These 4 Contemporary Lawyer Governors Served as Campus Presidents and Chancellors

In 1985, Raymond P. Shafer, former Governor of Pennsylvania, was appointed as the 18th President of Allegheny College. A former member (and chair from 1972-1981) of the College Board of Trustees, he was familiar with the College and had a track record as an experienced administrator. The Board reached out to Shafer, asking him to serve as interim president while a national search was launched for a new president, and in 1986 the Board named him as President nunc pro tunc. A graduate of Allegheny College, Shafer earned his LLB at Yale Law School, after which he started to work in private practice and then joined the Navy. He was a District Attorney, a member of the PA State Senate, and a Lt. Governor. He served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 1967-1971 and among his many accomplishments was a successful state constitutional convention and acceptance of the document that was created at the Convention. Following his work at the state level, Shafer was appointed by President Nixon to chair the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse (1971-74), and in 1971 he was also appointed a chairman and chief executive office of the Teleprompter Corporation. He served as counselor to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller from 1975-77; and from 1982-1991 her chaired the National Committee on United States-China Relations. Among the many things he is credited for at Allegheny College was his ability to raise funds – exceeding a $20M goal by $3M and setting a record annual fund year. President Eisenhower commented about Shafer, “In a few word, Ray Shafer has brains, integrity, and guts.”

Former two-term Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy was appointed as the 13th Chancellor of the University of Maine in 2019. In addition, he served as Mayor of Stamford, CT for 14 years, having served on the Stamford Board of Finance for 10 years. Malloy worked as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, New York before returning to Connecticut to practice law. His announcement included the following statement from the Chair of the University of Maine System Board of Trustees, James Erwin, “Dan Malloy is an executive leader and public servant committed to taking on complex change initiatives and getting the job done.” The press release noted, “Included among the chancellor’s responsibilities is advocacy for public higher education with elected officials, external stakeholders, and the general public.” It also made mention of Malloy’s strong support of public higher education reform and innovations that improved affordability and student outcomes. Prior to this appointment, Malloy served as the Rappaport Distinguished Visiting Professor at Boston College Law School, where he earned his J.D. Last year the faculty at the University of Southern Maine voted no confidence in Malloy following a similar vote at the University of Maine Augusta. The reasons included the departure of three campus presidents, the lack of faculty input in key decision making and the withholding of important information regarding a candidate in a presidential search.

The University of Oklahoma selected David Boren, former Oklahoma Governor as their president in 1994 where he served for 24 years. A Rhodes Scholar and a graduate of the University of Oklahoma School of Law, following graduation he opened a law office in Seminole, OK and was a professor at Oklahoma Baptist University. He served in the National Guard. Boren said his favorite job was being president of the University of Oklahoma, and his favorite saying was, “Do right and fear not.” His tenure did not end the way presidents hope for as in 2019, he relinquished his affiliation with the University following a Title IX investigation involving allegations by former students during his time as President. A special counsel was assigned to oversee the investigation which resulted in a decision not to seek indictments.

In June 2021, former Alaska Governor Sean Parnell was appointed as Chancellor of the University of Alaska-Anchorage. In making the announcement, University of Alaska President Pat Pitney noted among other things, “He understands the range of issues facing UAA and has proven skills in diversifying and generating revenue,…“He will help stabilize our budget through building UAA’s reputation and expanding enrollment and fundraising.” Pitney also said, “I also recognize Sean’s ability to bring people together and work collaboratively in combination with his knowledge of Alaska leaders, businesses, and economy. I believe he is uniquely positioned to lead UAA in providing the programs that support Anchorage and Alaska’s workforce needs and economic growth.” While he was governor, Sean Parnell was a strong proponent of higher education in Alaska. Prior to this appointment, Parnell was practicing law in the Anchorage office of Holland & Hart LLP. He was elected to two terms in the Alaska House of Representatives (1992 through 1996) and was then elected to the Alaska Senate (1996-2000). In 2006, he was elected Lieutenant Governor and served as Governor of Alaska from 2009 to 2014. Before, during and after his public service career, Parnell engaged in private practice and corporate practice. He worked as an attorney and as the state government relations director for Phillips Petroleum, now known as ConocoPhillips, and at the law firm Patton Boggs. Parnell earned his JD from the University of Puget Sound School of Law (now Seattle University School of Law).

It’s Not Often That a University President Resigns to Take a Law School Deanship

Typically, the research for May it Please the Campus: Lawyers Leading Higher Education demonstrates that law deans see campus presidencies as the next move in their professional career, not the other way around. However, Frederick G. Slabach, who spent the last 12 years as a successful President of Texas Wesleyan University has been chosen as the new dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law. Slabach will become dean on July 1, 2023. The appointment is contingent on final approval by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees at their February 2023 board meeting.

