Assistant Dean of Experiential Education Mitchell E. Zamoff Receives the University of Minnesota 2024-25 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate and Professional Education
Assistant Dean of Experiential Education Mitchell E. Zamoff, J. Stewart and Mario McClendon Professor in Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution, has received the University of Minnesota’s 2024-25 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate and Professional Education. This honor is awarded to exceptional candidates nominated by their colleges for excellence in graduate and professional education.
Faculty who receive the Graduate and Professional Teaching Award become members of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers (ADT). This award reflects the University’s strong and enduring commitment to outstanding graduate and professional education at the University of Minnesota.
“Dean Zamoff has been a longtime teacher and leader in the Law School,” says Dean William McGeveran, William S. Pattee Professor of Law. “He is the J. Stewart and Mario Thomas McClendon Professor in Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution, assistant dean of experiential education, and the director of the Litigation Program. Following a distinguished legal career as a federal prosecutor, law firm partner, and general counsel, Dean Zamoff has led the Law School in developing innovative experiential learning opportunities and expanding our portfolio of hands-on courses and field placements. He has taken on myriad roles to ensure that our students receive the most innovative and dynamic educational instruction available. He excels in all facets of his many responsibilities and has helped establish Minnesota Law as a national leader in legal education.”
Assistant Dean of Experiential Education Mitchell E. Zamoff has twice received the University of Minnesota Law School's Stanley V. Kinyon Teacher of the Year Award. He teaches alternative dispute resolution (ADR), civil procedure, evidence, evidence drafting, Law in Practice, and an Introduction to American Law, a course for undergraduates. He is a leader in the ADR community, a highly regarded neutral who arbitrates and mediates disputes across the nation, and a former member of the American Arbitration Association’s Board of Directors, its Leadership Council and its Healthcare Advisory Council. He founded and co-directed the Law School’s Community Mediation Clinic and served as co-chair of the Board of Directors of the Conflict Resolution Center of Minnesota. Zamoff frequently presents and writes about issues relating to arbitration law and practice. His recent article about arbitral social media disclosures was honored as the “Best Scholarly Article of 2023” by the ADR Section of the Association of American Law Schools.
Dean McGeveran says it is difficult to do justice to all the ways in which Dean Zamoff serves Minnesota Law students. “His many hats place him at critical junctures throughout our community,” McGeveran says. “He is a tireless advocate for students’ individual and collective careers, both formally and informally, through his many professional relationships with colleagues at law firms, businesses, and government agencies. He is approachable and engaging; he works hard to bring students in and even give them some fun. And he is leading us to become one of the foremost centers of innovation and experiential learning in legal education nationwide. Dean Zamoff has demonstrated excellence in all aspects of the education experience.”
“I am truly grateful for this recognition,” says Zamoff. "It is special because the evaluations and recommendations of students and former students play a pivotal role in the selection process. I put students at the center of everything I do at the Law School. Nothing is more important to me than cultivating a classroom environment that feels exciting, relevant, and accessible to all of my students.”
The University will host an in-person award ceremony on Monday, April 7, and honorees will be added to the Scholars Walk website.
Congratulations, Dean Zamoff!
