OU Law Dean to Step Down
OU College of Law Dean Katheleen Guzman announced last week her plans to step down from her deanship at the end of the academic year, upon which time she will return to the faculty.
“It has been an immense privilege to serve the College of Law community for the past three decades, and I am excited to continue supporting a place I hold so dearly while championing the success of our students,” Guzman said.
A member of the College of Law faculty since 1993, Guzman was named the college’s 13th dean and Fenelon Boesche Chair in Law in May 2021, making her the first woman to serve in this capacity at OU Law. She had served as interim dean since June 2019.
“Dean Guzman has been a pillar of the OU Law community for the past three decades, and since becoming dean, she has elevated the College of Law to new heights,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “Most importantly, she has championed the success of our students, both in and out of the classroom. We are, and will always be, grateful for her dedication and sincere enthusiasm for her students and colleagues.”
During her tenure as dean, OU Law has continued to rise in national prominence. This year, the college secured its highest spot ever in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of Best Graduate Schools, rising to No. 24 among public law schools and No. 51 overall out of nearly 200 law schools nationwide. OU Law also admitted its most academically qualified class ever this year, including a considerable number of first-generation students. The college has been repeatedly named a Best Value Law School by National Jurist’s preLaw Magazine, including coming in last week at No. 13, nationally.
As dean, Guzman led a concerted effort to focus on educational components that make OU’s law students even more successful, including emphasizing the importance of cultivating leadership skills, financial literacy, sociocultural humility and emotional intelligence, mental and emotional well-being, community engagement, and interdisciplinary and interprofessional opportunities. She put in place programs to recruit and retain top-notch faculty, including in strategic areas such as oil and gas law, Indigenous Peoples’ law, and health care law, established new pathways for student admissions, and expanded degree and related opportunities to meet workforce needs. Guzman guided the College of Law safely through the challenges of the pandemic, positioning the college well fiscally for the future.
As a faculty member, Guzman has taught numerous courses targeting the dimensions of property and its transfer. She was named the MAPCO/Williams Presidential Professor in 2000 and the Earl Sneed Centennial Professor of Law in 2015. Over the years, she has served the College of Law in a number of administrative roles in addition to her deanship, including associate director of the Law Center, associate dean of academics, and associate dean for research and scholarship.
Guzman has received numerous awards for teaching and leadership, including the 2014 Medal for Excellence Award from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence for Research University Teaching and the 2008 Merrick Foundation Teaching Award from OU. In 2020, the Oklahoma Bar Association Women in Law Committee presented her with a Mona Salyer Lambird Spotlight Award in recognition of her leadership. She also was recently selected by the Journal Record as one of the 50 outstanding women “Making a Difference.” The OU Law student body has presented her with several awards, including the Bandy Award for Outstanding Law Professor.
Guzman recently completed a three-year term on the Yale Law School Association Executive Committee, where she earned her LL.M. degree.
The search for the college’s next dean will begin in the coming weeks.
