Professors Earn Chairs
Law School professors Todd Henderson and Jonathan Masur have received endowed professorships from the University of Chicago. Starting July 1, Henderson will be the Michael J. Marks Professor of Law and Masur will be the John P. Wilson Professor of Law.
“Both Todd and Jonathan have achieved wonderful records of scholarship, teaching, and service, and I am very proud that the University is able to recognize them with the distinction of chairs,” Dean Michael Schill said.
Henderson, a 1998 graduate of the Law School, focuses his research and teaching on corporate and securities law. He has taught at the Law School since 2004. The Michael J. Marks Professorship was established by a bequest from the estate of Marks, ’63, to support a “distinguished individual whose research and teaching is in the area of business law.”
Henderson, who is now the Aaron Director Teaching Scholar, said he’s deeply honored to be the first Marks Professor of Law. Marks died in 2010. “I am grateful to my colleagues and friends for their support, and to the Marks family for its generous funding of our work here. I view awards like this not as a reward for work done but as an incentive for better work going forward. Accordingly, my goal is to associate the Marks professorship with a standard of excellence in teaching and scholarship that will set a high bar for future holders of this chair.”
Masur, currently Deputy Dean, has taught at the Law School since 2005. His interests include administrative law, behavioral law and economics, patent law, and criminal law. The John P. Wilson Professorship in Law has a long history; it was established with a 1929 gift from the children of John P. Wilson, a prominent Chicago attorney.
“I feel honored and privileged just to be a member of such a brilliant and accomplished faculty,” Masur said. “To hold the John P. Wilson chair is more than I ever imagined would be possible.”