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Matthew Parker, Law

Matthew Parker, Law

Matthew Parker L’00, EdD’15, associate dean for graduate programs and executive director of legal education programs at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, died on November 6. He was 43 years old.

“Matt was a vital member of the Law School’s administration, a mentor to the students in our graduate programs and a friend to everyone in the Penn Law community,” said Ted Ruger, dean of Penn Law. “Through his vision and leadership he was instrumental in building programs that contribute to the educational vitality of this institution, programs which will benefit students and faculty alike for generations to come. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him; I consider myself fortunate to have known Matt.”

Dr. Parker oversaw the Law School’s LLM (Master of Laws), LLCM (Masters in Comparative Law) and SJD (Doctor of Juridical Science) programs. He also led the Law School’s newest degree program, the Master in Law, which provides legal education to professionals in fields that intersect with the law, such as healthcare, finance and technology. He also oversaw Penn Law’s growing legal education programs, including launching the Law School’s renowned high school program, on-site and off-site programs for lawyers around the world, and online courses and CLE.

Dr. Parker, a native of upstate New York, received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1995. He graduated cum laude from Penn Law in 2000 and, following his graduation, clerked for the Hon. Thomas N. O’Neill of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

After working as an associate at law firms in Washington DC and Philadelphia, he returned to Penn Law in 2005 to serve as associate director of graduate and international programs. In 2008, he was named assistant dean for graduate programs. In addition to his work at the Law School, he also earned his EdD in higher education administration from Penn GSE in 2015.

“Matt began his career at Penn Law as a student and in the end taught us all so much about engagement and living a life of great meaning,” said Jo-Ann Verrier, vice dean for administrative services at the Law School. “Matt was a man of dedication: dedicated to his family, to the students he brought to Penn Law from around the world, to his colleagues here and throughout campus. Indeed, he was deeply dedicated to Penn Law, and we honor him and his family with our continued engagement in his meaningful work.”

Dr. Parker is survived by his wife, Michelle, and their children, Owen and Gwen.

Penn Law will establish the Matthew S. Parker LLM Student Fund in his honor, to provide emergency support for LLM students who experience difficulty while studying at Penn Law.

Those who wish to offer their remembrances of Dr. Parker may do so using Penn’s Remembering Matthew Parker form at http://tinyurl.com/olnplva

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