University of Houston Law Center Dean Raymond T. Nimmer (pictured, left) resigned his position on Monday, the law school announced today. Associate Dean Richard M. Alderman (pictured, right) will serve as interim dean.
Nimmer addressed faculty and staff on Monday to announce his decision, Alderman says. Nimmer said his reasons for stepping down include concerns about his health and satisfaction with reaching several goals he had set for the law school, Alderman recounts.
“He’s a very good friend,” Alderman says. “He has been talking with the administration for a long time about this.”
Nimmer did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.
Alderman says the university, based on past history, will appoint a search committee in the next month or two and will work with a search firm over the summer to find the school’s next dean.
“He [Nimmer] has been doing this job for seven years, which is a very long time in the dean world,” Alderman says. “He had a number of goals when he became dean and has accomplished them all.”
Alderman points to the list of goals described in the school’s announcement, which include “increased faculty, revised curricula, improved ranking, international outreach, a tripling of scholarship funds and a revitalized alumni organization.”
Alderman says Nimmer will begin a one-year sabbatical in September and return to teaching in 2014.
“What I would hope I would be to be able to do is keep the school on the path that it’s been on, and get it in the best shape possible for a new dean,” he says.
— Jeanne Graham
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