Law school dean search down to 4

The search for a new dean at the University of New Mexico’s School of Law is down to four candidates, two of whom work at the school, according to a letter to alumni.

They are: Alfred Mathewson, a UNM law professor and acting director of the school’s African Studies program; Barbara Bergman, also a law professor and the current interim dean; Melanie Wilson, an associate dean for academic affairs and a professor of law at the University of Kansas; and David Herring, of the University of Pittsburgh, where he is co-director of the law school’s clinic programs.

The candidates will be on campus and will hold forums on March 4 and March 18, although the times and locations have not been announced yet. They are vying for the job of former dean Kevin Washburn, who left to become assistant secretary of Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of Interior. Washburn was dean of UNM’s School of Law for three years.

The law school enrolls about 115 students per year. The number of applicants has dropped by about 36 percent since 2005.

Still, the school’s clinical program, through which students get hands-on training in the field, is ranked one of the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

The school was ranked 69th in the country last year.
— This article appeared on page C02 of the Albuquerque Journal