Some students and faculty of the SIU School of Law say they feel the best candidate was found for the school’s dean position thanks to a nationwide search.

Erick Nordstrom, president of the Student Bar Association, said he favored the external search, and he said because of that search, Thomas Guernsey was found.

Guernsey was a professor and the former associate dean at the University of Richmond School of Law. He will fill the position at SIU July 1, and his salary will be $153,000 annually.

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I think it was pretty obvious that most students were in favor of the nationwide search, Nordstrom said.

Nordstrom said he feels confident that Guernsey will do well in the postion.

I think he (Guernsey) will be able to accept new ideas on the law school. He might be able to initiate change. Of all the candidates for the dean position, I was favoring Guernsey, Nordstrom said.

In May, an internal search for a new dean was decided upon by a law school search committee. The committee, made up of faculty, staff and students, was headed by Patrick Kelley, a professor at the school.

About a month later, the committee decided to do an external search. Kelley would not comment on why the external search was decided upon.

Benjamin A. Shepherd, vice president of Academic Affairs, said the search committee decided to advertise nationally for the position. However, he said that did not mean SIU School of Law applicants were out of the question.

Shepherd said he is very confident that Guernsey will lead the law school in the right direction, and he said had the University not done the external search, Guernsey would have never been selected.

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I must say that all of the applicants had varying degrees of strengths, he said. Guernsey was one of the top two applicants. We offered him the job and he accepted. I feel very good about him leading the Law School. Even though he has not been a sitting dean, he has been a progressive and aggressive associate dean.

Guernsey said he will take a look at two very significant issues.

There are a number of issues we’re going to look at concerning legal education, he said. There are issues of technology and admission.

Guernsey said that law students and lawyers need to keep up with today’s technology just like anybody else, and he plans to address that concern head-on.

The top four issues Guernsey said he hopes to address are admissions, technologies, skills and value training and the cost of legal education.

Shephard said he thought that Guernsey would move aggressively and compassionately to get things done.

He (Guernsey) comes across as being pleasant and sensitive, and at the same time, firm but not abrasive, he said.

SIUC Chancellor John C. Guyon said he thought Guernsey would continue the excellence of the Law School.

We are very pleased that Professor Guernsey has decided to join us as dean of the School of Law, he said. He has an impressive background both academically and administratively, and I’m certain that he will continue the excellent progress made by the school.