Joel Seligman (born January 11, 1950) is an American legal scholar and former academic administrator. He served as the 10th president of the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of ...

, in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, from 2005 to 2018. Seligman is also one of the leading authorities on

securities law Securities regulation in the United States is the field of U.S. law that covers transactions and other dealings with securities. The term is usually understood to include both federal and state-level regulation by governmental regulatory agencies ...

in the United States. Seligman stepped down from his presidency in 2018 following his handling of a university-wide sexual harassment scandal.

Education

Seligman received his bachelor's degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...

, in 1971. He received his juris doctor degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each c ...

in 1974.

Career

Before his service as the University of Rochester's president, Seligman served as the dean and Ethan A.H. Shepley University Professor at the

Washington University School of Law Washington University in St. Louis School of Law (WashULaw) is the law school of Washington University in St. Louis, a private university in St. Louis, Missouri. WashULaw has consistently ranked among the top law schools in the country; it is c ...

. Prior to serving there, Seligman was the dean and Samuel M. Fegtly Professor of Law at the University of Arizona College of Law (1995–1999). He also held professorships at the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparative Law (MCL ...

(1987–1995),

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of co ...

(1983–1986), and

Northeastern University School of Law Northeastern University School of Law (NUSL) is the law school of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as an evening program to meet the needs of its local community, NUSL is nationally recognized for its cooperative legal ...

(1977–1983). In addition to being an academic leader, Seligman is considered a leading authority on securities law. He is the author or coauthor of 20 books and over 40 articles on legal issues related to securities and corporations. Works include the eleven-volume ''Securities Regulation'', the leading treatise in the field (cowritten with

Troy A. Paredes Troy A. Paredes served as a Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from August 1, 2008 to August 3, 2013. Commissioner Paredes was appointed to the SEC by President George W. Bush on June 30, 2008 to replace Paul S. A ...

and the late

Louis Loss Louis Loss (June 11, 1914 – December 13, 1997) was a legal scholar considered by many to be the intellectual father of modern securities law. He served as the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law Emeritus at Harvard Law School. He is best k ...

) and ''The Transformation of Wall Street: A History of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Modern Corporate Finance''.

Sexual harassment and EEOC complaint

On September 1, 2017, a complaint was filed by eight current and former faculty members of the

with the

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

(EEOC). The complaint includes allegations of sexual misconduct/harassment perpetrated by a current University of Rochester faculty member, and reprisals by the Seligman administration against the complainants. The university responded publicly that the allegations were "thoroughly investigated and could not be substantiated", with Seligman personally responding that "no violation of the law or University policy was found", and that " legations are not facts." Seligman also wrote that "as we saw in Rolling Stone's withdrawn story about sexual assault at the University of Virginia, even established media outlets can get it wrong", a statement for which Seligman later apologized. The public disclosure of the EEOC filing, and the responses to it from the university and Seligman, resulted in a contentious on-campus

town hall meeting Town hall meetings, also referred to as town halls or town hall forums, are a way for local and national politicians to meet with their constituents either to hear from them on topics of interest or to discuss specific upcoming legislation or ...

hosted by Seligman, with approximately 500 university students, faculty, and staff attending. Subsequent to this meeting an on-campus rally was held, protesting against the responses of the university and Seligman to the allegations of sexual harassment and reprisals made in the EEOC-filed complaint.

Resignation

Seligman resigned as the president and CEO of the University of Rochester on February 28, 2018, subsequent to the release of a report on the university's EEOC case by

Debevoise & Plimpton Debevoise & Plimpton LLP (often shortened to Debevoise) is an international law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1931 by Harvard Law School alumnus Eli Whitney Debevoise and Oxford-trained William Stevenson, the firm was origi ...

, and amid the growing perception among students and faculty of a failure in leadership.

Later career

Seligman has served as a member of the board of the

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is a private American corporation that acts as a self-regulatory organization (SRO) that regulates member brokerage firms and exchange markets. FINRA is the successor to the National Associat ...

. He also has served as reporter for the

National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws The Uniform Law Commission (ULC), also called the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, is a non-profit, American unincorporated association. Established in 1892, the ULC aims to provide U.S. states (plus the District of C ...

, Revision of Uniform Securities Act (1998–2002); as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Market Information (2000–01); and as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Professional Ethics Executive Committee. He was a member of the board of the

National Association of Securities Dealers The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is a private American corporation that acts as a self-regulatory organization (SRO) that regulates member brokerage firms and exchange markets. FINRA is the successor to the National Associat ...

and of

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

from 2009 to 2013.

References

External links

President Seligman's Memos/Letters/News

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seligman, Joel Living people Presidents of the University of Rochester Washington University in St. Louis faculty Northeastern University faculty University of Arizona faculty University of Michigan Law School faculty George Washington University faculty Harvard Law School alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni Scholars of securities law 1950 births