# Colin Diver

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**Colin S. Diver** (born December 29, 1943)[1] is an American lawyer and university president who was the president of [Reed College](/source/Reed_College) in [Portland, Oregon](/source/Portland,_Oregon). He was also the dean of the [University of Pennsylvania Law School](/source/University_of_Pennsylvania_Law_School) from 1989 to 1999.

## Early life and education

Diver was born in [Boston](/source/Boston). He received his B.A., *summa cum laude*, from [Amherst College](/source/Amherst_College) in 1965, where he currently serves as a trustee. He later received an LL.B., magna cum laude, from [Harvard Law School](/source/Harvard_Law_School) in 1968. He holds an honorary degree from Amherst.

## Career

Diver served as special counsel to the office of [Boston](/source/Boston) mayor [Kevin White](/source/Kevin_White_(mayor)) and then held a series of positions in [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts) state government, including assistant secretary of consumer affairs and undersecretary in the Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance. Diver then worked for 14 years as a faculty member at [Boston University School of Law](/source/Boston_University_School_of_Law), where he served as associate dean (1985–88) and dean (1988–89). He was a visiting professor at the [Harvard Kennedy School](/source/Harvard_Kennedy_School) and has held joint appointments in public policy at the [Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania](/source/Wharton_School_of_the_University_of_Pennsylvania) and the [Boston University School of Management](/source/Boston_University_School_of_Management).

Diver was named the Reed College's 14th president on October 5, 2002,[2] replacing acting president [Peter Steinberger](/source/Peter_Steinberger), dean of faculty, and succeeding Steven Koblik, who departed Reed to run the Huntington Library in [San Marino, California](/source/San_Marino,_California).[3] Diver stepped down in 2012.[4]

Under Diver's leadership, the college added a new major in environmental studies,[5] hired additional faculty,[5] created the office of institutional diversity,[6] and saw the four-year graduation rate reach a new high.[7] Diver presided during a period of significant volatility in the stock market.[8] Despite being launched during a recession, however, Reed's centennial campaign has raised more than $165 million [9] towards its goal of $200 million.

Diver's area of expertise includes [administrative law](/source/Administrative_law). Prior to Reed, he was dean of the [University of Pennsylvania Law School](/source/University_of_Pennsylvania_Law_School) from 1989 to 1999.[10][11]

### Notable activities

Though [Reed College](/source/Reed_College), an exclusively undergraduate institution, does not have a law school, in September 2005 it was announced that Diver would be the coach of the inaugural Reed College mock trial team.

In 2005, Diver submitted an article to the *[Atlantic Monthly](/source/Atlantic_Monthly)* outlining the adverse effects of the *U.S. News & World Report* college ranking system, called *Is There Life After Rankings?* The article outlines why Reed College chooses not to participate in the rankings competition process, and addresses the implication that non-participation necessarily handicaps colleges in competing for student applications and enrollment. In 2022, he published a book titled *Breaking Ranks* on the issue.[12][13]

Among his publications, Diver is co-author of a multiple-edition textbook entitled "Administrative Law: Cases and Materials."

## Personal life

Diver and his wife lived and raised their sons in [Boston](/source/Boston) during the 1960s in a neighborhood that was undergoing rapid gentrification. Their experiences with school desegregation and racial equality were chronicled in *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)* journalist [J. Anthony Lukas](/source/J._Anthony_Lukas)'s [Pulitzer Prize](/source/Pulitzer_Prize)-winning book *[Common Ground](/source/Common_Ground_(Lukas_book))*. This in turn became a 1990 made-for-TV movie of the same name.[14]

