FAMU on brink of hiring law dean

Trustees still must okay the candidate.

By RON MATUS, Times Staff Writer
Published August 9, 2007

Florida A&M University's troubled law school is on the verge of naming a new dean. Leroy Pernell, who is currently the law dean at Northern Illinois University, has accepted FAMU's offer but must still get approval from the FAMU board of trustees, FAMU spokeswoman LaNedra Carroll said Wednesday.

Northern Illinois created some confusion when it issued a news release Tuesday that said Pernell will assume the deanship of the Orlando campus in January. Carroll said the NIU statement was incorrect because Pernell's appointment can't be finalized until trustees meet Sept. 13.

FAMU's law school, which opened its doors in 2002, has been without a permanent dean since 2005, when former interim President Castell Bryant fired Percy Luney in connection with a ghost-employee scandal.

The school is operating under a provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association. And with ABA officials slated to visit in October, there are ongoing concerns about low bar passage rates, faculty quality and disillusioned students.

"As dean at FAMU College of Law, Pernell will continue efforts aimed at re-establishment and full accreditation of the law school," the NIU news release said. It also said Pernell "realizes the successful journey to full American Bar Association accreditation will not be easy."

Carroll said his proposed salary is $250,000 a year.

[Last modified August 8, 2007, 23:38:16]