UB To Welcome New Dean of School of Law
March 14, 2001
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.6190
Gilbert Holmes, practicing attorney, professor, academic administrator, community advocate and arbitrator, will join the University of Baltimore on July 2, 2001, as the dean of the School of Law, announced UB President Dr. H. Mebane Turner.
Holmes, presently the associate dean of the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, brings a mix of legal practice, academic administration and classroom teaching to his new position at UB. Having first joined Texas Wesleyan as a visiting professor in the area of family law, he advanced to the position of associate dean for budget and planning and later became associate dean for academic affairs. The university's 1997-98 and 1999-2000 Day Division Teacher of the Year, Holmes incorporates the use of the internet in his teaching and develops a curriculum combining a theoretical and critical analysis of the law with practical considerations and issues of professionalism and the role of lawyers in society. As an administrator he is active in long-range planning, budget oversight and management of the administrative staff.
The new dean holds a B.A. in chemistry from Bucknell University (Pennsylvania) and a J.D. from the New York University School of Law. Dean Holmes is the first African American to be named to the dean's position in the UB School of Law.
"We are very pleased to have someone with the experience and reputation of Gilbert Holmes join us at the University of Baltimore as the dean of the School of Law. He comes exceptionally well recommended and with great support from within the University of Baltimore community and beyond," says Dr. Turner.
Prior to his work at Texas Wesleyan, Holmes held teaching positions at Southern Methodist University Law School (Texas) and Seton Hall University Law School (New Jersey). He has spent a large portion of his career in private practice. In the early 1990s he worked as an arbitrator for the New York City Transit Authority. Prior to this experience he transformed a dream he had to serve the needs of the Black communities in New York City with a very successful private practice. Balancing the roles of lawyer, advocate, businessperson and volunteer, he worked diligently for the betterment of his community and the legal profession.
Prior experiences in the field include a position as director of the Police Misconduct Project for the New York Civil Liberties Union and staff attorney for the Community Action for Legal Services in New York as a Reginald Heber Smith Community Law Fellow.
"I consider it an honor and a privilege to be selected to serve as the dean of the University of Baltimore School of Law. My overall goal is to continue the traditions that the school has established, while expanding its educational and service impact on the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland. I look forward to working with the many UB constituencies including its students, faculty, alumni and the legal, civic and business communities that are dedicated to the law school's success," says Dean Holmes.
Dean Holmes identified two aspects of UB Law School that attract him to this position. The first is its location in the City of Baltimore and the second is the opportunity to transition the law school into a recognized first-rate institution.
"As state and urban institutions, the University and the law school stand in the unique position to educate students and demonstrate institutionally the vital interrelationship of service and professionalism. When I first became interested in the deanship, I expected to find a near-diamond, needing some additional pressure to realize its potential. Instead, I discovered an existing diamond that needs some polishing and the proper display case to show it to the world. I believe that my experience and perspective on life have prepared me to provide the leadership that would facilitate the law school in these endeavors," says Dean Holmes.
The UB School of Law began in 1925 as a private part-time institution. It became a state institution in 1975. The UB School of Law enrolls approximately 950 students in its day and evening divisions. The UB Law Clinics were recently ranked 18th in the country by US News and World Report. Its mission of access and its commitment to diversity have been hallmarks of its contribution to the legal community of the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland.
The University of Baltimore is an upper-division, graduate and professional university. UB-the state's career-minded university-is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Merrick School of Business.