Field of UW law school dean candidates narrowed to 4

(Editor's Note: This story has been corrected since it was first published. The circumstances of W.H. Knight's departure from the University of Washington's School of Law was clarified.)

Four candidates are being considered to head up the University of Washington's School of Law, and they will visit the Seattle campus for interviews within the next month.

UW students, staff and faculty were notified of the candidates' visits in a campuswide e-mail Tuesday, and invited to attend presentations made by the four applicants. All presentations are open to the public and will be in Room 138 at William H. Gates Hall.

The last permanent law school dean, W.H. "Joe" Knight, stepped down as dean in June after an ethics complaint was filed with the state regarding work he had done for an insurance company. In the interim, law professor Gregory Hicks has been acting as dean.

Hicks, who was a finalist for heading up the University of Minnesota's law school last year, is one of the candidates the UW is considering. He will be interviewed Jan. 30 and 31, and will give a public presentation at 3 p.m. Jan. 30.

Also being considered is Steven Willborn, a professor and dean at the University of Nebraska. Willborn will be interviewed Thursday and Friday and will give a presentation at 4 p.m. Friday. UW officials will interview Duke University law professor Lawrence Zelenak on Feb. 7 and 8, with a presentation scheduled for 4 p.m. Feb. 8.

University of British Columbia law dean and professor Mary Anne Bobinski will be interviewed Feb. 14 and 15. She will give a presentation at 4 p.m. Feb. 14.