Among Kagan’s first priorities as dean will be the kickoff of the $400 million capital campaign, at a gala planned for June 14.

Kagan will devote part of her summer to a national fund raising tour of four or five major cities where she plans to speak with alumni about HLS.

As dean she will also continue to devote substantial attention to the issue of the potential move to Allston. Kagan has chaired the Locational Options Committee since December 2001. It produced a comprehensive study last year, dubbed the “Kagan Report,” on the law school’s options and needs for expansion in Cambridge and possibly across the river in Allston.

The report was praised for its balanced approach, leaving the door open for a move by the law school to Allston.

In her first year, Kagan will also tackle a number of new faculty appointments, including some in environmental and international law and she will review space available to students and the school’s curriculum.

Kagan said she is excited for the various challenges her new job will entail.

“I have a great love for this institution, and I think Harvard Law is an institution that can have a profound effect on the legal profession, and thus, through that, also on the nation and the world,” Kagan said.

“Leading an institution of that caliber is not only challenging, but also very important and very appealing,” she said.

“It’s crystal clear that Elena Kagan is dedicated to making Harvard Law School the best center for legal education and research the world has yet seen. With her, it’s never ‘about Elena,’ but always about the School, its faculty and students and staff, and the large issues of law’s role in building a just society,” said Tribe.