Along with celebrating his 50th year of teaching, Loyola University College of Law Dean Brian Bromberger is also preparing for his retirement following the completion of the academic year.
“I’ve been teaching for 50 years,” he said while laughing. “Can you come up with a better reason than that (to retire)?”
The Judge Adrian G. Duplantier Distinguished Professor of Law has taught or served as visiting professor in several countries including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States before being named the law school’s dean in 2003 — eight years after arriving at Loyola.
While Bromberger said he’s happy to finally retire after so many years of teaching, he is sad to leave behind students, fellow faculty members and the university.
“Being dean of the School of Law at Loyola has been quite exciting because it hasn’t been a period of just chair warming. It’s been a period of growth so watching it grow has been fantastic,” he said. “Just the day-to-day challenges are what you miss. ‘How are we going to handle things today?’ Also the colleagues, the folks on the main campus and the city of New Orleans, it’s a fabulous city.”
Loyola University President the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., said in a press release that Bromberger has been an exceptional addition to the university and instrumental in the College of Law’s growth throughout his tenure here.
“Dean Bromberger’s accomplishments are numerous and exemplary. He has served this university selflessly and has led his college to great heights of achievement, even in the face of disaster,” he said. “To say that he will be missed is an understatement. I hope the university community joins me in wishing Dean Bromberger well in his recovery and in his future retirement.”
Bromberger plans to to live with his family in Australia where he hopes to continue sitting as a judge on the Mental Health Review Tribunal Board he once was a member of 17 years ago.
“I’m not going to vegetate. Anyone that knows me knows I can’t do that,” he said. “At one stage I had a very quite low golf handicap, it’s absolutely crying out right now.”
The College of Law has not yet hired a replacement for Bromberger but the search is ongoing. Bromberger said the only thing he is looking to accomplish before his contract finishes on July 31 is making sure the College of Law continues to run smoothly and efficiently in his permanent absence.
“You have to make sure you keep going right up until the moment you stop doing what you’ve always been doing. What I do all the time is trying to make sure the school runs as efficient as it can and the education environment is as productive as possible,” he said.
“If you walk out the door with everything purring, then whoever sits in the chair after me’s life is going to be a lot easier.” Bromberger said.
Craig Malveaux can be reached at [email protected]
