Root-Tilden Scholarship
Encyclopedia
Overview
The Root-Tilden-Kern Scholarship (see also Root-Tilden, Root-Tilden-Snow) is a full-tuition public service scholarship for students at New York University School of Law
.
The Program was named for two alumni, Elihu Root
and Samuel Tilden, who exemplified Vanderbilt’s ideal – lawyers dedicated to public leadership. Twenty scholars were selected for the first class from each of the country’s then 10 judicial circuits. Scholars were at first required to take special courses in the humanities, social sciences, history, and natural sciences and required to live together and share mealtimes five days a week. Scholars would meet with leaders in government, industry, and finance. In 1969, after a campaign by student groups, women were first admitted to the Root Program. To date, more than 800 Root-Tilden- Scholars have graduated from NYU School of Law.
The Root-Tilden-Kern Scholarship (see also Root-Tilden, Root-Tilden-Snow) is a full-tuition public service scholarship for students at New York University School of Law
New York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
.
The Program
The Root-Tilden-Kern Program looks for students with a demonstrated commitment to the public interest, exceptional leadership ability, and a history of academic achievement. In assessing these criteria, the program looks at the whole person and considers previous life experience and professional work. The program values diversity and strives to select a class that is diverse in terms of race, sex, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, geographic origins, and ideology. Interested candidates should submit an application with their application to New York University School of Law. The application is reviewed by a student and faculty committee before recommendation for an interview. Each year approximately 50 applicants are invited to interview with a panel composed of a faculty member, a judge, a practitioner, and third-year scholars. Twenty scholars are selected for each incoming class.History
In the 1950s, Dean Emeritus Arthur Vanderbilt conceived of the Root-Tilden Scholarship to transform NYU from a local law school to a nationally and internationally esteemed institution. Founded in 1951, the purpose of the Program was to “train promising young men so as to help attain again for the American bar the high position which it once held as the reservoir of altruistic and competent public leadership.”The Program was named for two alumni, Elihu Root
Elihu Root
Elihu Root was an American lawyer and statesman and the 1912 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the prototype of the 20th century "wise man", who shuttled between high-level government positions in Washington, D.C...
and Samuel Tilden, who exemplified Vanderbilt’s ideal – lawyers dedicated to public leadership. Twenty scholars were selected for the first class from each of the country’s then 10 judicial circuits. Scholars were at first required to take special courses in the humanities, social sciences, history, and natural sciences and required to live together and share mealtimes five days a week. Scholars would meet with leaders in government, industry, and finance. In 1969, after a campaign by student groups, women were first admitted to the Root Program. To date, more than 800 Root-Tilden- Scholars have graduated from NYU School of Law.
Notable Scholars
- Daniel Abrahamson, ‘91, Director of Legal Affairs, Drug Policy Alliance
- Jane Aiken, ‘83, Professor, Georgetown University Law Center
- Lamar AlexanderLamar AlexanderAndrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and Conference Chair of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W...
, ‘65, U.S. Senator (R-Tennessee) - Mary Anderson, ‘98, Chief of Policy and Special Counsel, Office of Illinois Attorney General
- Vicki Been, ‘83, Professor of Law, NYU
- Jeremy Ben-Ami, ‘90, Executive Director, J Street
- Pasco Middleton Bowman II, Senior Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- Murray Bring, '59, Former Gen. Counsel, Philip Morris, former Clerk, Earl Warren
- Thomas BuergenthalThomas BuergenthalThomas Buergenthal is a former judge of the International Court of Justice. He resigned his post as of 6 September 2010. Buergenthal is returning to his position as Lobingier Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence at The George Washington University Law School...
, ‘60, Judge, International Court of Justice - Derwyn Bunton, ‘98, Chief Public Defender, Orleans Public Defenders Office
- Hamilton Candee, ‘83, Of Counsel, Altshuler Berzon LLP
- Diana DeGetteDiana DeGetteDiana Louise DeGette is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997, and a Chief Deputy Whip. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district is based in Denver.-Early life, education and career:...
, ‘82, U.S. House of Representatives (D-Colorado) - Donald Elliott, ‘57, Chairman, City Planning Commission
- Jim Exum, '60, Former Chief Jutice, Supreme Court of North Carolina
- Elaine Fink, ‘80, Managing Attorney, Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati
- Anthony FoxxAnthony FoxxAnthony R. Foxx is an American politician. He is the mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. He was first elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2005, and was elected mayor on November 3, 2009, winning 51.5% of the vote and defeating his City Council colleague, Republican John Lassiter...
