College of Law Names Ausness as Associate Dean for Faculty Research

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 21, 2015) – Richard Ausness, the Everett H. Metcalf, Jr. Professor of Law, was recently appointed and now serves as the inaugural associate dean for faculty research at the University of Kentucky College of Law.

“The College of Law places emphasis on faculty research and we are pleased Professor Richard Ausness accepted this associate dean position to provide faculty support in the area,” said David A. Brennen, UK College of Law dean. “I am certain that his many years of teaching and research experience will make him an outstanding asset to all of our faculty.”

Professor Ausness’ term as associate dean for faculty research, a newly approved position at the UK College of Law, began Jan. 1, 2015. In this position, Ausness will be responsible for, among other things, providing mentoring on faculty research, and exploring and communicating development opportunities for law faculty as scholars.

He will also assist Dean Brennen with securing external funding for research, manage a system of college-wide discussions of law faculty scholarly endeavors, facilitate interactions with other law schools regarding faculty research, work with efforts to promote faculty scholarship, assist the dean in developing and operating a robust internal faculty research grants program, and serve as point of contact related to faculty research.

“I am honored to be appointed as associate dean for faculty research,” Ausness said. “I believe that research is an important aspect of law school teaching, and I am proud to be a member of such a productive faculty.  As associate dean, I hope to contribute to the law school's research effort by doing my best to encourage, support and facilitate faculty scholarship at the University of Kentucky College of Law.”

Ausness received his juris doctor and Order of the Coif from the University of Florida College of Law in 1968 where he served as note editor of the University of Florida Law Review. He went on to receive his Master of Laws degree from Yale Law School in 1973 and joined the UK College of Law faculty roster that year.

Since 1970, Professor Ausness has published more than five dozen law review articles and book chapters, plus an additional two dozen other items including several monographs and book reviews. Specializing in property and tort law, Ausness has published 18 law review articles in such places as the Georgia Law Review, Arkansas Law Review, Tennessee Law Review and Indiana Law Review.  In 2011, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor cited Professor Ausness in her dissent in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, which dealt with the extent to which the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 could protect vaccine manufacturers from claims of design defect. 

In addition to his scholarly work, Ausness is a two-time recipient of the College of Law’s Duncan Teaching Award and students routinely praise his classroom instructional abilities. He is a member of the College of Law Admissions Committee and has chaired other faculty committees, including the currently active Ad Hoc Committee on Faculty Teaching Workload.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Harder, 859-323-2396, whitney.harder@uky.edu