Hannah Arterian

Hannah Arterian (1949–2022) was an American legal administrator, academic, and scholar. She was the first woman to hold the post of Associate Dean at Arizona State University College of Law, and the second woman to act as Dean of Syracuse University College of Law. She also served as Chair of the AccessLex Institute's board of directors.

Early life and education Hannah Arterian was born in Manhattan and grew up in Prince's Bay in Staten Island. Her parents were of Armenian and Assyrian descent on her father's side and German and English on her mother's. She was the eldest of two sisters.

Arterian attended Elmira College, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and earned a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature. The college awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2009.

Arterian attended University of Iowa College of Law. While a student, Arterian was the first woman to hold an editorial position as one of the Iowa Law Review's Notes & Comments Editors. By the completion of her degree, she received the Murray Award for outstanding third-year law student, was inducted as a member of the Order of the Coif, and graduated third in her class with high distinction. In addition, she received the Hancher-Finkbine Award, an honor for achievement that is university-wide.

After graduation, Arterian practiced corporate tax law at the white-shoe firm Dewey Ballantine in Manhattan for several years.

Academic career Arterian returned to the University of Iowa to teach as a visiting professor. Arterian went on to teach at the law schools of University of Houston and Arizona State University. She joined the Arizona State University College of Law faculty in 1979 as the only woman professor. Arterian would go on to become its first woman Associate Dean, a post she held for a decade. While Dean, she fundraised for a new building, which was built and opened during her tenure: Dineen Hall opened in 2014. She also established several programs, including the college's Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT), the Technology Commercialization Law Program, Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media, and the first Veterans Law Clinic in New York State.

Prior to her successes as a legal administrator, Arterian's scholarship specialized in employment law. One much-read article focused on Title VII and the dangers of chemical toxins for pregnant workers.