The close of the spring semester brought the appointment of two new University deans by Provost Sheldon Ekland-Olson. Eric J. Barron will assume his new post at UT's Jackson School of Geosciences as early as July, said spokesman John Bird. Law professor Lawrence Sager will take on President Bill Powers' former position as dean of the School of Law Sept. 1.
Barron, who is taking over Dean William L. Fisher's position, said there are many possibilities to help the Jackson school, which was established in 2002.
"It's a new school, but the programs that are in it are very strong," Barron said. "The opportunity to grow and to move in new directions is unprecedented because of the Jackson Endowment."
The Jackson School is named after the late John A. Jackson, a 1940 geology graduate. The University received a gift of $232 million from Jackson's estate in 2002, which was the largest gift ever made to a public university in the U.S., according to a press release.
By strengthening current programs and promoting close relationships between faculty and students in the geosciences - which include geology, geophysics and hydrogeology - Barron said the school can work on attracting new students.
"The first and foremost factor in growth is really getting exceptional faculty and, in many cases, exceptional young faculty," Barron said.
Barron will join UT from Pennsylvania State University, where he is the dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
Sager, a professor in the law school, holds the Alice Jane Drysdale Sheffield Regents Chair and joined the faculty in 2002.
"We recruited Larry to the campus about four years ago as one of the leading constitutional scholars in the country, and as a bonus, he also was enthusiastic about being a major player in helping build the law school," said Powers in a press release. "That vision and ambition for our law school is a terrific asset we're going to have under his leadership."
Sager will replace Interim Dean Steven Goode to become the school's 13th dean.
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