FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Margaret Sova McCabe will serve the University of Arkansas in a new role next year as senior advisor for strategic projects and professor of law. McCabe, who had previously announced that she would be stepping down from her position as dean of the School of Law, will begin her new position Jan. 1, 2022. 

“We join other institutions of higher education as having identified this position as critical as we continue to emerge from the pandemic,” interim Provost Terry Martin said. “She will assist the university in refining and building clarity around institutional priorities related to student success, high research activity, and service to the state and beyond; work on projects that help position the institution in a rapidly evolving job market; and provide support for implementing methods to align resources with these priorities.”  

The provost will name an interim dean for the School of Law in the coming days. 

McCabe’s first major project will be to evaluate the current flexible work policy, practices and implementation on campus, including remote work. She will form a committee to begin this review in early January.

McCabe will also continue to be an active scholar and teacher of food law and policy. 

“Margaret brings a natural talent for collaboration, strategy, as well as implementation and will be launching some priority projects right away in which she will be working with leaders across campus,” said Ann Bordelon, vice chancellor for finance and administration.

This new role is administratively attached to the Office of Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration for an initial term of 18 months. 

“I could not be happier that I am able to play a significant role in facilitating institutional excellence,” McCabe said. “The University of Arkansas has the opportunity to leverage the lessons learned during the pandemic into a position of overall strength. I can think of no greater use of my efforts at the university than supporting our students, faculty and staff in realizing our collective potential while we serve the state, nation and world.”

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.