Chapman University School of Law today announced that it has named Tom Campbell as its new dean. He is a former Stanford law professor (1983-89), member of the U.S. Congress (1989-93, 1995-2001) and California state senate (1993-95), and UC-Berkeley business school dean (2002-08) and professor (2009-). From the Orange County Register:
“I fell in love with Chapman,” said Campbell, who graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago. “This opportunity is great and might not come again. This is huge.”
Chapman School of Law has climbed steadily up the rankings since opening its doors in 1995, and cracked the top 100 in U.S. News and World Report’s most recent ranking, landing at 93. …
Chapman University President James Doti said that despite its rapid ascent, the law school is remains relatively unknown – and is turning to Campbell after a national search to help change that. “One thing Tom Campbell will bring is recognition,” he said, noting that Haas under Campbell’s deanship went from 15th to second in the Wall Street Journal’s ranking of business schools. “I’m quite confident in Tom recruiting the best and the brightest faculty, and the best and the brightest students.” …
Chapman has about 550 graduate law students, and there are no plans to increase that number. However, both Campbell and Doti said they hope to attract more high-profile faculty to the law school. Campbell also emphasized the desire to increase the noteworthy legal research done at the school. “The greatest law schools – what separates them from the rest is research,” he said. …
Campbell’s appointment follows the 2008 hiring of prominent constitutional scholar Erwin Chemerinsky to launch a new law school at UC Irvine. Chemerinsky applauded the selection of Campbell. “He is tremendously talented and experienced, as a law professor, an elected official, and as a dean,” Chemerinsky said via email. “I very much look forward to working with him as we are both seeking to create top law schools here in Orange County.”
