Last year, tenured College of Law faculty members sent a letter to the college’s Board of Trustees demanding then-dean Terence Blackburn be removed. While the college’s President Clifton Haley wrote a letter dated Oct. 17, 2006, saying the board agreed there wasn’t enough justification for his removal, Blackburn was given permission for an administrative leave until June 30, 2007.

The college remained deanless until February, when Clifford Thompson stepped in as acting dean. He was only supposed to hold the position for six months, until August, but was asked to remain in the position after it became clear Blackburn would resign. Last year there was a lot of secrecy and uncertainty over whether Blackburn would stay or leave. While most law students’ daily lives won’t be affected by the school’s lack of a dean, it could have a trickle-down effect through the administration, faculty and staff.

The school needs a consistent face for the long-term, and this whole dramatic predicament leaves some tough questions. Will this affect the school’s accreditation process? Will this rut reflect poorly on the college’s reputation as a decent law institution and inadvertently hurt students? And if that’s the case, will the worth of an MSU College of Law degree decrease in the eyes of job recruiters and law firms? These are questions students need to ask and administrators are obligated to answer.

Hopefully this transition period for the College of Law doesn’t affect its reputation or its day-to-day functionality too negatively. Current and future College of Law students should be confident in their school’s administration and the school’s legitimacy in both the academic and professional world. Since Thompson is doing a good job right now, the dean search committee can afford to take enough time to find the best candidate for the job and should not settle for second-best. However, if it takes too long to find that candidate, faith in the program could start to erode.

The college has designated a dean search committee headed by College of Law professor Alvin Storrs. The other nine committee members are a mix of faculty, student representatives and alumni from the college, all chosen by Provost Kim Wilcox. The committee hopes to have a new dean start by fall 2008.

The U.S. News and World Report ranks the MSU College of Law as a Tier 3 law school in its national survey. The publication ranks the top 100 schools in the U.S., and assigns the remaining top schools into either Tier 3 or Tier 4. So while MSU’s law school isn’t ranked top in the nation, it’s not the worst, either. Aside from the fairly good national ranking, the school’s leadership woes could reflect poorly on its reputation with potential applicants and students. It would be a shame to see the school’s numbers decline because of a drawn-out administrative ordeal.

After a tumultuous year of uncertainty and dubious leadership, the College of Law needs a dedicated, functioning, forward-thinking leader to promote growth and betterment; someone who is willing to stick with the school for a long time.