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E. Thomas Sullivan, ’73, president of the University of Vermont, has been named the 2015 recipient of the Robert J. Kutak Award. The award is given out annually by the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar to honor an individual who has made significant contributions to the collaboration of the legal academy, the bench, and the bar. The award was established in Kutak’s memory, in honor of his commitment to legal reform and his legal education advocacy.

Sullivan became the 26^th president of the University of Vermont in 2012 after a long and distinguished career in legal education. He delivered the James P. White Lecture on Legal Education at IU McKinney in April 2012. Sullivan began his career as a member of the faculty of the University of Missouri Law School. He also served on the faculty of Washington University in St. Louis, before serving as dean of the University of Arizona Law School. In 1995, Sullivan became dean of the University of Minnesota Law School, and from 2004 through January 2012 he served at Minnesota as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.  In addition to his extensive administrative experience, Sullivan is also a nationally recognized authority and prolific scholar on antitrust law and complex litigation.

Throughout his career, Sullivan has been an active leader in the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. He has served as the chair and as a member of numerous ABA sabbatical evaluation teams. Sullivan was a member of the section’s council from 1996 to 2004, serving as the 2002-2003 chair. His many other contributions to the section include chairing the Task Force on Accreditation Process, the Task Force on Long Range Planning and Strategic Objectives, the Rules Revision Committee, and the Nominations Committee.

Sullivan will receive the Robert J. Kutak Award at a reception in his honor on Friday, July 31 during the 2015 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.