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Fletcher Emeriti Faculty Honored

On May 4, Fletcher held a celebration for several professors emeriti.
Group shot of Dean Rachel Kyte, Sol Gittleman, Jeswald Salacuse, Hurst Hannum, and Andrew Hess standing in front of a yellow sign
L-R Dean Rachel Kyte, Sol Gittleman, Jeswald Salacuse, Hurst Hannum, and Andrew Hess

Joining the festivities was former longtime Tufts Provost and Senior Vice President Sol Gittleman, who was recognized for his support of and impact on Fletcher.

Andrew Hess, Director of the Southwest-Central Asia and Islamic Civilization Program; Hurst Hannum, Professor Emeritus, International Law; Jeswald Salacuse, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Dean Emeritus; and Robert Pfaltzgraff, Professor Emeritus, Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of International Security Studies were recognized for their accomplishments, contributions, and impact on Fletcher and decades of students they influenced.

The honorees were welcomed and honored by a current Fletcher Professor.

Hurst Hannum

Professor Eileen Babbitt honored Hurst Hannum for his dedication to the Fletcher School for 30 years. Hurst served as academic dean, director of the LLM program, and taught hundreds of students, and continues to stay in touch with many of them to this day.

Hurst arrived at Fletcher an accomplished scholar, authoring several additions of significant case books in human rights law and practice used by law schools around the world including the seminal book in law and governance Autonomy, Sovereignty, and Self Determination: The Accommodation of Conflicting Rights. In his spare time, Hurst has been a successful author of several books about wine.

“Hurst inspired others by wanting to curtail the increase in so-called ‘ethnic conflicts’ in the world,” Eileen said. Adding, “I’m fortunate to have also developed a close personal friendship with Hurst and his wife Ann and know him to not only be up for a feisty discussion on issues of the day at the drop of a hat, but also a person with deep love and abiding loyalty to his family and friends, and to the work to which he has dedicated his life.”

Jeswald Salacuse

Joel Trachtman, Fletcher Professor of International Law, remarked on the occasion of the retirement of Jeswald Salacuse.

Professor Trachtman spoke of Professor Salacuses’ myriad roles and impact at different institutions over the course of his career. Jes was Dean of Fletcher from 1986-1994 and a professor since then. He also held the titles of Henry Braker Chair and then Distinguished Professor, Dean of SMU Law School, Ford Foundation Representative in Sudan, Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Comparative Law in Italy, Chairman of the Board of APSIA, Chairman of the India Fund, President of Arbitral Tribunals, and President of the Faculty Senate.

Jes has written many books over the course of his career including Dominant Scholar of International Investment Law and Law And Development—which pioneered and clarified it at an early stage before other scholars paid much attention. Most recently, he published The Law of Investment Treaties and The Three Laws of International Investment, Seven Secrets for Negotiating with Governments.

“On behalf of the many scholars around the world who stand on your shoulders to explore a number of important areas of international law, and the thousands of students whose minds were expanded by your knowledge, insight, and discipline, and whose integrity and character were formed by emulating you, we thank you,” Joel said.

Andrew Hess

Rocky Weitz, Professor of Practice and Director of the Fletcher Maritime Studies Program, paid tribute to Professor Andrew Hess.

Professor Hess served as an academic entrepreneur at Fletcher. He launched the Program on Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization, which later expanded to encompass the former Soviet states in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Andy appreciated the importance of security studies and collaborated extensively with Fletcher’s International Security Studies Program in advising and mentoring security studies students.

Andy’s unique background contributed to his interdisciplinary approach – mixing history, politics, business, and technology perspectives in his courses helped him embrace complexities and interconnectedness when teaching global affairs.

Rocky spoke with several of Professor Hess' former students and they all agreed that Andy’s generosity of spirit, his warm personality, his thoughtfulness and fairness, his great sense of humor, his entrepreneurial approach, and his deep appreciation for the complexities of the modern world has stayed with hem over the years since graduating from Fletcher.

“As global affairs has grown more complex over the last few years, Andy’s teachings have helped his students understand the big picture, and connect seemingly disparate trends to better understand how to navigate today’s complex geopolitics,” Rocky said, adding, “Thank you, Andy, for being such a wonderful colleague and mentor to so many of us in the Fletcher community.”

Professor Robert Pfaltzgraff was honored in absentia as he was unable to attend the event.

“Each of our faculty emeriti have been integral to the life of the Fletcher School, to the success of this institution over decades. Combined, they have served Fletcher for a total of 151 years. Considering class sizes and the number of courses taught per year, discounting for overlap in student enrollments and sabbaticals, these four faculty taught some 9,000 unique students. For this, and countless other ways that have contributed to the school, we cannot thank them enough,” Dean Kyte said.