes to Dean James Forsyth , 69 Md. L. Rev. 1 (2009)Available at: http://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/mlr/vol69/iss1/3\\server05\productn\M\MLR\69-1\MLR101.txt unknown Seq: 1 25-NOV-09 7:56MARYLAND LAW REVIEWVOLUME 69 2009 NUMBER 1 Copyright Maryland Law Review 2009TributesTRIBUTES TO DEAN JAMES FORSYTHMY MENTOR, MY FRIENDLYNNE A. BATTAGLIA*In the spring of 1971, I was seriously conflicted about whether togo to law school or complete graduate work, so I ventured to Balti-more for the first time to meet with the Registrar, James Forsyth.  Thatmeeting helped me make up my mind to become a lawyer—a decisionthat I have celebrated during the richness of my career.  Thus, JimForsyth, in his role then and now as my “wise advisor,” is responsiblefor whatever I have done or will do.Jim’s obvious gifts manifest in his wise advice.  He has been to menot only a coach, but a technical mentor, consultant, and counsel.His coaching, of course, led me to become a law student.  Hiswords of encouragement are vivid to me.  In 1971, there were few wo-men in law school—as we have discovered in the Finding Justice pro-ject—and the Women’s Movement had just begun, so mentors werefew and far between.  Jim’s support made all the difference—he reallydid not see any gender disparity.With respect to his technical advice, during all of the years I havebeen an adjunct professor, teaching various courses at the Universityof Maryland School of Law, Jim has been stalwart in providing infor-mation on all aspects of teaching, even the mundane.  How could Itape a student performance?  What should I do when a member of thecleaning staff came into my class, while it was being held at a tempo-Copyright  2009 by Lynne A. Battaglia.* Lynne A. Battaglia, Judge, Court of Appeals of Maryland, 3d Appellate Circuit.1\\server05\productn\M\MLR\69-1\MLR101.txt unknown Seq: 2 25-NOV-09 7:562 MARYLAND LAW REVIEW [VOL. 69:1rary building, and insisted on washing the carpet?  (He did not, by theway.)  How would I deal with room changes when there were notenough chairs?Jim also served as a consultant to me in my career and in all of myteaching endeavors.  I would send multiple e-mails to him during thecourse of a semester when I would need sagacity in the handling of aproblem.  One especially thorny one was how to encourage a col-league to leave a classroom at the end of her class so that I couldbegin to teach at a reasonable hour!And finally, and probably most importantly, Jim Forsyth has beenmy counselor when serious issues have arisen regarding students, suchas when a troubled classmate was not attending or when a studentneeded not only financial help, but also personal resources.  He letme vent when a difficult student or issue challenged my grace underfire.  I could always count on Jim’s advice to pull me through.In all, Jim Forsyth has been my wise advisor, and I will miss havingdirect access to his counsel as I navigate through the shoals of my ownprofessional life.JIM FORSYTH: MASTER OF RULES—AND JUSTICEWILLIAM REYNOLDS*The University of Maryland School of Law is a very nice place towork and study, as it has been for many years.  Not only is it efficient,but the School is quite successful at creating real value for its constitu-ents.  Even better, most everyone, students, staff, and faculty alike,seems to be happy.  There are many reasons for that success: Amongthem, able deans, governance by faculty committees (rather than bythe Faculty Council), and excellent administrative staff at all levels.Jim Forsyth personified that last category.  During his four de-cades in the Dean’s Office, Jim occupied many positions.  I first knewhim in his role as Dean of Admissions (before there even was such atitle), a job he held for many years.  Jim’s organizational skills, goodcheer, and earnest desire to help students made him a much-lovedhead of a very trying process.  Several times, I encountered students atother schools, students to whom we had denied admission, who stillhad nice things to say about Jim and our admissions process.Copyright  2009 by William Reynolds.* Jacob A. France Professor of Judicial Process, University of Maryland School of Law.\\server05\productn\M\MLR\69-1\MLR101.txt unknown Seq: 3 25-NOV-09 7:562009] TRIBUTES TO DEAN JAMES FORSYTH 3The Dean’s Office was much smaller in the early days, and Jimnecessarily wore many hats.  As I recall, he was in charge of exam ad-ministration.  That was a very good thing because exams can be a verytrying time for students and faculty alike.  It was a good thing that Jimwas running things.  No matter how horrible a disaster loomed fromsome typo or traffic jam or imponderable act of the gods, Jim knewhow to handle the problem; he made sound decisions and he stilledthe storm.One of Jim’s greatest strength is that he has always been unflap-pable.   Especially strong in my memory is how his calm in the occa-sional contentious faculty meeting could keep matters fromdisintegrating until eventually order would be restored.  Under Jim,the center always held.Probably the most important thing that Jim did, however, washelping  our students.  Students go to the Registrar, Jim’s last formalposition, with many problems, ranging from the trivial to the terrible.Jim and his able staff—Janice, Joyce, Lois, and Robin (all of whomalso have serious  seniority)—were there to help.  They always put thestudents’ welfare first.  If Jim could help them, he would, and he oftenwent to great lengths to do so.  