Law professor John Valery White is cashing in his chips and moving to Vegas.
The Louisiana native was appointed to serve as the next dean of the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“It’s a big leap from a faculty member to being a dean, and it’s a very different lifestyle,” White said. “Most faculty regard that as a lifestyle they wouldn’t want to have. But in doing it, I think it suggests that it would be rewarding.”
UNLV president David Ashley made the official announcement March 30, saying White is “a dynamic and accomplished legal scholar and superb leader.” White will succeed the current dean who will retire Aug. 1.
White has taught at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center since 1992 and focused his research on social justice and community issues, especially in regards to civil rights and the social legacy of the Jim Crow period.
White said UNLV’s law school shares his interest in social justice issues. The school stresses community service in its mission statement and encourages students to pursue socially useful work.
“They’ve made a concerted effort to focus on social justice kinds of issues and on community involvement,” White said. “Those are two programs that we don’t have here at LSU, at least not in its fully formed a structure. That’s a defining issue to them, and that’s part of what makes the school attractive to me.”
White contributed to the 2006 book titled, “After the Storm: Black Intellectuals Exploring the Meaning of Hurricane Katrina.” He also participated in several radio talk show discussions about the aftermath of Katrina, including an appearance on a National Public Radio show.
He earned his undergraduate degree from Southern University in 1988 and was captain of the varsity track and cross-country team. After graduating from Yale Law School in 1991, he served as a Schell Fellow.
For his fellowship, White traveled to Egypt to investigate torture and prison conditions. His studies culminated in a book-length report.
Jonathon Hobbs, second-year law student who had White for a class last semester, described him as a captivating and interesting professor.
“He is a students’ professor, if there is such a thing,” Hobbs said. “He’s great to hang out with outside of class.”
The two key differences between here and UNLV is the school’s size and history, White said. UNLV’s law school had a fall enrollment of 156 students, compared to 578 at the LSU Law Center. The LSU Law Center celebrated its centennial anniversary in September, while UNLV’s law school first opened in 1997.
“They’ve been around for 10 years now, which would normally suggest they are in an infancy or something like that. When in fact, they’ve done an extraordinary job,” White said. “It’s a school that’s much better than its young age would suggest.”
White was the only internal candidate for the LSU Law Center chancellor but withdrew his name before semifinalists were named. He applied for similar positions at other law schools for the past two years.
—–Contact Angela Hilliard [email protected]