Following a national search, Frederick Slabach has been chosen as the new dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law.
Slabach will join the university on July 1, pending approval by the board of trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL).
The Fernwood, Miss. native is a veteran legal educator with nearly three decades of experience in the classroom. Slabach, a 1982 Ole Miss Law graduate, spent the last 12 years as president of Texas Wesleyan University.
“I want to make sure that all potential students and their future employers know what a great law school Ole Miss has,” Slabach said. “The quality is there from the faculty, the staff, the skills training, the doctrinal education, all of it. I want to make sure everybody knows what we do, so that we can attract the top-quality students that I know want our quality education.”
As a young lawyer, Slabach served under former Mississippi Governor William Allain before later serving as a legislative counsel to Senator John C. Stennis and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy. He would also serve as assistant U.S. secretary of agriculture for congressional relations and as deputy director of the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Development.
“It is a fantastic day for our School of Law as we build on our legacy of proven and steadfast leadership with the selection of Fred Slabach,” Chancellor Glenn Boyce said. “He is a deeply respected academic and an accomplished professional with a sustained record across higher education and government, and he is an alumnus who knows and loves this university. We’re thrilled to welcome Fred and his wife Melany back home to Ole Miss.”
Slabach replaces Susan Duncan, who has led the law school since August 2017. She will continue to serve as dean through June 30 and will remain on the faculty.
