Janet K. Levit has devoted her life and career to advancing scholarship in higher education, and The University of Tulsa has been the fortunate beneficiary of much of her effort. Levit served as The University of Tulsa’s interim president from January 30, 2020, to June 30, 2021, and previously served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. She also served as the institution’s Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Liaison Officer.
Levit, who holds degrees from Yale University (JD and MA, 1994) and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University (AB, magna cum laude, 1990), was TU’s first female provost and previously served as the first female dean of the TU College of Law, where she continues as a professor.
Before being named provost in April 2018, Levit served as vice president for strategic initiatives and led development of TU’s five-year strategic plan, charting the next phase in the evolution of the university.
As dean of TU Law, Levit led faculty and staff in improving student outcomes, containing costs, reorienting the curriculum toward experiential learning, and innovating around the core JD program to offer accessible, targeted legal training to those beyond traditional law school students.
Levit’s off-campus work has garnered her numerous honors, including Tulsa’s Women of the Year Pinnacle Award, the Anna C. Roth Legacy Award, the TU Law Hall of Fame, the James C. Lang Mentoring Award, and “50 Making a Difference” Circle of Excellence. She currently is a member of the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women.
When Levit left the College of Law deanship in 2015, many TU Law alumni, friends, faculty and staff wished to recognize her remarkable tenure as dean by endowing a scholarship in her name. In fulfillment of this wish, TU Law alumnae Sharon Bell, The Honorable Jane Wiseman, The Honorable Mary Fitzgerald and Mary Quinn Cooper organized fundraising efforts and generously made their own gifts to establish The Janet K. Levit Endowed Scholarship in Law.
