University of Arkansas removes interim tag, selects Nance to lead law school

Cynthia Nance, interim dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law since July 1, 2022, has been appointed to the position full-time. UA officials shared the details in a news release Thursday (Nov. 30).

According to the release, Nance’s appointment is through June 2026. She joined the UA faculty in 1994 and was dean of the law school from 2006 to 2011. She was the first woman and the first person of color to serve as dean in the school’s then-82-year history.

“Dean Nance has served the UA for nearly 30 years, and her experience within the School of Law and the university, as well as her expertise in legal education and respect of the bench and bar, is unmatched,” Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Terry Martin said in the release. “I, along with university leadership, am thrilled she will continue in this role.”

Nance’s appointment concludes a national search that started this past May. In October, the UA announced four candidates were being considered for the job and invited to campus for open forums in Fayetteville:

• Elizabeth Weeks is associate provost for faculty affairs at the University of Georgia, where she is a professor and is the Charles H. Kirbo Chair in Law.
• Michael Higdon is the interim associate dean for academic affairs and the W. Allen Separk Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee College of Law.
• Johanna Kalb is dean of the University of Idaho College of Law.
• Ned Snow is associate dean for faculty development and scholarship at the University of South Carolina School of Law.

A UA spokeswoman said the finalists visited campus, gave public presentations and were interviewed by the search committee and university leadership. Feedback from various constituencies (faculty, staff, students, alumni, and external stakeholders) was relayed to Martin.  Ultimately, the Provost decided that Nance was the best person to lead the School of Law.

“While the search identified many highly qualified candidates, we decided that Dean Nance is the best person to lead the School of Law forward,” Martin said. “Dean Nance is highly accomplished and well respected by legal professionals across the country. She is truly a pioneer in her field, and her contributions to the UA, the legal community, the state and the nation are remarkable.”

Nance replaces Margaret Sova McCabe. She was the School of Law’s last full-time dean from 2018 to 2022.

That year, she started Jan. 1 as a senior adviser for strategic projects and a law professor at the university. She still holds both those jobs and is now also interim vice chancellor for research and innovation.

Alena Allen, a law professor and associate dean for research and faculty development, was interim dean from January 2022 to June 2022. Allen was named dean of LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center earlier this year.

“It is an honor to continue serve the university and School of Law community in this capacity, especially as we look forward to celebrating the centennial of the law school,” Nance said. “I’m grateful to Provost Martin for his confidence in my leadership and for allowing me to continue to advance our legacy of leadership, research and service, consistent with our land grant mission, which also includes access to legal education for historically underrepresented groups.”

The current enrollment for fall 2023 for the UA School of Law is 396.

Thursday’s release from the UA with Nance’s full bio can be found here.