OKLAHOMA CITY — Lawrence K. Hellman, OCU School of Law dean, and the longest-serving dean in the law school’s history, today announced that he intends to leave the deanship at the end of the current academic year on June 30, 2011.
Lawrence Hellman, OCU Law dean
Hellman, who made the announcement in a letter to the law school community, will return to teaching and scholarship at OCU LAW, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1977. He became dean in 1998.
“This wasn’t an easy decision, but this is the right time,” Hellman said. “The school is stable and secure, highly regarded throughout Oklahoma and our region, and firmly established in the national and international academic and legal communities.
“It is well-positioned to move forward with confidence and a clear vision.”
Along with resuming his teaching duties, Hellman will continue to lead OCU LAW’s expanding programs with Chinese legal institutions and the creation of its innocence clinic – projected to begin operations in 2011.
“Larry Hellman’s leadership has moved the law school forward,” OCU President Robert Henry said. “His efforts in China have already opened commercial and legal doors for Oklahoma.
“Perhaps his greatest legacy will be in the Innocence Project where OCU Law follows the admonition sacred to the Abrahamic Faiths, ‘Justice, justice shall you pursue.’ We salute him for his labor, honor him for his intellect, and thank him for his service.”
Under Hellman’s leadership OCU LAW gained membership in the Association of American Law Schools in 2003, a key milestone in the school’s history. During his time as dean, bar passage and employment rates of graduates climbed and applications doubled. The school’s current first-year class is the strongest academically and most diverse in the law school’s history.
Chancellor Tom McDaniel, who served as OCU’s president during most of Hellman’s tenure as dean, said “Dean Hellman’s service leaves a legacy and a high standard for those who follow. I’m gratified he’ll continue to offer his expertise both in the classroom and in critical programs for the school.”
Hellman developed innovative programs with Chinese law schools and legal institutions and secured OCU LAW as a charter member of the International Association of Law Schools. He also fostered clinics and externships. He started the school’s Professionalism Orientation Program, its Pro Bono and Public Service Program and the Dean’s Summer Public Interest Fellowships. He nurtured the expansion of programming and services offered by the school’s Native American Legal Resource Center.
Hellman secured more than $16 million in gifts and pledges for the school. The school recently announced that it had surpassed the goal of its $12 million “Seize the Moment” capital campaign by more than $1 million.
His fundraising and alumni work throughout the nation laid the groundwork for significant growth in the availability of financial assistance for law students. Since he took office, OCU LAW has seen a 600 percent increase in the dollar value of scholarships awarded annually – to $3.7 million this year – and the percentage of students receiving scholarships has increased from 13 percent to 38 percent. Almost half of the entering class for 2010 received grants, totaling $1.5 million.
A native of Chandler, Okla., Hellman earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington and Lee University and MBA and JD degrees from Northwestern University. After law school, he worked in the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., before joining the law faculty at Washington and Lee University School of Law. In 1977 he joined OCU LAW as an associate professor.
“I expect the next seven months to be extremely busy and productive,” Hellman said. “We will celebrate the creation of our innocence clinic with an incredible gala, A Night for the Innocent, on April 9, and 10 members of our faculty will participate in an academic conference in China next June. We also have an opportunity to add significantly to our outstanding faculty before this year is finished.”
A search committee for Dean Hellman’s replacement will be convened by OCU’s President Robert Henry.
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