© 2016 The Texas Lawbook.
By Mark Curriden
(Oct. 17) – Texas Tech University School of Law Dean Darby Dickerson, known for her successful diversity and public service outreach efforts, announced Monday that she will leave the Lubbock institution in January to become the new dean at Chicago’s John Marshall Law School.
“Over the next couple of months, I look forward to continuing to interact with the Texas Tech law students, faculty, staff and alumni and to say a more personal goodbye before I move from the Hub City to the Windy City,” Dickerson said in a written statement.
“We have a strong, dynamic community, and I will always cherish my time here and the relationships I developed,” she said.
Dickerson led the effort to make public service a requirement of graduation, while also offering flex-time scheduling as an option for law students. She served as president of Scribes – The American Society of Legal Writers, which allowed her to convince fellow Scribes leaders to make Texas Tech Law the organization’s national headquarters.
“There is no question that Dean Dickerson focused on quality both with students and faculty,” said Vinson & Elkins counsel Beto Cardenas, who is a member of the TTU School of Law Foundation. “The next dean will need to take the law school to the next level.”
TTU Law’s moot court program has been ranked No. 1 in the country by the Blakely Advocacy Institute during Dickerson’s tenure, and the school’s legal-writing program was ranked 15th in U.S. News & World Report.
In its press release, John Marshall Law School officials praise Dickerson for her “dynamic style and deep knowledge of skills-based learning.
Dickerson said that she is “incredibly honored” to be named John Marshall’s new dean and that she is “committed to continuing the school’s legacy of innovation, opportunity and excellence.”
Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec, in a written statement, thanked Dickerson for her time at TTU.
“Her innovative leadership and support of the faculty and students was an important favor in many achievements that have advanced the reputation of our School of Law,” Schovanec said.
Dickerson, who received her law degree from Vanderbilt University, previously served as interim dean and dean at Stetson University College of Law for eight years.
The Texas Tech press release credits Dickerson for growing the production of faculty scholarship and increasing article placements in top-50 and top-100 law reviews.
“She increased the diversity of the full-time and adjunct faculty and developed several programs to benefit students, including the Bar Preparation Resources Program, the Regional Externship Program, the Academy for Leadership in the Legal Profession and the Innocence Clinic,” Texas Tech’s release states.
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