Prof. Jeffrey Sean Lehman
Independent Director, Infosys Technologies
Jeffrey Sean Lehman, Professor of Law and Former President at Cornell University, is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. and the President of the Joint Center for China-U.S. Law & Policy Studies at Peking University and Beijing Foreign Studies University.
Jeffrey earned an AB in mathematics from Cornell University, and MPP and JD degrees from the University of Michigan, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Michigan Law Review. He served as law clerk to Chief Judge Frank M. Coffin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and to Associate Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court. He practiced tax law in Washington, D.C., at Caplin & Drysdale.
Jeffrey taught law and public policy at the University of Michigan, specializing in law and policy of the American welfare state, before becoming dean of the law school at the age of 37 years. Under his stewardship, the school launched successful initiatives in legal writing, public service, clinical education, and transnational law. He also served as a public spokesperson in defense of the law school's moderate approach to affirmative action in admissions, an approach that was vindicated by the Supreme Court's decision in Grutter vs. Bollinger. In recognition of his work on the Grutter case, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. honored Jeffrey with its National Equal Justice Award. During his last two years as dean, he also served as President of the American Law Deans Association.
During his tenure as the eleventh president of Cornell University, Jeffrey brought the university community together to expand its role as a transnational institution and marshal its resources in response to challenges facing humanity in the 21st century: life in the age of the genome, wisdom in the age of digital information, and sustainability in the age of development. Under his leadership, the university set new records for fundraising success and for applicant volume. Jeffrey also led Cornell to forge new ties with the top universities in China, as well as to establish new links in France, India and Singapore.
Jeffrey was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by Peking University in recognition of his service as a bridge between scholars in the United States and China. He is also an honorary professor at China Agricultural University and at Xiamen University. He is Chair of the Board of Internet2 and a member of the governing boards of Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America and the Asian University for Women Support Foundation.