Hassel, Diana

Horwitz, Andrew

Yelnosky, Michael J.

Zlotnick, David

English

HELIN Digital Commons

The Twentieth Anniversary of the School of Law: Dedication: David A. Logan

DOCS@RWU

Roger Williams University Law ReviewVolume 19 | Issue 3 Article 1Summer 2014The Twentieth Anniversary of the School of Law:Dedication: David A. LoganDiana HasselRoger Williams University School of LawAndrew HorwitzRoger Williams University School of LawMichael J. YelnoskyRoger Williams University School of LawDavid ZlotnickRoger Williams University School of LawFollow this and additional works at: http://docs.rwu.edu/rwu_LRThis Dedication is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Law at DOCS@RWU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Roger WilliamsUniversity Law Review by an authorized administrator of DOCS@RWU. For more information, please contact mwu@rwu.edu.Recommended CitationHassel, Diana; Horwitz, Andrew; Yelnosky, Michael J.; and Zlotnick, David (2014) "The Twentieth Anniversary of the School of Law:Dedication: David A. Logan," Roger Williams University Law Review: Vol. 19: Iss. 3, Article 1.Available at: http://docs.rwu.edu/rwu_LR/vol19/iss3/1DEDICATION.DOCX (DO NOT DELETE) 4/20/2014 10:09 AM   Dedication  “Thoughts” About Dean David A. Logan Diana J. Hassel,* Andrew Horwitz,** Michael J. Yelnosky,*** & David Zlotnick**** David Logan’s deanship was a resounding success.  The School of Law is better in many ways than it was when he came here to lead it in 2003.  We look forward to joining with the law school community this year to celebrate those successes and to recognize and thank the Dean for his remarkable service. Our objective in this short dedication is less ambitious but somewhat more personal.  Each of us served as associate dean for academic affairs while David Logan was Dean, and one of us did it twice.  In that capacity we worked very, very closely with David.  We are dedicating this issue of the Law Review to one of the hallmark characteristics of David’s deanship, at least from our vantage. * Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Roger Williams  University School of Law.  Also served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2000-2004). ** Professor, Roger Williams University School of Law (served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2010-2013). *** Professor and Dean-Designate, Roger Williams University School of Law (served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2004-2008).  **** Professor, Roger Williams University School of Law (served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2008-2010).   619                                                                                                                         DEDICATION.DOCX (DO NOT DELETE) 4/20/2014  10:09 AM 620 ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW  [Vol. 19:619 We estimate, conservatively, that over the course of his now ten and one-half years as Dean, David sent us approximately four thousand e-mail messages that ended with the question, “Thoughts?” or “Your thoughts?”  They came at all hours, on all days, and sought our input on issues ranging from the weightiest (“Professor X has threatened to sue.  Thoughts?”) to the much, much less weighty.  (“The retreat starts at 10:00 a.m. Some people will no doubt expect breakfast.  Thoughts?”) We do not write to complain.  On the contrary, we think this work habit contributed to David’s success, and we are certain it made working with him a stimulating and most satisfying (albeit exhausting) professional and personal experience for each of us.  We write to thank Dean Logan for those e-mails, although perhaps not for each and every one. Dean Logan is indefatigable.  (He claims he is now less so, but we have not seen the evidence).  Each of us is younger than he is, but he was the one who was always, and we mean always, thinking about how to improve and best manage the law school.  We are quite certain it was the first thing he thought about each morning, the last thing he thought about each night, and what he thought about if he awoke in the middle of the night.  He might be reading the newspaper, or surfing the web, or driving in his car, or watching television, or in an airport, or at the theater, or at an art museum, or at a concert, but the Blackberry or iPhone was always in his pocket or in his hand.  And that meant he could share his ideas and his concerns about the law school by sending a “thoughts?” e-mail.  We do not recall him uttering the phrase, “24/7/365,” but he lived it. Dean Logan is collaborative.  He did not think he had all the answers.  He did not reluctantly seek help from others, he relished collaboration.  We were in countless meetings with him and with others whose thoughts he solicited, and he always wanted to hear as many points of view as possible.  He did not want or expect people to say what they thought would make him happy.  He really wanted to hear what they thought was right.  He wanted their “thoughts.” And he was willing to change his mind about how to deal with a particular issue if he became convinced there was a better approach.  Doing the right thing was more important to him than his ego.  He always put the law school first. Dean Logan is an indefatigable champion of all of us in the DEDICATION.DOCX (DO NOT DELETE) 4/20/2014  10:09 AM 2014] DEDICATION TO DEAN DAVID LOGAN 621 law school community.  Nothing seems to give Dean Logan more pleasure than celebrating the success of a member of the law school family.  His “high fives” and general glee at hearing about a clerkship obtained, an article placed for publication, an election won, a successful appearance in court, or a position secured, are legendary.  We who have shared the dean suite with him, have often heard explosions of praise and excitement coming from his office as he hears about a new accomplishment.  His affection for all of us in the law school tribe is palpable and something that we have relied upon and drawn strength from during his tenure as dean. Finally, we think that the e-mails were a manifestation of another of the personal and professional traits that made Dean Logan a success.  He sent e-mails soliciting the “thoughts” of others because he is an optimist.  He thought that problems could be solved, challenges could be met, and opportunities could be seized if we took the right approach.  It is an approach reminiscent of the progressive movement, and in many ways Dean Logan seems a descendant of that movement, which tackled the social problems of early 20th century America with an abiding faith in progress, a belief that those problems could be solved through the application of the scientific (or social science) method.  Indeed, Dean Logan was trained in the social sciences before he went to law school.  He earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Wisconsin. However, it would be misleading to suggest that his was a technical, bureaucratic optimism.  Dean Logan wears his heart and his optimism on his sleeve.  That optimism is palpable, it gave him the capacity to take on all the challenges of his position with great energy and enthusiasm, and it was infectious.  He helped each of us and many, many others believe that hard work and thoughtful decision making will result in progress.  For that, each of us is grateful, and it is to that legacy that we dedicate this issue of the Law Review to Dean David Logan.     

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The Twentieth Anniversary of the School of Law: Dedication: David A. Logan

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