Top attorney turns president

University Business, July, 2007 by Eileen Mullan

AT OBERLIN COLLEGE (OHIO), ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE is a priority. On July 1, 2007, as Marvin Krislov became the college's 14th president, this dedication to creating a strong academic institute was passed on to a new leader.

Prior to his presidency, Krislov was the only person at the University of Michigan to be named both vice president and general counsel. He led the university's legal defense regarding its admissions policies, and his work resulted in the 2003 Supreme Court ruling of the university's right to consider race in the admission process in order to obtain diversity in the student body. Subsequent battles have ensued, however, but officials at U-M continue to defend their admissions policies, which they argue lead to a more inclusive student body.

"Oberlin's proud history of excellence and inclusion, along with its commitment to social justice, appeals to my own set of values," says Krislov. Within this framework, it is important to note that in 1835 Oberlin was the first U.S. college to admit black students and in 1841 was the first to award bachelor's degrees to women.

In his new role, Krislov will preside over a small liberal arts college of 2,800 students--a far cry from U-M's 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

But Krislov's credentials extend far beyond his work at the University of Michigan. He is a summa cum laude graduate from Yale, and was also a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University. He has taught both undergraduates and law students, served as a White House attorney during the Clinton administration, and has worked as co-chairman on a program to merge academics and ethnicity.

Krislov has been a strong advocate of academic excellence all his life and adheres to a definite educational ethic: "I grew up believing in the power of education to make a difference."