April 20, 2012

After more than 20 weeks of interviews and deliberation, the law school has a new dean. Law students, meet Gary Myers.

Myers was the associate dean for research and a professor at the University of Mississippi School of Law before taking the dean position at MU. He has made it through the phases of the interview process, from being interviewed through teleconferencing to later being invited back as one of five finalists.

Myers said he had no previous intention of leaving his position at Mississippi.

“I was nominated for the deanship at Missouri, and members of the dean search committee then contacted me and invited me to submit my application,” Myers said. “I was honored to be considered for the position.”

Dean of the business school Joan Gabel was a co-chairman of the dean search committee.

“We were very impressed with his administrative experience and record of scholarship,” Gabel said. “He had strength in all the areas we identified as critical.”

After impressing the search committee, Myers was invited to visit campus as one of five finalists.

“Upon speaking with him during the first round of interviews, he had done a lot of research on the school and developed a clear vision of what he wanted the school to become,” Gabel said. “He is very interested in developing the law school and bringing it to the next level.”

MU Provost Brian Foster made the final decision on which of the five finalists would follow current law school Dean Larry Dessem’s 10-year term.

“Gary Myers comes to MU with extensive experience in legal education and administration,” Foster said in an MU news release. “His expertise in intellectual property law is extremely appropriate at this time in connection with MU’s strong emphasis on entrepreneurship.”

Myers said his vision for the law school’s future can be seen as a holistic approach.

“Developing a vision for the law school is a collaborative effort that requires the input of the faculty, administration, alumni, students and other constituencies,” Myers said. “In general, I hope to build on Missouri’s position as a flagship state law school with a long tradition of training lawyers who have taken positions of leadership in the bar, on the bench, in the business world and in public service.”

Myers also plans to further improve students and faculty experiences.

“I hope to expand the law school’s experiential learning opportunities, to continue recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty members and to assemble a diverse and high quality student body.”

Myers will officially become the dean on Aug. 15, according to a news release on the law school website.

“I was honored to collaborate with the law school and help them choose a new dean, and I’m looking forward to working with him,” Gabel said.

Myers will be moving to Columbia with his wife Bridget and their two daughters.

“Mizzou is a great university and is located in a college community that offers excellent quality of life,” Myers said. “I am excited to be a part of this great institution and look forward to moving to Columbia.”

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