Maureen O’Rourke to Step Down as Dean of the School of Law
From Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Professor Maureen O’Rourke, who has served with distinction as Dean of the School of Law (LAW) since 2004, has announced that she plans to step down from her administrative role in June 2018 and return to the faculty, following a sabbatical leave.
Dean O’Rourke has been an exceptional leader at LAW since her appointment, first in an interim role for two years and then as permanent Dean beginning in 2006. She has led advances in the quality, relevance, and accessibility of the School’s academic programs, as well as in its national reputation among top law schools. She spearheaded the launch of several innovative new programs – including the Executive LLM in International Business Law, Legal English Certificate Program, and an online version of the LLM in Taxation. Among Dean O’Rourke’s most notable recent accomplishments was overseeing the successful completion of a state of the art law school complex, including the Sumner M. Redstone Building, a nearly 100,000-square-foot, five-story classroom building that opened in 2014, and the 17-story LAW tower, which re-opened in 2015 after a complete renovation.