ASU Law announces Mary Sigler Fellowship

At the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, students learn from some of the nation’s foremost scholars and innovative legal instructors. They have played an integral role in ASU Law establishing itself as one of the highest ranked public law schools in the nation, a leading center of scholarly exchange with a tradition of exceptional bar-passage and quality job-placement rates.

Among the notable faculty members is Associate Dean of Faculty Zachary Kramer, a professor who was recently honored with the Mary Sigler Fellowship.

According to ASU Law Dean Douglas Sylvester, “We have worked hard to increase opportunities to recognize outstanding faculty through awards of chairs, professorships and fellowships. I am so pleased that Professor Kramer has accepted this fellowship named in Mary’s honor.”

Mary Sigler was a lifelong academic, having earned her bachelor’s degree and doctorate from Arizona State University and a juris doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. She was appointed to the faculty of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law in 2003 and was a leading expert in criminal law and jurisprudence. In 2012, she was appointed as an associate dean at ASU Law. Sigler was a frequent contributor to leading law journals, with dozens of publications, and was a sought-after panelist at international conferences. She was part of the ASU Law faculty until her death in 2018 after a nearly three-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

The philanthropist who donated to support the fellowship stated, “Professor Mary Sigler was a tremendous scholar, teacher and citizen. This faculty appointment will recognize and honor her many contributions to the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. The appointment should be awarded to a tenured faculty member whose scholarship and contributions to the community of scholars at ASU best reflects Mary’s legacy.”

Kramer teaches and writes in the areas of property law and civil rights law. He is the author of "Outsiders: Why Difference is the Future of Civil Rights" (Oxford 2019). Before joining the ASU Law faculty in 2010, Kramer taught at Penn State (2008–10) and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (2006–08). He began his teaching career as the inaugural Charles R. Williams Teaching Fellow at UCLA School of Law. A graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, Kramer served as the editor-in-chief of the University of Illinois Law Review.

“It’s an honor to hold a position that bears my friend Mary’s name,” Kramer said. “I’m humbled by the appointment.”

Among faculty honors, a professorship requires a minimum endowment of $1 million. At present, the Mary Sigler Fellowship has raised more than $600,000. The goal is to convert the fellowship into a professorship. If you would like to honor Sigler's legacy and help make this a reality, please consider making a gift, whether cash or estate plan. 

Read more: New book 'Outsiders' offers insights into identity, equality and discrimination