Larry Kramer, dean of Stanford Law School since 2004, announced Wednesday that he will leave Stanford in August to serve as president of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

“It has been an incredible honor to work at Stanford Law School these past eight years,” Kramer said to The Stanford Report. “I had the privilege to work with amazingly talented faculty, staff and students – to support their innovative scholarship and work and be part of what I believe is easily the world’s best university. It has been an exciting time of great change and equally great challenges, but the law school has a strong, positive trajectory, and I can’t wait to see the direction it takes under future leadership.”

Kramer oversaw the Law School’s recent curriculum reform, which took five years and emphasized more team-oriented problem-solving techniques. The physical campus of the Law School was also expanded and improved under Kramer.

“Larry Kramer transformed the Stanford Law School, both physically and programmatically,” said Acting President and Provost John Etchemendy to The Stanford Report. “He pioneered a new vision of legal education and then oversaw the creation of a physical plant capable of supporting the new program. His vision has benefited not only law students but the university at large, by integrating the law school with the rest of the university. Larry is a national leader in legal academia and a university leader at Stanford. His impact has been tremendous and he will be missed.”

– Billy Gallagher