March 5, 2004

By Mike Emery
Staff writer

As dean of the University of Houston Law Center, Nancy Rapoport feels that she doesn’t look the part of a stereotypical law professor.

Rapoport’s brown hair, glasses and contemporary wardrobe are a far cry from silver-haired, bow-tied professors with British accents such as John Houseman’s stern portrayal of Professor Kingsfield in the film, “The Paper Chase.”

Despite the lack of bowtie, Rapoport’s career has reflected her commitment to both law and academia. She arrived at UH in 2000 with a solid background in bankruptcy law and ethics. She has composed several books on the topic and teaches courses on it as well.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Rapoport sat down with UH Campus News to discuss the challenges facing women on college campuses and in the workplace.

Q UHCN: What has been the biggest challenge you have faced during your career?

A Nancy Rapoport: The biggest challenge women face in their careers is that we are still the ‘other.’ We don’t look like the prototypical boss. We may have a different style about us, and sometimes we’re underestimated. For example, in my case, I am not a tall, graying male. I present a different image from what some people are used to and until they get to know me as a person, all they are dealing with is my image compared to the traditional image. It takes some people by surprise.

Q UHCN: Does working in academia or university administration present any tests for women?

A Rapoport: In terms of being a faculty member, it wasn’t until I started teaching in 1991 that there were enough women in the classroom to really develop our own teaching styles. It used to be, people would want to know what a “woman’s teaching style” would be. There are just as many styles for women as there are for men. I had to find my own teaching persona. I had to find out what worked for me and what was natural. As an administrator, there are very few women in top positions, so we are trying to find our own voice in that arena as well.

Q UHCN: What advice do you offer young women seeking to enter either law or academia?

A Rapoport: If I were a young woman wanting to be a law professor, I would focus on things that are essential in getting tenure, including being a decent teacher and providing service on faculty committees. If you don’t write good scholarship, you’re not going to get tenure. You have to focus and hone your research and put in a lot of hours. I have great admiration for persons of either sex who are pre-tenured and have kids. My husband and I don’t have kids because I couldn’t devote 80 hours a week to my job and raise kids well. You can’t have it all at once. You have to figure out in what order you are going to have different things.

Q UHCN: As a woman, how is your role in your family perceived with regard to profession?

A Rapoport: My father told me that it took him a millisecond to bond with me when I was born and another millisecond to realize that he was going to have to raise me to be someone’s boss. When I was growing up, he tried to teach me what he had learned in business, so I wouldn’t be caught unaware. On my mother’s side of the family, there was a long line of fearless women, so from both perspectives, I was raised to believe there nothing I couldn’t do … that there were no limits. That is the greatest gift a parent can give a child.