Boston College Law Professor and Dean’s Distinguished Scholar Kent Greenfield has been selected as the Faculty Advisor of the Year by the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS).
“Professor Greenfield has shown his commitment and dedication to the ACS’s network and initiatives, and the Boston College Law School ACS Student Chapter for many years,” said Zinelle October, ACS interim president. “He has gone above and beyond in supporting the Student Chapter and its advancement of progressive causes, and he also has supported and encouraged ACS leaders and legal scholars nationally, including traveling to meet with student chapters across the country.”
ACS also cited Greenfield’s organizing efforts to author a statement released in February, “We Are in a Constitutional Crisis,” which then earned more than 1,000 signatories of differing political stripes from law schools across the country. The statement cites various examples of executive overreach by President Trump and has served to rally public support for democracy and the rule of law in the face of these actions.
Greenfield has provided vital mentorship in this uncertain environment, being a resource to advise students as they prepare to navigate the road ahead. Recently, he delivered an impassioned lecture to his students on the crisis—which was highlighted on WBUR’s Cognoscenti—encouraging them as they enter into a profession increasingly fraught with ethical challenges, and imploring them to stick to their ideals.
“For over two decades, the ACS has been a crucial player in the fight for our democracy,” Greenfield said upon receiving the honor. “Its national coalition of lawyers, professors, students, public servants, and judges has worked to make clear how our constitution can serve and protect average Americans. My participation in the ACS both nationally and here at BC Law has been one of the most meaningful aspects of my career as a law professor. The ACS has helped me develop my voice and magnify it, especially in moments like the present when our democracy is in peril.”
Greenfield added, “I am so very pleased to have been the faculty advisor of the Boston College ACS chapter, one of the oldest chapters in the country. The students here are dedicated to using their knowledge and skills for good. I am honored to receive this award and I dedicate it to the wonderful students of our chapter.”
The ACS is a prominent progressive legal organization, with a diverse nationwide network that includes nearly 200 student and lawyer chapters, and progressive lawyers, students, judges, scholars, elected officials, and advocates.