After 13 years, Hannah Arterian, dean of Syracuse University’s College of Law, announced on Monday that she is stepping down from her position.

Arterian, who is also a professor of law at SU, will finish her term as dean on Aug. 1, according to an SU News release. She will be on leave to focus on research and other scholarly activities before returning to the SU College of Law faculty at a later date, according to the release.

Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost Liz Liddy has appointed William Banks, a board of advisers distinguished professor of law, as interim dean, effective Aug. 1, according to the release.

Banks, who is also a founding director of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism at the College of Law, joined the college’s faculty in 1978. He also holds a joint appointment at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs as a professor of public administration and international affairs, according to the release.

“Professor Banks is a tremendous teacher, scholar and leader of INSCT, I am certain he will be a strategic interim dean and an advocate for the College of Law,” Arterian said in the release.

Since Arterian began her position as dean in 2002, she has worked to build upon the strengths of the College of Law by expanding legal centers and institutes, including the Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics and the Media and INSCT, according to the release.

“Dean Arterian has been a constant asset to the University with her unwavering dedication to the growth and success of the College of Law,” Liddy said in the release. “She has ushered in a new era of success for the college.”

Liddy added in the release that last year, the College of Law bar exam pass rate was the highest it has been among all of the law schools in the state of New York.

In February, a petition was filed requesting that Arterian directly address and inform the student body about the incident involving a law student and her friend who were allegedly drugged at off-campus house parties hosted by third-year law students in fall 2014.

A few days after the petition was filed, the College of Law’s Office of Student Life held a personal safety forum in conjunction with the Department of Public Safety and Counseling Services to discuss the incidents that had occurred.

Kevin Quinn, SU’s senior vice president for public affairs, said in an email that the alleged druggings and the petition did not play a role in Arterian stepping down.

Quinn added that details regarding a search for the new dean, “will be announced at a future date.”

–News Editor Justin Mattingly, jmatting@syr.edu, contributed reporting to this article.

Published on June 15, 2015 at 12:07 pm

Contact Sara: smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann