The law school has done an effusive writeup announcing my (temporary) chair: UM Law Awards Silvers-Rubenstein Endowed Distinguished Professorship to A. Michael Froomkin.
Recent Bluessky Posts- Markets being perfect yadda yadda I should be able to buy a put on my lovely South Florida home, no? Or sell with a life estate remainder? March 2, 2026 Michael Froomkin
- For ages MS Word has shown black bars when I select text--but only after waking from sleep. Restarting Word solves it, but if you have many docs open it is a pain. At last I think I've found the solution in a registry hack! learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answer... (See 1st response, not the complaint.) March 2, 2026 Michael Froomkin
- Quantum computing, like fusion power, is always a few years away. The fusion horizon only very gradually shrinks, but timelines for useful QC are shrinking a lot faster. Still can't tell if it's hype or not, but folks are talking as if it's coming soonish. Cf. technologyreview.us11.list-manage.com March 2, 2026 Michael Froomkin
- The terrific preliminary program for We Robot 2026, to be held April 23-25, in Berlin is now online! 🤖 Get your tickets now! pretix.eu/werobot26/ti... March 2, 2026 Michael Froomkin
- Jotwell Int'l: Mathilde Cohen, From Shadow Cabinets to Shadow Justices: Rethinking Constitutional Lawmaking, JOTWELL (March 2, 2026) (reviewing Julie C. Suk, The Shadow Court: Rescuing Democracy from the Supreme Court (2026)), intl.jotwell.com/from-shadow-.... March 2, 2026 Jotwell
Effusive perhaps, but right on the money. Congratulations on the greatly deserved honor, Michael, and may you wear it in good health!
Congratulations, Michael.
Q: (since I’m not an academic): What does it mean? Do you get some extra money above your salary to pursue some particular goal? What’s its purpose? What did Bruce Winick do when he was there?
(Not a snarky slam – I really have no idea, and am curious what these sorts of things actually mean for the recipiants.)
Chairs vary. They’re considered an honor. Usually the honor comes with some sort of funding, either pay or resources or both. There are rarely strings attached (and this one has an emolument but no strings). If my experience is any guide, they make your parents very happy.
Bruce Winick didn’t go anywhere — unlike most chairs that you hold indefinitely, this is a one-year rotating chair (not unheard of, but less common), and he was the first to have it. Bruce may be the most productive member of our faculty. Despite being nearly blind he writes up a storm, edits a journal, and is starting an institute. See Bruce Winick’s homepage for more.