Law School Associate Dean Kent Syverud will leave behind years of memories when he heads to Nashville, Tenn., to start his new job as dean of the Vanderbilt University Law School.
Syverud, who accepted the position Dec. 20, said he thought hard about leaving the University, where he earned his bachelor's and law degrees, but said it "ended up seeming like the right thing to do."
"I feel sad to leave the University because it's a great place and I love the Law School," Syverud said. "I have a lot of colleagues and have made very many close friendships and I think those will be hard to leave."
Vanderbilt began the search in September 1995, after Prof. John Costonis stepped down following an 11-year term as law school dean. Using a committee composed of deans, faculty and alums, Vanderbilt searched for candidates by making reference calls to universities across the country.
"The more we knew about him, the better fit there was between our aspirations and his talents," said Don Welch, assistant dean of Vanderbilt Law School.
Welch said Vanderbilt came into contact with Syverud because several members of the faculty had known him through professional circles.
"We're very excited about his coming," Welch said. "We think that he'll bring the talent and enthusiasm needed to move the (law) school in the direction we want to go over the next decade."
Vanderbilt's law school is considerably smaller than the University's, with only 540 students and 30 faculty, but Syverud said he is looking forward to the "smaller" atmosphere that allows Vanderbilt to have a sincere commitment to teaching.
"There's a lot to learn about being a dean and I'm trying to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can," Syverud said. "What's mostly going through my mind right now is doing a good job and making the (law school) everything they want it to be."
Syverud will continue writing and plans to teach a first-year class in civil procedure.
Syverud came to the University in the fall of 1987 and has written and taught in the areas of insurance law, civil procedure and complex litigation. He was also a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor from 1984-85.
Law Prof. Samuel Gross said Syverud will be "very, very, very sorely missed," by faculty members and the 1,500 students he taught.
"He is deeply loved by everyone and has worked his fingers to the bone to accomplish things," Gross said. "This is a severe loss (for the University), but a tremendous gain for Vanderbilt."