Barnard, Dwyer and Meese Among Recipients of Plumeri Awards for Faculty Excellence

Three members of the Law School faculty - Jayne W. Barnard, James G. Dwyer, and Alan J. Meese - are among 20 professors from the College of William & Mary selected to receive Plumeri Awards for Faculty Excellence in recognition of their exemplary achievements in regard to teaching, research and service.

In the spring of 2008, Joseph J. Plumeri II '66 made a significant commitment to his alma mater to "honor and support" its faculty's efforts through creation of the Plumeri Awards for Faculty Excellence. These awards, which include a $10,000 prize for each recipient, are to be given to 20 William & Mary faculty members every year for a decade, beginning in 2009. The funds are to be applied toward research, summer salaries, or other stipends associated with scholarly endeavor, with the ultimate intention of enhancing faculty interaction with students and, in Mr. Plumeri's own words, empowering the College's professors to continue to "work passionately to challenge the minds of our exceptional students."

"The College is well known for its accomplished faculty," said William & Mary Provost Michael Halleran. "To distinguish oneself among this group of peers, as recipients of the 2010 Plumeri Awards have done, speaks volumes to their talent and work ethic. They are truly deserving of this recognition."

James G. Cutler Professor of Law and Herbert V. Kelly Sr. Chair for Teaching Excellence

An expert in corporate and securities law, Professor Barnard was named a Leader in the Law by the Virginia Lawyers Weekly in 2009 and is a past recipient of the Law School's Spong and Marshall awards. In nominating her for a Plumeri Award, Law School Dean Davison Douglas remarked that Barnard's creative and lively manner make her an effective teacher and successful scholar - with "a wonderful nose for important, interesting, but overlooked research topics." Her more recent work addresses the vulnerability of the elderly to investment fraud, the reasons why men are more likely than women to fall prey to investment scams, and the use of victim-impact testimony in economic crime cases - the last of which she first proposed in 2001, led to enactment of the Crime Victims Rights Act, and recently came to the fore during the sentencing of Ponzi-schemer Bernard Madoff. At Marshall-Wythe since 1985, Barnard organizes faculty workshops promoting enrichment of the law student learning experience in her role as the Kelly Chair. She holds a juris doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School.

Class of 2010 Professor of Law

Known for his highly original views on children's rights, Professor Dwyer's exceptional performance in the classroom is accompanied by an extraordinary body of scholarship - impressive for its quality, quantity, and impact. As the author of compelling books, articles, and law symposium pieces during the last 15 years that have helped firmly establish him as one of the nation's most prominent - and distinctive - family law scholars, Dwyer contends that our legal system has not taken the moral and legal rights of children seriously and as a consequence has failed them. Dwyer maintains a rigorous teaching schedule of both large courses, which include Family Law and Trusts and Estates, as well as smaller courses, including Youth Law, and Law and Social Justice. In addition to holding faculty appointments at the College and other institutions, Dwyer has served as a practicing attorney, and as a law guardian and assigned counsel for the New York State Family Court. He holds a juris doctorate from Yale Law School and a doctorate in moral and political philosophy from Stanford University.

Ball Professor of Law

A former clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia and for Judge Frank Easterbrook of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, Professor Meese has taught at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law since 1995 and is one of America's leading antitrust scholars. Consulted frequently by national news outlets, he has authored more than 25 scholarly articles on antitrust and other topics. In 2004, he was appointed senior adviser to the Antitrust Modernization Commission, which presented a report to the President and Congress recommending various changes to the Federal Antitrust Laws. At Marshall-Wythe, students benefit from Meese's dual economics and law background, and appreciate his combination of intellectual rigor and humor in the classroom. A former Cabell Research Professorship recipient, he serves on the university-wide Planning Steering Committee and the executive committee of the Faculty Assembly, of which he is a past president. A 1986 alumnus, Professor Meese was first in his class at William & Mary and holds a juris doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School, where he graduated Order of the Coif and was a John M. Olin Fellow in Law and Economics.

College of William & Mary recipients of 2010 Plumeri Awards:

Jayne W. Barnard, James G. Cutler Professor of Law and Herbert V. Kelly Sr. Chair for Teaching Excellence

Paula C. Blank, Margaret L. Hamilton Professor of English

Randy M. Chambers, Cornelia B. Talbot Term Distinguished Professor of Biology

Paul S. Davies, Professor of Philosophy

Gary C. DeFotis, Professor of Chemistry

Susan V. Donaldson, National Endowment for the Humanities Professor of English

James G. Dwyer, Class of 2010 Professor of Law

Maryse Fauvel, Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures

Carl T. Friedrichs, Professor of Marine Science

Paul D. Heideman, Professor of Biology

Lu Ann Homza, Professor of History

Steven A. Kuehl, Professor of Marine Science

Robert J. Latour, Moses D. Nunnally Term Distinguished Associate Professor of Marine Science

Lawrence M. Leemis, Professor of Mathematics and University Professor for Teaching Excellence

Charles R. McAdams III, Associate Professor of Education

Alan J. Meese, Ball Professor of Law

Jennifer M. Mellor, Class of 1955 Term Distinguished Associate Professor of Economics

Jennifer Bickham Mendez, Associate Professor of Sociology

Jeffrey K. Nelson, Associate Professor of Physics

John P. Swaddle, Arts & Sciences Term Distinguished Associate Professor of Biology