Sexton served as president of New York University from 2001 through 2015. He is NYU’s Benjamin F. Butler Professor of Law and dean emeritus of the Law School, having served as dean from 1988 through 2002. During his presidency and his deanship, the University’s and the Law School’s reach and stature grew tremendously, including the emergence of NYU as a global network university, with campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai and 12 other academic centers. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a recipient of 24 honorary degrees, President Emeritus Sexton is past chair of the American Council on Education, the Independent Colleges of NY, the New York Academy of Science, and the Federal Reserve Board of NY.