Recently, friends and colleagues gathered in person and virtually from across the globe for the dedication of the Nicholas A. Robinson Seminar Space at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in White Plains – a room devoted to preserving and presenting decades of scholarship and legal resources from Robinson, a pioneering professor in the field of environmental law.
Located on the fourth floor of Preston Hall, the seminar space not only houses a vast collection of Robinson’s published work but showcases many achievements and accolades spanning a 46-year career at the law school, where he is University Professor on the Environment and the Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law Emeritus. Original artwork in the new space includes a collage portrait by Geoffrey Stein and an oil painting commissioned by alumnus Justice Jawad Hassad, introducing future students to Robinson, his life and his legacy.
“The Nicholas A. Robinson Seminar Space is a place where Professor Robinson’s knowledge will not only be stored but shared – creating a dedicated space for our students to learn and study,” said Horace E. Anderson, dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. “It is Professor Robinson’s vision to utilize the new space for guest lectures, seminars and important discourse centered around environmental law and policy, inspiring others to follow in his footsteps.”
Robinson began developing environmental law in 1969, when he was named to the Legal Advisory Committee of the President’s Council on Environmental Quality. During his career, he drafted New York’s wetlands and wild bird laws and was inaugurated as the first chairman of both the statutory Freshwater Wetlands Appeals Board and Greenway Heritage Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley. He edited the proceedings of the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
He is also chair emeritus of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Environment Law, serving from 1996 to 2004, and responsible for many innovations, including the launch of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law. He has engaged in drafting treaties and counseling different countries on the preparation of environmental laws.
During his tenure at the Haub Law School, Robinson helped establish its environmental law programs, founded the environmental law review, launched the Pace Environmental Law Clinic, secured Pace’s membership in the IUCN and pioneered the first United Nation’s Environmental Diplomacy Practicum. His work and influence can be attributed to advancing the law school’s reputation as the top-ranked environmental law program in the nation and around the world.
For more, visit https://law.pace.edu.
