University at Buffalo Law School Dean Nils Olsen to step down

Daily Record (Rochester, NY), Apr 18, 2007 by Daily Record

Nils Olsen announced Monday that he will step down in December as dean of the University at Buffalo Law School to attend to personal and family health issues.

Olsen has served since 1998 as the 18th dean of the UB Law School. He has overseen several innovations and successes at the school, including significantly improving the law school's classroom and student facilities and increasing student enrollment by 25 percent.

He also has held leadership positions for several key university initiatives, including serving as chair of UB's Intercollegiate Athletics Board and the Corrigan Committee, which is studying the future of UB's intercollegiate athletics programs. He has provided leadership to the UB 2020 strategic planning group charged with strengthening UB's focus on civic engagement and public policy.

"I am very privileged to have played a leadership role at UB and in the very special place that is the UB Law School," Olsen said. "Unfortunately, there are personal and family health concerns that require my attention.

Olsen successfully lobbied New York State for professional- school tuition for the UB Law School, the only law school in SUNY, and reinvested tuition revenues into new services and facilities for students. He led a capital campaign for the law school that exceeded its $12 million goal.

"Quite frankly, it's going to be hard to imagine Nils not being dean," said UB President John B. Simpson. "From the moment I arrived at UB, I've thought of him as the definitive university citizen and leader."

"I value him as a colleague and trusted advisor," Simpson added, "and while I will miss him as a dean, I assure him that we will be calling on his expertise and insights on a regular basis."

Olsen said he plans to take a six-month leave from the UB Law School beginning in January 2008 and then will return to resume teaching a course in civil procedure, a subject he has taught for 26 years in the school. He will continue to pursue research in the areas of federal post-conviction remedies and environmental policy.

A national search for a new law school dean will begin in May.