Dear Miami Law Students,
The Student Bar Association hopes that your summer is off to a good start, and that you are staying safe and healthy. Today, our students and faculty were informed that University of Miami President Julio Frenk asked Dean Anthony E. Varona to step down from his role as Dean of our law school, effective July 1, 2021. You can view the President’s official announcement here.
Your SBA had no knowledge that Dean Varona’s role was being discussed, and we did not know that this decision was coming. Like you, we were very surprised to learn of it. The President’s announcement has given rise to many questions, including why this decision was reached and what it means for the future of Miami Law. Unfortunately, the SBA has as much information as you do, and the list of factors that went into the President’s decision has not been disclosed to us. We can tell from the President’s letter that there will be a search for a new dean, and we were told that there may be an interim dean before we find a permanent one. The details have yet to be worked out, as all members of our Miami Law community just received this news today.
Our Miami Law faculty was also unaware of the President’s decision until mid-morning today. In response, the tenured faculty members at the law school penned and adopted a resolution regarding Dean Varona’s termination as Dean. You can view a screenshot of the resolution below, which several faculty members circulated to students this afternoon.
According to the President’s letter, Dean Varona will remain with the University of Miami School of Law as a tenured faculty member and will retain his title as the M. Minnette Massey Professor of Law. This is all of the information we have at this time, and we will update you as more details are released.
Sincerely,
Your Student Bar Association
