Southwick, Arthur F.

Arthur Southwick received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wooster College in 1947. His graduate studies led him to the University of Michigan where he received a Masters in Business Administration in 1950 and a Juris Doctor degree in 1951. Southwick became a University of Michigan faculty member in 1956 as an assistant professor of Business Law in the School of Business Administration. He advanced to associate professor in 1961 and to full professor in 1966. In 1975, he also became a professor of Hospital Administration, now known as Health Services Management and Policy within the School of Public Health.

Throughout his career, Southwick was known for his outstanding service to his students and his field of research. At his retirement, the Board of Regents reflected on his years of devotion to his students. They noted how Professor Southwick's courses contained "lively classroom coverage of complex legal issues" and that he often devoted much of his time to students' issues and research ideas. Professor Southwick's love for teaching is shown through his ample files of teaching notes within these papers. Letters of appreciation from former students fill his correspondence file.

Southwick believed that current research was necessary to provide the best possible classroom leadership. His files reveal active interests within many areas of health administration and business law. The papers contain only a few of his many publications, including the widely used and cited The Law of Hospital and Health Care Administration . He also published many book chapters and articles, influencing health care practices, ethics, regulations, and law. Professor Southwick was also on the editorial board of the American Journal of Law and Medicine and served on the editorial advisory board for Issues in Health Care Technology and Hospital Risk Control . He was a member of the American Academy of Health Care Attorneys, the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, the National Health Lawyers Association, and the American Society of Law, Medicine, and Ethics.

Arthur Southwick's achievements have been honored in many ways. The University of Michigan School of Business Administration offers an award in his name. The Southwick Award is annually given to the undergraduate student that submits the best paper in Business Administration course 380: Business Law Senior Seminar, an honors-type class culminating in a major research paper. The award recognizes Arthur Southwick as an outstanding teacher and researcher.

Arthur Southwick retired from the University of Michigan in 1990. He was granted professor emeritus status in health services management and policy from the School of Public Health and in business law from the School of Business Administration upon retirement.

He passed away March 3, 1997 at the age of 73.

From the guide to the Arthur F. Southwick papers, 1958-1996, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)