Slabach is no stranger to legal education, having served as dean of Texas Wesleyan’s law school (which later became the Texas A & M University School of Law) prior to becoming president. He previously served as associate dean of Whittier Law School from 1995 to 2000 and interim dean of the school from 2000 to 2001 along with being assistant professor from 1998 to 2001 and associate professor from 2000 to 2001. He also served as vice dean and professor of law of Florida Coastal School of Law from 2002 to 2003. Upon his appointment as President in 2011, the chair of the Texas Wesleyan Board cited to Slabach’s leadership skills and fiscal acumen as to why he was selected.

Slabach has described the move as a chance to return home – he and his wife are Ole Miss alums and Slabach is an alum of the law school he will now lead. He wrote, “Being asked to return home to help lead my alma mater, one of the oldest public law schools in America, is an honor for Melany and me.”

Like many lawyer presidents, previously, Slabach served in government including senior staff positions on Capitol Hill, including as legislative counsel to the late U.S. Sen. John Stennis of Mississippi, legislative counsel to the President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate, as assistant secretary for Congressional Relations at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At Ole Miss, Slabach was a Truman Scholar, and he served as the Executive Secretary (and now as Treasurer) of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. Created by Congress in 1975, the Truman Foundation is an independent federal agency within the White House complex, and it is the official living memorial to President Truman and the presidential monument to public service.

In addition to his JD from the University of Mississippi School of Law, Fred Slabach holds an LLM from Columbia University School of Law.

Former White House Lawyer Returns to Hobart and William Smith Colleges for Second Presidency

While it is common for college and university lawyer presidents to have government law experience (see, May it Please the Campus: Lawyers Leading Higher Education), it is unusual for a president to leave office and then be brought back years later to re-assume the campus leadership role. That is precisely what happened in July 2022 when Mark Gearan rejoined Hobart and William Smith Colleges (New York) as the 30th President of Hobart and the 19th President of William Smith College. Gearan had been president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges for 18 years from 1999-2017. He left to become the director of the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School. E. Gordon Gee, who held 7 presidencies at 5 institutions, is another lawyer president who did the same thing in terms of returning to once again lead a campus (at Ohio State and at the University of West Virginia).

Immediately prior to joining Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 1999, Gearan served as Director of the Peace Corps, having been appointed to that post by President Bill Clinton in 1995. During his successful tenure at the Peace Corps where he was credited with igniting more interest in the volunteer service and grew the Corps from 6,700 volunteers to 10,000 volunteers, and with improving management operations and strengthening the agencies ties to thousands of former volunteers. Prior to the Peace Corps, Gearan held a variety of positions in government including White House Communications Director and White House Deputy Chief of Staff for President Clinton. Gearan is a veteran of the political campaign trail serving as the Vice President campaign maanger for the 1992 Clinton/Gore campaign and as Headquarters Press Secretary for Michael Dukakis’s 1988 presidential campaign. Gearan worked on the Hill as Chief of Staff for Representative Berkley Bell of Iowa, and he was an intern for Congressman Robert Drinan, S.J. President Gearan also served as executive director of the Democratic Governors Association between 1989 and 1992.

His official biography at Hobart and William Smith Colleges goes on to state, “Gearan is known nationally for his work in higher education and national service, and recently served as Vice Chair of the National Commission on Military, National and Public Service created by the U.S. Congress. He is a past chair of the Board of Directors of both National Campus Compact and the Corporation for National and Community Service.” It should be no surprise that in 2014 when former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was looking for someone to lead the gaming commission to help select casino sites, he called upon Mark Gearan.

Many former government lawyers are selected for campus presidencies precisely for the skill set they have built while working in government and perhaps for the network they can call upon to support the campus. For example, government lawyers have experience in expecting the unexpected – waking up to the morning news and having to go to work to address the headlines of the days while still managing routine tasks. Government lawyers help to frame messaging typically designed to be transparent and to instill a sense of public confidence in the system and response. Government lawyers operate comfortably within the complexities of a legal and regulatory environment to problem-solve and to advance agendas. Working within a team structure, communication, negotiation, and the art of the compromise are also key government lawyer experiences and skills. Further, understanding how government works, where to look to for public support for campus capital and operating expenses, as well as potential legal reforms to help advance campus initiatives are all valuable tools for an institutional leader to possess. Higher education depends on effective Town-Gown relationships.

It is worth noting that Mark Gearan is not the first lawyer to be appointed as president at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. In 1982 Carroll Brewster was appointed president and he served until 1991.

Mark Gearan earned his JD from Georgetown University Law Center.