Prof. Joel Eisen Selected for Beijing Fulbright
August 29, 2008
Joel B. Eisen, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, has been selected to teach at the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) in Beijing, China, in the spring 2009 semester through the Fulbright Scholar Program.
CUPL, one of China's most prestigious law schools, was established in 1952 when the Chinese government combined the law schools at Peking University and other prominent universities in Beijing. CUPL was the first university in China to offer programs in legal history, civil commercial law, economic law, procedural law, comparative law, and legal history. It is also an important center for exchange programs in law between China and the rest of the world, with ties to over 70 universities from 20 countries and regions. Its graduates practice in the government, the judiciary, and major law firms in China.
Professor Eisen said, "I am honored and excited to have been chosen as a Fulbright professor at CUPL. CUPL is renowned throughout China as a center of legal academic excellence, and it is a focal point for studying how China can adapt to the considerable challenges of the 21st century."
As a Fulbright lecturer, Professor Eisen will teach Chinese students courses in energy law and the law of global warming. China, according to Professor Eisen, "is at an early stage of developing its environmental protection and energy laws, and there is much that the U.S. and China can learn from each other." He added, “Recently, CUPL has become a leading center for the study of environmental law and attention to public involvement in protecting the environment. I look forward to working with law students, Chinese scholars and governmental officials to discuss how both nations can address their compelling environmental issues.” As one example of this international collaboration, Professor Eisen will join other Fulbright professors based in China to write and edit a book on American law for Chinese law students and scholars.
Professor Eisen added, "The University of Richmond's international education program has been nationally recognized, and bringing an international dimension to life and education at Richmond has become a high priority with the forthcoming construction of the Carole Weinstein International Center. I hope the lessons I learn in China will enrich my teaching and scholarship, and allow Richmond law students to learn more about critical energy and environmental issues facing China and the world."
John G. Douglass, Dean of the School of Law, said, "For over a decade Joel has been an intellectual leader in the fields of environmental law and energy policy. He is the perfect choice to join with colleagues at an esteemed Chinese institution in exploring global solutions to serious international environmental and energy problems."
The Fulbright program, established in 1946, is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State. The program was the creation of then freshman U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. According to the State Department, it is the "flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government," and is designed to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries." Recipients of Fulbright Scholar awards are selected on the basis of academic achievement and demonstrated extraordinary leadership potential in their fields. The program provides grants for college and university faculty and administrators to lecture and conduct research in countries around the world. Program officials indicate about 1,100 faculty and professionals from the United States will travel to approximately 130 countries through the scholar program during the 2008-09 academic year.
Professor Eisen earned his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981, and his J.D. degree from Stanford University Law School in 1985. He is a co-author of the leading law and business school course book on energy law, Energy, Economics and the Environment, the 2006 edition of which has been widely adopted in the U.S. and abroad. He has also published extensively in law periodicals, periodicals for general consumption, and books and treatises. He teaches law school courses and the Environmental Law and Policy course in the University of Richmond’s undergraduate Environmental Studies program.