## Notable works

- Administrative Law: Cases and Materials, 4th ed. Aspen Pub., Inc. (with R. Cass & J. Beermann) (2002)
- "Genophobia: What Is Wrong with Genetic Discrimination?" Univ. of Penn. Law Rev. 149:1441 (2001)
- "Seeking Higher Ground," Media Studies J. 12:120 (1998) (with Joan M. Diver)
- "Israeli Administrative Law from an American Perspective, " Law and Government in Israel, 4:1 (1997)
- "Regulatory Precision, " in Making Regulatory Policy (K. Hawkins & J. Thomas eds. 1989)
- "Presidential Powers, " American Univ. Law Rev., 36:519 (1987)
- "No Compromises, " J. of Policy Analysis & Mgt., 5:645 (1986)
- Diver, Colin (2022). [*Breaking Ranks: How the Rankings Industry Rules Higher Education and What to Do about It*](https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12413/breaking-ranks). Baltimore, MD: [Johns Hopkins University Press](/source/Johns_Hopkins_University_Press). [doi:10.56021/9781421443065](https://doi.org/10.56021/9781421443065). ISBN 9781421443058. [OCLC 1246674491](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1246674491)

## References

1. ["Colin S. Diver - President's Office - Reed College"](https://www.reed.edu/president/reed_presidents/diver.html). *www.reed.edu*. Retrieved 2022-05-07.

1. ["Reed College Names Colin Diver Next President"](http://www.collegenews.org/x214.xml). 2005-12-30. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20051230131021/http://www.collegenews.org/x214.xml) 2005-12-30 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-05-07.

1. ["Reed Magazine: Colin Diver Interview (1/4)"](https://www.reed.edu/reed_magazine/nov2002/features/diver_interview/). *www.reed.edu*. Retrieved 2022-05-07.

1. ["Reed College president announces he will retire after one more year"](http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2011/06/reed_college_president_announc.html). 4 June 2011.

1. ["Reed College President Diver to retire - Portland Business Journal"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120503041842/http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2011/06/03/reed-college-president-diver-to-retire.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2011/06/03/reed-college-president-diver-to-retire.html) on 2012-05-03.

1. ["Reed Appoints First Dean for Institutional Diversity"](http://www.reed.edu/reed_magazine/september2011/articles/eliot_circular/williams.html). *Reed Magazine*. Retrieved 2022-05-07.

1. ["Sallyportal Home | Sallyportal | Reed Magazine"](https://www.reed.edu/reed_magazine/sallyportal/). *www.reed.edu*. Retrieved 2022-05-07.

1. ["Reed College endowment begins to recover | Portland Business Journal"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110530151433/http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/print-edition/2011/05/27/reed-college-endowment-begins-to-recover.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/print-edition/2011/05/27/reed-college-endowment-begins-to-recover.html) on 2011-05-30.

1. ["Reed College - Centennial Campaign"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090719152647/http://campaign.reed.edu/). Archived from [the original](http://campaign.reed.edu/) on 2009-07-19. Retrieved 2012-02-01.

1. ["Colin S. Diver | School of Law"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160330001533/https://www.bu.edu/law/profile/colin-s-diver/). Archived from [the original](https://www.bu.edu/law/profile/colin-s-diver/) on 2016-03-30.

1. ["Colin S. Diver"](https://www.law.upenn.edu/faculty/cdiver)

1. Diver, Colin (2022). [*Breaking Ranks: How the Rankings Industry Rules Higher Education and What to Do about It*](https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12413/breaking-ranks). Baltimore, MD: [Johns Hopkins University Press](/source/Johns_Hopkins_University_Press). [doi:10.56021/9781421443065](https://doi.org/10.56021/9781421443065). ISBN 9781421443058. [OCLC 1246674491](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1246674491). Retrieved 7 May 2022.

1. Diver, Colin (April 6, 2022). ["The Rankings Farce"](https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-rankings-farce). *[The Chronicle of Higher Education](/source/The_Chronicle_of_Higher_Education)*. Retrieved 9 May 2022. (subscription required)

1. ["Common Ground"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099294/) (Drama), Lorimar Productions, 1990-03-25, retrieved 2022-05-07

## External links

- [Reed College Bio](https://www.reed.edu/president/reed_presidents/diver.html)

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