Dean David Wippman to Be Honored for Human Rights Work
The Advocates for Human Rights has announced that it will present Dean David Wippman with its 2016 Special Recognition Award in honor of his career-long human rights work and his stewardship in the creation of the Law School’s pioneering Center for New Americans. Wippman, who is leaving the Law School at the end of the current academic year to assume the presidency of Hamilton College, will receive the award at The Advocates’ annual Human Rights Awards Dinner, to be held June 1 at the Marriott City Center in Minneapolis.
A recognized authority in international law, Wippman has taught public international law, international criminal law, international human rights, and ethnic conflict. In 1998-99, he served as a director in the National Security Council’s Office of Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs, where he worked on war crimes issues, the International Criminal Court, economic sanctions, and the U.N. political issues. The Center for New Americans, which launched under Wippman’s leadership in 2014, is the only program of its kind in the United States. Designed in partnership with leading area law firms and nonprofit legal services, including The Advocates for Human Rights, the CNA expands urgently needed legal services for noncitizens, pursues litigation that will improve the nation’s immigration laws, and educates noncitizens about their rights. The CNA has already seen notable successes, including a victory at the U.S. Supreme Court.
“We are thrilled with the opportunity to recognize Dean Wippman’s leadership in human rights,” said Robin Phillips, executive director of The Advocates. “In addition to his scholarship on international law and human rights law, he is committed to its practical application in the lives of individuals. His vision for the Center for New Americans brought together the law school, private law firms, and the nonprofit community both to improve the laws and policies affecting immigration and to ensure that immigrants in our community have the legal assistance necessary to protect their human rights.”
