OU College of Law Dean Katheleen Guzman announced her decision to step down at the end of the academic year on Monday.
Guzman wrote that as OU transitions into the Southeastern Conference and legal education is rapidly changing, the College of Law anticipates different challenges and accomplishments.
“From this cornerstone, which includes the highest rankings we have ever held in many metrics, comes the perfect time to transition to a new dean who can continue and elevate all that we have long known to be true about what we do, and as importantly, who we are: a community of individuals who care about every one of our members and continues to believe passionately in the foundational role of law within and to every single thing – every institution, structure, liberty, freedom, equity, and value – that matters,” Guzman wrote.
On Monday, OU Senior Vice President and Provost André-Denis Wright wrote in an email that the College of Law admitted its most academically qualified class ever this year under Guzman and received its highest ranking ever from U.S. News and World Report at 51 nationally.
In May 2021, Guzman was appointed as dean after serving as interim dean of the OU College of Law since 2019.
Guzman installed programs to recruit and train top-notch faculty in areas such as oil and gas law, Indigenous Peoples’ law, and health care law, Wright wrote. He added that she also established new pathways for student admissions and expanded degree and related opportunities to meet workforce news.
“At every turn, she has had an unwavering commitment to innovation, success, and the core tenets of diversity and collegiality that makes our university so special,” Wright wrote. “Katheleen’s time as dean has been no exception. She has led a concerted effort to focus on educational components that make OU’s law students even more successful, including emphasizing the importance of cultivating leadership skills, financial literacy, sociocultural humility and emotional intelligence, mental and emotional well-being, community engagement, and communication skills.”
As dean, Guzman worked through the challenges of COVID-19, Wright wrote, and positioned OU Law well to meet new opportunities and challenges in the future.
“Over the past three decades, I have been honored to be witness and servant to that which we’ve done,” Guzman wrote. “I know without question that in the coming decades there is little we cannot do together to ensure the University of Oklahoma College of Law continues, as always, to shine.”
Wright wrote that additional details regarding an interim leadership plan for the college will be forthcoming.
Source:
