[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 54 (Monday, April 11, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CELEBRATING DEAN CLAUDIO GROSSMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 11, 2016

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in celebrating Dean Claudio Grossman and his 
21-year tenure at American University's Washington College of Law 
(WCL). As WCL's first Latino dean, and lifelong advocate for human 
rights, he brought his unparalleled commitment to diversity and support 
for students of color.
  Dean Grossman, a native of Chile, spent many years in political exile 
in Europe after serving in the administration of democratically-elected 
President Salvador Allende, before finally coming to the United States.
  His legal scholarship is focused on international human rights and he 
has served in several roles within the United Nations, most notably in 
the United Nation's Committee Against Torture, and the Inter-American 
Commission on Human Rights. Dean Grossman has also served as the chair 
of the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies and board member of 
the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights.
  He is one of the few Latino law school deans in the country, and the 
first to serve in that capacity at WCL. He will be succeeded by Camille 
Nelson, the first black dean at WCL and the first woman in that role in 
the last 60 years. He leaves large shoes to fill.
  As dean, he has made great contributions to the legal profession 
through his work expanding WCL's LL.M. program, semester abroad 
programs, and clinical programs that advocate for immigrants and the 
disabled. He has also presided over WCL's new Tenley Campus expansion.
  Previous honors for Dean Grossman's work on human rights and 
international law include the Rene Cassin Award from B'nai B'rith 
International in Chile and the Harry LeRoy Jones Award from the 
Washington Foreign Law Society. Since becoming dean of WLC, Dean 
Grossman has received a host of honors, including: Outstanding Dean of 
the Year by the National Association of Public Interest Law (now known 
as Equal Justice Works) in 2000, the Inter American Press Association's 
Chapultepec Grand Prize 2002 for his achievements in the field of human 
rights, the Charles Norberg International Lawyer of the Year Award from 
the Washington, D.C. chapter of the Inter-American Bar Association, the 
Lifetime Leadership Award from the Hispanic National Bar Foundation, 
and the Leadership Award from the Maryland Hispanic Bar Association.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in 
recognizing Dean Claudio Grossman's remarkable efforts across his 21-
year tenure at WCL. Dean Grossman has dedicated his life to human 
rights and international law, serving as an exemplary leader. His 
contributions to the legal profession have laid a foundation for 
generations.

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