Michael K. Young
President, University of Utah
President Young began his tenure as the 14th president of the University of Utah in August 2004. Prior to his appointment at Utah, he was Dean and Lobingier Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence at the George Washington University Law School (1998-2004).
From 1978 to 1998, he was the Fuyo Professor of Japanese Law and Legal Institutions and Director of the Center for Japanese Legal Studies, the Center for Korean Legal Studies, and the Project on Religion, Human Rights and Religious Freedom at Columbia University. Prior to joining the Columbia University faculty, President Young served as a Law Clerk to the late Chief (then Associate) Justice William H. Rehnquist of the U.S. Supreme Court.
President Young served as a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom from 1998-2005 and chaired the Commission on two occasions. He was also appointed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist to the Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Commission. He is widely recognized not only for his academic work on Japanese law and international trade, but also for his tireless advocacy on behalf of international human rights.
He has also served as a member of the Committee on International Judicial Relations of the Judicial Conference of the United States, as well as a member of the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
During the administration of President George Bush, President Young served as Ambassador for Trade and Environmental Affairs (1992-93), Deputy Under Secretary for Economic and Agricultural Affairs (1991-93) and Deputy Legal Adviser to the U.S. Department of State (1989-91).
He has published extensively on a broad range of topics, including the Japanese legal system, dispute resolution, mergers and acquisitions, labor relations, the legal profession, comparative law, industrial policy, international trade law, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), international environmental law and international human rights and freedom of religion.
President Young is a graduate of Brigham Young University (B.A., 1973) and Harvard Law School (J.D., 1976), where he served as a note Editor of the Harvard Law Review.
President Young and his wife, Suzan, have been married for 36 years
and have three children.
August 2008