Senate Concurrent Resolution 650

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND COMMENDING THE LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE OF UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL OF LAW DEAN RICHARD GERSHON AS HE RETURNS TO FULL-TIME TEACHING.

WHEREAS, University of Mississippi School of Law Dean Richard Gershon has announced that he will return to full-time teaching June 30, 2015, at the close of his fifth year as Dean. University Provost Morris Stocks said in a news release that Professor Deborah Bell will assume the role of Interim Dean until a national search for a new Dean is completed; and

WHEREAS, prior to joining the faculty of the University of Mississippi School of Law, Dean Gershon served as the founding Dean of the Charleston School of Law. He also served as Dean of Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in Fort Worth, Texas. Dean Gershon was also on the faculty at Stetson University School of Law from 1984-1998. He was the Academic Associate Dean at Stetson from 1988-1992; and

WHEREAS, he is a graduate of the University of Georgia (BA 1979), the University of Tennessee (JD 1982), and the University of Florida (LLM Taxation 1983). He is the author of several books and articles on taxation and legal education, and is a coauthor contributing annual updates to Attorney-Client Privilege in the United States. He is a member of the Florida and Georgia Bars; and

WHEREAS, from 2010-2015, Dean Gershon's record of achievement at Ole Miss includes the following:

· The School of Law moved into its new building, the beautiful Robert C. Khayat Law Center;

· The law clinics grew, and are now a permanent part of the law school. There are nine clinical opportunities for law students, including the newly added MacArthur Justice Clinic;

· The School of Law added the two-week Skill Session required for each student, during each of their three years of law school;

· The law school hosted numerous outstanding speakers and programs, including Supreme Court Justices Scalia and Kagan;

· The law school hosted the American Bar Association's CLEO summer institute for the past three years. The school will, again, be the only host of this program in summer of 2015;

· The law school began hosting MPB's "In Legal Terms" in July 2013. The show is education in purpose, and features experts from the profession;

· The School of Law advocacy programs have grown and thrived. The law school has won seven National Championships in Moot Court, and a National Championship in Negotiations Skills;

· The law school strategically shrunk the size of the entering class, in response to a declining job market for lawyers. This move has been applauded by the profession, and has increased opportunities for Ole Miss Law students;

· The law school continued to be a Top 20 value law school, based on student debt, Bar pass rates and placement; and

WHEREAS, Richard has been active in numerous professional and civic endeavors. He serves on the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission, The Mississippi Bar: Professionalism Committee, the Boys and Girls Clubs Advisory Board, the Diversity Committee of the Law School Admissions Council, and is Chair-Elect of the Socioeconomics Section of the American Association of Law Schools; and

WHEREAS, Dean Richard Gershon has served as a leader and mentor at the University of Mississippi School of Law, supporting the professional standards of the practice of law, including ethics, integrity, civility, courtesy and adherence to the Golden Rule; and it is with great pride that we join the legal profession in recognizing a respected member of the faculty of the University of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize and commend the leadership and service of University of Mississippi School of Law Dean Richard Gershon as he returns to full-time teaching, and extend to Dean Gershon and his family our best wishes for success in their future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Dean Gershon and his family, forwarded to the Chancellor of the University of Mississippi and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.