Courses

Mark C. Gordon

• J.D. Harvard Law School '90
• M.A. Columbia University School of International Affairs '82
• B.A. Columbia College '81
  
  
• gordonmc@udmercy.edu

Mark Gordon has been Dean at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law since August 2002. As Dean, he has focused on building what he terms a “distinct model of 21st century legal education” based on

• Commitment to ethics;
• Commitment to public service;
• Integrating the realities of practice into the classroom; and
• Providing an international perspective

Gordon earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School, graduating magna cum laude (1990). He also received a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University together with a Certificate from Columbia’s Russian Institute (1982), as well as a B.A. from Columbia College, graduating summa cum laude (1981).

Prior to coming to UDM, Gordon served from 1996-2002 as Associate Professor in the Practice of Public Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. At Columbia, Gordon founded and directed the Urban Habitat Project, which worked in partnership with the United Nations, the World Bank and others to identify and analyze creative approaches to addressing the challenges of urbanization around the world. Gordon also created a student-run non-profit (the Alliance for Community Enhancement at Columbia University, Inc.), which has worked with religious institutions in Harlem to enhance the flow of tourist revenues to the community.

Before Columbia, Gordon served as the General Deputy Assistant Secretary of Community Planning and Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. At HUD, he also served as chief of staff to Andrew Cuomo (then Assistant Secretary) in overseeing more than $7 billion of federal homeless, housing, community and economic development programs. From 1990 to 1992, Gordon practiced law as an associate at the New York firm of Hughes, Hubbard & Reed, and he served on the staff of the Governor of New York from 1983 to 1987.

His many achievements have gained him such recognition as: Outstanding Faculty Member Award, Columbia School of International and Public Affairs (1999); Certificate for Distinction in Teaching, Harvard University (1988-1990); and a team recipient of the 1996 Ford Foundation and Kennedy School of Government Innovations in American Government Award.

Gordon is the author of several articles and publications, including: Democracy’s New Challenge: Globalization, Governance and the Future of American Federalism (Demos, 2001); “Wealth, Power and the Information Revolution: A Review Essay” (co-author)(Council on Foreign Relations, 1999); and “Differing Paradigms, Similar Flaws: Constructing a New Approach to Federalism in Congress and the Court,” (Yale Law & Policy Review/Yale Journal on Regulation, 1996).