The oldest legal educational institution in the United States, College of William & Mary Law School, has on Monday announced the appointment of its first African-American dean in the university.
A. Benjamin Spencer, a professor of law at the University of Virginia, is notable as an expert in federal courts and civil procedure. Hence, he will be the first Black dean of schools at William & Mary, which is in Virginia.
“William & Mary is thrilled to welcome Ben Spencer as our next dean of the law school,” said President Katherine A. Rowe in a statement released, “Since the beginning of the search process we sought a leader who values all three aspects of the law: the academy, the bar and the bench. Ben brings that broad view of legal practice, together with a deep appreciation of the ethos of the citizen lawyer that has inspired the oldest law school in the country since its founding.”
Spencer, in his own statement corroborates Rowe for having the good aim to choose an African American for the exalted position.
In an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Spencer said:
“It’s unfortunate that it’s 2020 and there are still things that African Americans haven’t had the opportunity to do, “but we have a leader in Katherine Rowe at William & Mary who is extremely visionary and she’s definitely the type of person you’d expect to make this type of move and facilitate the breaking of that barrier.”
His appointment is following a legal and educational antecedent in his family. Spencer’s father, James R. Spencer, was the first African-American in Virginia to be appointed in 1986 as a federal judge. Also, Adam S. Arnold, who was Spencer’s grandfather, was the first Black professor at Notre Dame.
Spencer will be succeeding Davison M. Douglas, who will be leaving the office after 10 years.
