Law school dean candidate declines position

The UW School of Law is still without a law dean after potential candidate Mary Anne Bobinski declined to accept the position. The law school has been without a dean since W.H. “Joe” Knight Jr. stepped down from his position in June 2007.

Bobinski was one of the four finalists for the position of dean that was announced in January. She declined the offer for personal reasons.

In a meeting at William H. Gates Hall last Friday, UW President Mark Emmert and Provost Phyllis Wise followed up with students and faculty on the dean search for the school.

“It is not infrequent that these kinds of changes of heart happen at the last minute,” Wise said. “That doesn’t make it any less distressing, but I think it does say that we are not the unique recipient of this.”

The meeting was held to determine the next steps in finding a dean for the UW School of Law. Emmert said the school is of critical importance to both him and Wise.

“The law school needs to continue to grow and develop,” Emmert said. “It’s essential that we have a dean that you all feel comfortable with and have confidence in.”

Law students expressed their concerns with the absence of a permanent dean.

“The biggest thing that struck me from the moment when Dean Knight resigned is that the school has felt like it’s in a holding pattern and a varying state of flux,” said Brendan McNamara, a law student and the president of the UW American Constitution Society for Law and Policy. “And it’s really frustrating as a student because I feel like it’s much harder to do everything that I need to do to prepare myself to graduate.”

Emmert and Wise addressed concerns from the faculty and students about the affects of a new dean candidate search.

“Do you want to jump right into the search again and get after this?” Emmert asked. “Or do we want to take a year and then go back into the market?”

The school’s search for a new dean will begin again, although it has not been decided whether a new search should be started immediately.

Both students and faculty had the chance to voice their opinions and concerns about the matter at the meeting. While some opted to begin a new search right away due to concerns of about the lack of solid leadership, others thought it would be best to wait while continuing to have Gregory A. Hicks as interim dean. Hicks has been asked to serve until July 1.

Wise hopes to go into a new search “very soon” and get “solid, long-term leadership visionaries and strategic leadership” into the school.

“I think we have all the ingredients for success here: The students are spectacular, and the faculty are even more spectacular,” she said. “The building that you have is the envy of every other college and school on this campus.”

The “dust should settle” before searching for a new dean, said law student Dave Brown, the UW Graduate and Professional Student Senate president.

He also stresses the significance of having a dean in leadership.

“Dean Hicks has done an admirable job,” Brown said. “But you have to think five to 10 years out. Certainly at a macro level we’re not able to do any strategic planning without a dean.”

[Reach reporter Kim Lee at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]