Stephen Sheppard, associate dean at the University of Arkansas School of Law, has been named dean of the St. Mary’s University School of Law. Sheppard is the William H. Enfield Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas as well as associate dean for research and faculty development. He will assume his duties at St. Mary’s on June 1.

“The University of Arkansas has been my home for over a decade. I will miss my friends across campus and in the law school,” said Sheppard. “My role at St. Mary’s will allow me to help develop curricula for professional character and leadership, which are essential for the future of legal education."

Sheppard has been a member of the Arkansas faculty since 1999. He is a member of the graduate faculty in political science, the core faculty in public policy, and the advisory faculties for European studies and the King Fahd Center for Middle Eastern Studies.

“Dean Sheppard’s outstanding work as a scholar and mentor and his service contributions across campus will be greatly missed,” said Stacy Leeds, dean of the School of Law. “We are sad to see him go, but this is a testament to Steve’s leadership and commitment to improving the delivery of legal education.”

Sheppard is a faculty adviser to the International Law Society, the Journal of Islamic Law and Culture, the Environmental Law Society, and the H.L.A. Hart Society. His public service includes enlistment and commission in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and membership in the Iraq Advisory Group of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, in 2005. He is a member of the American Law Institute and a Master in the American Inns of Court. He also is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, based in London.

His first degree is in political science from the University of Southern Mississippi. He holds a Juris Doctor and Master of Laws from Columbia University and holds a post-J.D. certificate in international law from the Parker School for International and Comparative Law at Columbia. He was made Master of Letters by Oxford University and Doctor of the Science of Law by Columbia University.