Jim was able to provide help that wassometimes unexpected because of his complete and unique masteryof the School’s regulations.  These rules were effectively unknown toothers because they were not codified and often could only be dimlyremembered.  Only someone with Jim’s seniority and attention to de-tail (along with Alice Brumbaugh) had the requisite mastery of thearcana to rummage through faculty actions spanning decades, actionsnot even dimly recalled by the old-timers, to find what was needed tohelp the student.Jim’s efforts (as well as those of Alice) on behalf of others werenot limited to bureaucratic mastery.  There also would be phone calls,patient counseling, and other above-and-beyond actions—whateverwas needed to do the trick.I will close with an anecdote.  I first met Jim Forsyth in August of1971, and we have been friends ever since.  Over thirty-eight years, wehave shared much, including our love of travel and our disdain forauthority.  What I remember best is something he said at the very be-ginning of our friendship.  A few days after I had begun life as a brandnew, very young professor, I asked Jim—the only figure of authoritystill around in the Dean’s office in August—if it was okay if I wentaway for a few days.  He looked at me as if I were an alien and saidsimply, “You’re a law professor, you can do anything you want.”  That\\server05\productn\M\MLR\69-1\MLR101.txt unknown Seq: 4 25-NOV-09 7:564 MARYLAND LAW REVIEW [VOL. 69:1was the first life lesson Jim taught me.  Law professors have no bosses.What a great job!Jim, the law school has been a much better place because of you.The School and I shall—and do—miss you.DEAN JIM FORSYTHDAVID S. BOGEN*Jim Forsyth and I arrived at the University of Maryland School ofLaw the same year.  We both looked younger than most of the stu-dents, but I subsequently aged.  Jim did not.  Oh, a few flecks of greypeeped out from his short blond hair, and he still wears the grannyglasses that he affected several decades ago in a vain attempt to avoidthe “boy dean” tag that students gave him,1 but basically he has re-mained a perpetual fountain of youth for four decades.When we came to the law school, the faculty and staff dominatedthe softball team with only a sprinkling of students.  Jim was steady butnot spectacular at bat—singles and doubles with an occasional triple,but no home runs.  He was, however, a magnificent centerfielder withastounding range, able to catch everything he reached and to throwaccurately to the proper base without a mistake.  When Mike Kellybecame dean, Jim Forsyth left the law school to run the financial aidoffice for the campus and he never played softball for the law schoolagain.  Jim nevertheless continued to cover a lot of territory to field allsorts of problems with sure hands.After trying to run the School without Jim, Dean Kelly soon real-ized how essential he was and Jim recognized how much he loved thelaw school.  He returned as assistant dean to run the admissions office.As dean of admissions, Jim and John Ester traveled the country foryears, recruiting new students and talking about the remarkablegrowth of the School.  Sometime in the mid-seventies the Schooladopted an anonymous grading system—which expanded Jim’s wor-kload in supervising the administration of exams and demanded thegreatest precision.  Maintaining confidentiality also meant that stu-dent problems and requests for delayed administration came to Jim.With time and experience he became a master at working with stu-Copyright  2009 by David S. Bogen.* Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland School of Law.1. Actually, the close reading of all those schedules and student records required theglasses.\\server05\productn\M\MLR\69-1\MLR101.txt unknown Seq: 5 25-NOV-09 7:562009] TRIBUTES TO DEAN JAMES FORSYTH 5dents, enforcing the rules with empathy and grace.  As he took onregistration and student records duties, he and his staff monitoredeach student’s progress (and payments) and he guided studentsthrough the maze.In effect, Dean Forsyth oversaw the entire law school experiencefor thousands of students, from the process of their admissionthrough registration each semester, compliance with the faculty’s re-quirements, and taking exams until graduation.  At graduation, he an-nounced each student’s name as they went on stage to get theirMaryland hood at the law school ceremony and then he went to theConvention Center where he was master of ceremonies for the cam-pus graduation.  His voice was wonderful and his aplomb amazing.When one year I took his place at the hooding ceremony so he couldattend the college graduation of one of his children, I discovered howexcruciatingly difficult it is to get everyone’s name right and to livewith yourself when you get it wrong in front of the graduate and theirfamily.  I am not sure how anyone can graduate in the future withoutJim to announce their name or give them marching orders.Students and faculty alike appreciate his smooth and efficient op-eration of every job given him—over the past decade he has concen-trated on registration and enrollment tasks and supervising theexamination process.  At least from the outside, it is extraordinarilyglitch free and the envy of most schools.  Of course, Jim quickly ex-plains that it runs so well because his assistants do the work.  Janice,Joyce, Lois, and Robin kept the School and Jim in order.  When Ad-missions was separated from Registration and Enrollment, he reliedon Janice and Robin to keep him going.  