Summary: UNC School of Law’s dean Jack Boger is stepping down.
UNC is soon to feel the ache of an escaped dean now that their nine year hero Jack Boger is stepping down, after this his final semester. He announced his plan to leave last May, declaring he was making way for a new dean with new initiatives to take his place as of July 2015, for though on his watch the staff has mushroomed by 40 faculty members, and curriculums have been reformed to increase the amount of experiential training – an advantage offered only by select schools – nevertheless, Boger says a new dean is necessary for further curricular reforms, and also the American Bar Association’s accreditation process would better be addressed by another, inspiring him to let go of the position.
“Although selfishly it might be fun to stay another year,” said Boger, “the best thing for the institution is to hand the baton over.”
He will nevertheless stay on the faculty, teaching on race and poverty, and constitutional and educational law, remaining an active member of the school where he made such an impression, and continuing to work beside the colleagues who have gained such a heartfelt respect for him.
Not that the transition will go unnoticed. One 2L student, Billy Piontek, felt the force of the news, saying, as the dailytarheel.com reported, “On a personal level, [the news] was devastating because he is a pillar of Carolina Law. I can’t imagine Carolina Law without him at the helm…. You need all of this gravitas and skill and experience to do what he does, but to do that at Carolina Law, you need something a little bit more. You really need to feel Carolina Law.”
While this comment may say more about the student’s lack of imagination than Boger’s unique ability to fill this role, the heartfelt sentiment remains, and is shared, further, by Assistant Dean of Policy Catherine Pierce, who, after working at Boger’s side for ten years, concluded that “Jack is full of integrity, and he truly understands what Carolina’s integrity requires – what the mission of Carolina Law is. He embraces that and reflects that back to the faculty, to the staff, to our alumni in everything he says, how he carries out his deanship, and it’s very much appreciated by everyone here.”
Naturally, the school anticipates placing a new dean by July, though they don’t yet know who that person will be.