CEU Mourns Passing of Cornell President, CEU Visiting Professor Elizabeth Garrett

Central European University mourns the passing of Cornell President Elizabeth Garrett, a renowned legal scholar and university administrator who taught courses at CEU in the Comparative Constitutional Law program in the Department of Legal Studies in 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03 and 2004-05.

“Beth Garrett was a valued colleague, a gifted professor and skilled administrator, dedicated to higher education and open society,” CEU President and Rector John Shattuck said. “She will be missed.”  Shattuck had served with her on the national board of Common Cause, a public affairs advocacy organization in the U.S.

"Beth was a brilliant and committed scholar who was enthusiastic in all her commitments, including teaching at CEU," said Professor Andras Sajo of the Comparative Constitutional Law program at the Department of Legal Studies, and judge at the European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg. "I recall how willing she was when I invited her to work with an international advanced student body at CEU."

Cornell’s 13th president, Garrett was the first woman to hold that post. Inaugurated in September 2015, she achieved much in her short time leading the university, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. She delegated tasks in early February to take time off for treatment for colon cancer. Prior to becoming president of Cornell, Garrett served as the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Southern California, where she oversaw the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences as well as the Keck School of Medicine of USC and 16 other professional schools, according to the University.

Photo credit: Cameron Pollack, Sr., Cornell Daily Sun