But while Jim gives themcredit for the office, it was their loyalty and support that made him theenvy of the rest of the administration.When he retired, Jim was the only dean without a law degree—but the breadth of his experience gave him unmatched insight intothe operations of the School.  Anyone can see how well he ran hisoffice, but only those who have been in the dean’s meetings can fullyappreciate his role at the core of the School.  He always understoodwhat students needed, when to be firm, and when to steer around therules.  He had sympathy for every student and could point out toother deans a better road to accomplish their goals.  He rarely pushedhimself or his views on anyone, but if you came to him for advice onany matter—personal or professional—he would listen sympatheti-cally and suggest a wise course.  He balanced rules and flexibility withintegrity in an extraordinary way.  While he enjoys his retirement,here at Maryland he will be missed.\\server05\productn\M\MLR\69-1\MLR101.txt unknown Seq: 6 25-NOV-09 7:566 MARYLAND LAW REVIEW [VOL. 69:1JAMES F. FORSYTH: A TRIBUTEALAN D. HORNSTEIN*In the four decades since Jim Forsyth came to the University ofMaryland School of Law, legal education has undergone importantchanges.  From a largely Socratic and lecture-based enterprise carriedon in large classes to the introduction of seminars, workshops, extern-ships, clinical experiences, and enhanced instruction in research andwriting, legal education has become more individualized and moreconnected to professional practice.  All of this has been remarked inthe literature regarding legal education.Less remarked upon, but more relevant to Dean Forsyth’s experi-ence, is the revolution in the administration of law schools over thesame period.  When Jim began at the School of Law, the administra-tion comprised the Dean, an Associate Dean, a part-time director of“placement and alumni relations,” and Jim.  There was no Dean ofStudents.  There was no full-time Career Development professional,much less a department devoted to that important enterprise.  Therewas no Director of Admissions.  There was no development office.  Itis fair to say that most law schools—and certainly this law school—ranan administratively lean shop.As a consequence, Jim wore many hats.  For a long time, he ranthe admissions process.  He served as the School’s registrar.  He per-formed most of the services one would expect of a dean of students.He scheduled and administered examinations.  He helped to developthe academic calendar each year.  He assured that each potentialgraduate had satisfied all the requirements for the Juris Doctor de-gree.  He was counselor and advisor to scores of students (and not afew faculty).When a faculty member retires, there is often a public recogni-tion of the retiree’s contributions to the institution.  It is after all, theDean and faculty that are the public face of the School.  But no singlefaculty member, no matter how beloved or respected, not even thelegends, so-called, could have had a more pervasive impact on thefunctioning of the law school than Jim has had.  And none is likely tohave had more contact with any student.For many years, a student’s first contact with the School of Lawwould be through Jim, wearing his Admissions hat.  The last contactone would have as a student was to hear his or her name being an-Copyright  2009 by Alan D. Hornstein.* Professor Emeritus of Law, University of Maryland School of Law.\\server05\productn\M\MLR\69-1\MLR101.txt unknown Seq: 7 25-NOV-09 7:562009] TRIBUTES TO DEAN JAMES FORSYTH 7nounced at the commencement ceremony—without mispronuncia-tion or hesitation—by what sounded like God on the radio, but was inactuality Jim.  Between those events, Jim managed virtually all aspectsof students’ careers at the law school, from the day-to-day standardadministrative matters to the more unusual or even emergency situa-tions—the student whose parent passed away the day before herexam, or who was involved in an automobile accident and needed totake some time off, or who needed to drop a course after the regularadd/drop period.  It was most often Jim who acted as the go-betweenbetween the student and faculty member or faculty committee oradministration.Jim would have made a wonderful common law judge.  He had adeep respect for academic and administrative rules. But he also knewwhen to search for the purpose behind a rule, and if that purposewould not be furthered by a strict application in an unanticipated situ-ation, he was likely to find a way around.  Even more important, how-ever, Jim had the soul of the Chancellor in Equity.  Fed by a deepcompassion, he would fight for an exception to the rule in those cir-cumstances where that was warranted.  It was this combination of re-spect for the rule and flexibility, of rigor and compassion, that madeJim such an extraordinary administrator.The word “administrator” has its roots in the notion of ministry.Jim ministered to the students in his charge and the institution ofwhich he was so integral a part, all without fanfare or much recogni-tion for some forty years.  It is difficult to imagine the law school with-out him.But beyond all this, for me, what is most important is that he ismy friend, possessed of all those many qualities that make me proudof his friendship.

Tributes to Dean James Forsyth

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

NELLCO Consortium Legal Scholarship Repository

Digital Commons @ UM Law