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Frederic White Appointed as Fifth Dean of Texas Wesleyan University School of Law

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Frederic White


Texas Wesleyan University School of Law today announced the appointment of Frederic White as the new dean of the law school.

“We are honored to welcome Frederic White to Texas Wesleyan, and we look forward to his leadership,” University President Dr. Harold G. Jeffcoat said. “As the law school celebrates ten years in downtown Fort Worth, we need a dean with the vision and passion to further develop the law school to its fullest potential. Dean White has the experience and knowledge to do this, and the entire law school community will benefit from his appointment.”

“It is my pleasure to  be asked to join in fulfilling the mission of Texas Wesleyan Law, a ‘young’ law school that already has a fine faculty and staff, great students and supportive alumni and friends,” Dean White said.  “I hope to help continue Texas Wesleyan’s traditions of excellence in scholarship, teaching and service to the legal community.”

Dean White, who will be the first African-American dean at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, will be the fifth dean of the law school and will succeed Interim Dean and Professor Cynthia Fountaine.

“It was an honor to serve Texas Wesleyan University School of Law as interim dean during these last two years,” Fountaine said. “Dean White is joining an outstanding school and a wonderfully talented group of people. I have no doubt that the law school will flourish under his leadership, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the law school.”

Dean White is currently the dean of Golden Gate Law School in San Francisco, a position he has held since January 2004. He received his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and his B.A. from Columbia College. Admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1973, White has experience as an associate dean and professor of law at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. His scholarship focuses on property, wills and trusts, real estate law, land use control, local government law, and administrative law.

“Dean White is a knowledgeable and enthusiastic leader who has the vision to take Texas Wesleyan University School of Law to the next level,” Jeffcoat said.

Associate Dean and Director of the Dee J. Kelly Law Library Susan Phillips was the chair of the dean search committee, members of which helped identify and interview candidates for the dean position. “Dean White was an exceptional candidate who exemplified the qualities and capabilities best suited to the law school’s needs,” Phillips said. “His professional experience and leadership skills combined with his motivation and enthusiasm for Texas Wesleyan’s success stood out from the beginning, and we are honored to have him join the law school and surrounding legal community.”