Professor Larry Catá Backer elected chair of University Faculty Senate

Professor Larry Catá Backer is a renowned scholar of international corporate governance, and he will now apply his leadership skills to University governance as chair-elect of the Penn State University Faculty Senate. Election results were announced at the Faculty Senate meeting on April 28. 

"This is a significant honor that will involve Larry intimately at the highest levels in the affairs of the University," said Philip J. McConnaughay, dean of Penn State Law. 

The Faculty Senate has legislative authority on all matters pertaining to the educational interests of the University and acts as an advisory and consultative body to the President on any matter that may affect the attainment of the educational objectives of the University. He is the first faculty member at Penn State Law or the School of International Affairs to serve as chair elect of the Faculty Senate. 

"I will work hard in the coming years to justify my colleagues' trust and confidence in me and to ensure that the Senate contributes in meaningful positive ways to the continued advancement of the University," said Professor Backer, who also shares his thoughts on a blog titled Law at the End of the Day. 

Professor Backer is the W. Richard and Mary Eshelman Faculty Scholar and Professor of Law and International Affairs. His most recent work touches on the regulation of multinational corporations, sovereign wealth funds, transnational and theocratic constitutionalism, the free movement of capital within European Union law, and the convergence of public and private law. Professor Backer concentrates his teaching in the fields of constitutional, corporate, and transnational law. He has offered a variety of courses in those fields, including constitutional law, corporate law, European Union law, comparative corporate and constitutional law, and international business transactions.