, ‘96, Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina - Karen Freedman, ‘80, Executive Director, Lawyers for Children
- Margaret Fung, ‘78, Executive Director, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
- John Greaney, ‘63, Associate Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Court
- Sharon Kang Hom, Executive Director, Human Rights in China
- Richard Joel, President, Yeshiva University
- Herbert Kelleher, co-founder and former chairman and CEO of Southwest Airlines
- Jerome Kern, ‘60, senior partner at Baker & Botts and Vice-Chair of TCI Telecommunications
- Dorchen LeidholdtDorchen LeidholdtDorchen A. Leidholdt is an activist and leader in the feminist movement against violence against women. Since the mid-1970s, she has counseled and advocated for rape victims, organized against "the media’s promotion of violence against women", served on the legal team for the plaintiff in a...
, ‘88, Legal Director, Sanctuary for Families - Martin LiptonMartin LiptonMartin Lipton is an American lawyer. He is a founding partner of the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz specializing in advising major corporations on mergers and acquisitions and matters affecting corporate policy and strategy. He has written and lectured extensively on these subjects...
, ‘54, founding partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, and Katz - Nancy Lublin, ‘01, CEO, Do Something
- Susan Malveaux, Professor of Law, Catholic University
- Bridget McCormackBridget McCormackBridget Mary McCormack is a professor at the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She also serves as Michigan Law School's associate dean of clinical affairs. She is the founder and co-director of the , the first exclusively non-DNA innocence clinic in the country. In 2010,...
, Professor of Law; founder and co-Director of the Michigan Innocence Clinic at the University of Michigan Law SchoolUniversity of Michigan Law SchoolThe University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical... - Douglas McFarland, Professor, Hamline University and former U.S. Senate Candidate from Minnesota
- Roger M. MilgrimRoger M. MilgrimRoger M. Milgrim is a leading intellectual property lawyer, and the author of two four-volume law treatises widely used in the legal profession: and...
, '61, author, Milgrim on Trade Secrets and Milgrim on Licensing - James MillikenJames MillikenJames B. Milliken is president of the University of Nebraska, a position he has held since August 2004. He also holds faculty appointments in the College of Law at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the School of Public Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He previously...
, President, University of Nebraska - Geri PalastGeri PalastGeri Palast is an attorney, the executive director for the Campaign for Fiscal Equity , and a Root-Tilden Public Service Law Scholar from NYU School of Law.-Early life, education, and family:...
, ‘76, Executive Director, Campaign for Fiscal Equality - Peter PitegoffPeter PitegoffPeter Pitegoff is the Dean at the University of Maine School of Law and assumed the post in 2005. He formerly was Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor at the University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York, where he was a law professor since 1988...
, Dean, University of Maine Law School - Stewart Pollock, ‘57, former New Jersey Supreme Court Justice
- Connie Rice, civil rights activist, co-founder of Advancement Project
- Janet Sabel, ‘84, General Counsel, Legal Aid Society of New York
- Michael Sarbanes, ‘92, Executive Director, Citizens Planning and Housing Association
- Andrew Siegel, ‘99, Associate Professor of Law, University of Seattle
- Herbert WachtellHerbert WachtellHerbert Maurice Wachtell or Herb Wachtell is a prominent lawyer and the co-founder of the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. He graduated from New York University , New York University School of Law , and Harvard Law School . From 1955–1957 he was Assistant U.S...
, ‘54, founding partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, and Katz - Seth Harris, ’90, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor
- Steven W. Hawkins, ’88, Executive Vice-President, NAACP
- Peter Koneazny, ’83, Litigation Director, Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee
- Felicia A. Marcus, ’83, Western Director, National Resources Defense Council
- Christopher Meade, ’96, Principal Deputy General Counsel, U.S. Department of Treasury
- Wayne Outten, ’74, founding partner, Outten & Golden, LLP
- Zama Coursen-Neff, ’98, Deputy Director, Human Rights Watch
- Julie BrillJulie BrillJulie Brill was sworn in as a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission April 6, 2010, to a term that expires on September 25, 2016.Before she became a Commissioner, Brill was the Senior Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Consumer Protection and Antitrust for the North Carolina Department of...
, '85, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission