After almost two years of searching for a new dean, Seattle University’s Kellye Testy was confirmed last Thursday as the new dean of the UW School of Law.

Phyllis Wise, the UW provost and executive vice president, confirmed the appointment of the current Seattle University School of Law dean at the Board of Regents meeting last week. The appointment is a relief for many law students, who have been without a permanent dean throughout the search process.

W.H.“Joe” Knight Jr., dean of the UW School of Law from 2001 to June 2007, left his position amid performance complaints. His resignation followed an ethics complaint filed with the state Executive Ethics Board in which Knight was accused of using his UW e-mail address to carry out business related to his position at State Farm Insurance.

Last year, an advisory committee was formed to find a replacement. Mary Anne Bobinski, dean and professor at the University of British Columbia’s law school, was offered the position but declined for personal reasons, and the committee had to start recruiting once again.

“They spent a good part of the fall interviewing and selected four finalists to review more carefully,” Wise said. “Dean searches are challenging. There has to be a good match between their skills and what the school really needs.”

Law professor Gregory Hicks has served as the interim dean of the law school since June 2007. Testy will take over Sept. 1.

Testy was shocked to find out that she would be the first woman in UW law-school history to hold the role of permanent dean.

“Obviously, it’s time,” she said.

Though some wondered if the long search process would cause the school educational or administrative setbacks, committee member and Associate Dean Peter Nicolas thinks the law program continued to successfully operate and is prepared for the transition.

“The law school has been well-served by having Dean Hicks at the helm for the last two years,” Nicolas wrote in an e-mail. “He has spent a lot of time addressing important, although often invisible, structural issues here at the law school. As a result of his efforts, it will be much easier for a new dean to move the school forward without having to spend their first few years addressing such issues.”

While most UW law students agree that Hicks is doing a good job, they think the long search process for a permanent dean has caused problems for the school.

“Any time you have someone up top to kind of guide the ship, it’s better,” said first-year law student Brandon David Young. “Without a [permanent] dean, it’s hard to have a singular vision as to where the school is going. There’s a lot of confusion as to what type of law school we are.”

According to the U.S. News & World Report rankings, the UW School of Law has dropped three places in the past two years, from No. 27 to No. 30.

First-year law student Adella Lindsey Thompson said the general opinion among her peers is that the rating dropped because the program lacked a permanent dean.

“People feel uneasy,” she said.

Wise said the most challenging part of the past two years was dealing with budget cuts, though Testy said she is ready to plan for the school’s future in the face of a tough economy.

“I think I can bring some really needed skills as the university seeks to do more with less,” she said. “Being used to the private model where we really have to work to get our resources without state help will be really beneficial.”

Despite her excitement, Testy is sad to say goodbye to Seattle University.

“It’s a situation with a lot of emotions,” she said. “I’m so happy to go to UW, but I’ve been colleagues with everyone here for 17 years. I’m a big part of the school, and it’s a big part of me.”

Reach reporter Katie McVicker at news@dailyuw.com.