Pepperdine Dean Ken Starr Named President of Baylor

Pepperdine announced today that Ken Starr is leaving on June 1, 2010 after five years as Dean to become President of Baylor University:

Pepperdine president Andrew K. Benton congratulated Starr and thanked him for his five years of distinguished service to Pepperdine, saying, "Ken has had a tremendous impact on our students, the law school, and the Pepperdine community at large. His leadership, his love of scholarship, and his devotion to our students helped raise the national stature of our school and we will benefit from the good he accomplished here for many years to come."

A national search for the dean's replacement will begin soon. "We are in an excellent position for the future," said Benton. "In recent years, our nationally recognized School of Law has become even stronger adding several outstanding programs and new faculty to an impressive roster of excellent legal scholars. The quality of our students and applicants has never been higher and we are grateful for the tremendous support we have received from our alumni, faculty, donors, and friends."

Above the Law:

In five years under Starr, the school went from outside the top 100 according to U.S. News to 55. Literally almost every category the school can be measured by has improved since he took over. For five straight years, every incoming class has been the most qualified (gpa/lsat) in the law school’s history.