Colin S. Diver (born December 29, 1943) is an American lawyer and university president who was the president of
Reed College
Reed College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, with Tudor-Gothic style architecture, and a forested canyon nature preserve at ...
in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
. He was also the dean of the
University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and olde ...
from 1989 to 1999.
Early life and education
Diver was born in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. He received his B.A., ''summa cum laude'', from
Amherst College
Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...
in 1965, where he currently serves as a trustee. He later received an LL.B., magna cum laude, from
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
in 1968. He holds an honorary degree from Amherst.
Career
Diver served as special counsel to the office of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
mayor
Kevin White and then held a series of positions in
state government, including assistant secretary of consumer affairs and undersecretary in the Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance. Diver then worked for 14 years as a faculty member at
Boston University School of Law
Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...
, where he served as associate dean (1985–88) and dean (1988–89). He was a visiting professor at the
Harvard Kennedy School
The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
and has held joint appointments in public policy at the
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a Private university, private Ivy League rese ...
and the
Boston University School of Management
The Questrom School of Business (formerly, the Boston University School of Management) is the business school at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1913 as the College of Business Administration, the school offe ...
.
Diver was named the Reed College's 14th president on October 5, 2002, replacing acting president
Peter Steinberger, dean of faculty, and succeeding Steven Koblik, who departed Reed to run the Huntington Library in
San Marino, California
San Marino is a residential city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2010 census the population was 13,147. The city is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of househol ...
. Diver stepped down in 2012.
Under Diver's leadership, the college added a new major in environmental studies,
[ ] hired additional faculty,
created the office of institutional diversity, and saw the four-year graduation rate reach a new high. Diver presided during a period of significant volatility in the stock market. Despite being launched during a recession, however, Reed's centennial campaign has raised more than $165 million towards its goal of $200 million.
Diver's area of expertise includes
administrative law
Administrative law is the division of law that governs the activities of government agency, executive branch agencies of Forms of government, government. Administrative law concerns executive branch rule making (executive branch rules are gener ...
. Prior to Reed, he was dean of the
University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and olde ...
from 1989 to 1999.
Notable activities
Though
Reed College
Reed College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, with Tudor-Gothic style architecture, and a forested canyon nature preserve at ...
, an exclusively undergraduate institution, does not have a law school, in September 2005 it was announced that Diver would be the coach of the inaugural Reed College mock trial team.
In 2005, Diver submitted an article to the ''
Atlantic Monthly
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' outlining the adverse effects of the ''U.S. News & World Report'' college ranking system, called ''Is There Life After Rankings?'' The article outlines why Reed College chooses not to participate in the rankings competition process, and addresses the implication that non-participation necessarily handicaps colleges in competing for student applications and enrollment. In 2022, he published a book titled ''Breaking Ranks'' on the issue.
Among his publications, Diver is co-author of a multiple-edition textbook entitled "Administrative Law: Cases and Materials."
Personal life
Diver and his wife lived and raised their sons in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
during the 1960s in a neighborhood that was undergoing rapid gentrification. Their experiences with school desegregation and racial equality were chronicled in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' journalist
J. Anthony Lukas
Jay Anthony Lukas (April 25, 1933 – June 5, 1997) was an American journalist and author, probably best known for his 1985 book '' Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families''. ''Common Ground'' is a classic study ...
's
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
-winning book ''
Common Ground''. This in turn became a 1990 made-for-TV movie of the same name.
Notable works
*4th ed. Aspen Pub., Inc. (with R. Cass & J. Beermann) (2002)
*"Genophobia: What Is Wrong with Genetic Discrimination?" Univ. of Penn. Law Rev. 149:1441 (2001)
*"Seeking Higher Ground," Media Studies J. 12:120 (1998) (with Joan M. Diver)
*"Israeli Administrative Law from an American Perspective, " Law and Government in Israel, 4:1 (1997)
*"Regulatory Precision, " in Making Regulatory Policy (K. Hawkins & J. Thomas eds. 1989)
*"Presidential Powers, " American Univ. Law Rev., 36:519 (1987)
*"No Compromises, " J. of Policy Analysis & Mgt., 5:645 (1986)
*
References
External links
Reed College Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diver, Colin
Living people
1943 births
American legal scholars
Amherst College alumni
Harvard Kennedy School staff
Deans of University of Pennsylvania Law School
Presidents of Reed College
Harvard Law School alumni