Honoring Emeritus Professor Ved Nanda

Dear DU community, 

It is with deepest sorrow that we write to inform you of the passing of Emeritus Professor Ved Nanda, a Distinguished University Professor in the Sturm College of Law. Professor Nanda passed away on Monday in the company of family and friends.

For nearly 60 years, Professor Nanda was a professor at the law school, where he founded the International Legal Studies Program in 1972. He served as director of the Ved Nanda Center for International and Comparative Law since its inception in 2006. The Center was established in his honor by alumni and friends, who also endowed a professorship in his name. He received Honorary Doctorates of Law from Soka University in Tokyo, Japan, and Bundelkhand University in Jhansi, India, and taught and lectured at several universities in the U.S. and abroad. He was also an Honorary Professor of Law at the University of Delhi. 
 

“Among his many professional accomplishments, Ved was a pioneering figure in the field of international law, a transformative teacher and mentor, a dedicated institutional citizen, a civic leader, and a treasured colleague,” said Bruce Smith, dean of the Sturm College of Law.

Professor Nanda held many leadership positions within the global international law community, including in the World Jurist Association, American Society of International Law, International Law Association, American Law Institute, and the American Bar Association’s Human Rights Center and Section of International Law. He served as U.S. delegate to the World Federation of the United Nations Associations in Geneva and on the governing council of the United Nations Association of the USA. He was an officer and board member in several international and national NGOs, and he served as Chair of the Uberoi Foundation for Religious Studies.  

Professor Nanda received numerous national and international awards, authored or co-authored 24 books and over 225 chapters and law review articles in international and comparative law, wrote a column for the Denver Post, and was a regular commentator in both electronic and print media. In March 2018, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind presented Professor Nanda with the Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian awards given by the Government of India. The American Bar Association International Law Section conferred on him the Louis B. Sohn Award, for “distinguished, longstanding contributions to the field of public international law.” Since his passing, tributes to Professor Nanda have been pouring in from around the world.  

The Nanda family has finalized arrangements for the traditional Hindu service (antyeshti) for Ved, which will take place on Sunday, January 7, at Horan & McConaty (11150 E. Dartmouth Avenue, Aurora). The viewing will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. followed by a private ceremony for the family. We anticipate that a community Celebration of Life coordinated by the Sturm College of Law will take place in the future, and we will provide further details once plans have been finalized. 

We share our deepest sympathies with Professor Nanda’s family, friends and you, his students and colleagues, during this sad time. 

Sincerely,  
 
Jeremy Haefner  

Chancellor  

Mary Clark  

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor