Michael O. Sawyer (1919–2002) was an American university administrator and constitutional law professor who worked at the

Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (Maxwell School) is the professional public policy school of Syracuse University, a private research university in Syracuse, New York. The school is organized in 11 academic departments and 13 ...

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

for over 42 years. He was known for his mentoring of thousands of students.

Early life and education

Sawyer earned his BS (1941), MS (1947), &

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(1957) from Syracuse University. He also earned a JD from the

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

(1962). His 1952 doctoral thesis was titled ''"Study of the activities of citizenship (A survey of two diverse communities)".'' He was a Ford Foundation

post-doctoral fellow A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...

, and was a scholar-in-residence for the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

Career

Sawyer began his career as an instructor at the

in 1948 and was promoted to assistant professor (1952), associate professor (1957), and full professor in 1965. In 1970s, he began working with Syracuse chancellor Melvin Eggers in various administrative posts. Sawyer published many articles, conference papers, and several books on public law, American studies. He held visiting lectureships at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

, and

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

Awards and honors

At Syracuse, He received several university awards, including the Outstanding Professor of Syracuse University (1986), Syracuse's highest alumni – honor the George Arents Pioneer Medal (1986), and the St. Thomas More Award (1987). When he retired in 1990, the Maxwell school established ''The Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics'' in his honor. Some of the notable scholars to hold the chaired position are

Stephen Macedo Stephen Macedo is the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Politics at Princeton University, as well as the former Director for the University Center for Human Values at Princeton. Education He earned his B.A. at the College of William and Mary ...

, Keith J. Bybee, and Thomas M. Keck. A student award was also named in his honor. The Maxwell school hosts the Sawyer Law and Politics Program (SLAPP). It also hosts the ''Michael O. Sawyer Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Law and Politics''.

Death

Sawyer died at the age of 83 on December 24, 2002, in Liverpool, New York, due to complications from

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References

External links

The Sawyer Law and Politics Program
at Maxwell School of Syracuse University {{DEFAULTSORT:Sawyer, Michael O. 1919 births 2002 deaths People from Syracuse, New York 20th-century American educators 20th-century American jurists Educators from New York (state) George Washington University alumni Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs alumni Syracuse University faculty American legal scholars