An interim dean of the OU College of Law has been named following the selection of former Dean Joseph Harroz as interim OU president.
Katheleen Guzman, who joined OU Law faculty in 1993, will serve as interim dean during Harroz's time away from the role. Guzman's selection as interim dean requires approval by the OU Board of Regents, according to a press release from the OU College of Law.
“Professor Guzman is a beloved teacher, talented scholar, devoted mentor and respected leader at the College of Law,” Harroz said in the press release. “Her enthusiasm for our students, her excitement for the pursuit of scholarly excellence and her widespread admiration among her peers make her an outstanding candidate who will continue to elevate OU Law as one of our nation’s finest law schools.”
Guzman was named the MAPCO/Williams Presidential Professor in 2000 and the Earl Sneeds Centennial Professor of Law in 2015, according to the press release. From 2003 to 2006, she served as associate director of the Law Center and associate dean of academics, and she served as associate dean for research and scholarship from 2017 to 2018.
According to the press release, Guzman is known in the OU law community as an engaging, enthusiastic professor and a champion for student success.
Guzman has received numerous teaching awards, according to the press release, including the 2014 Medal for Excellence Award from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence for Research University Teaching and the 2008 Merrick Foundation Teaching Award from OU.
Guzman is a member of the Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Arkansas Bars, according to the press release. She earned a B.A. with honors and a J.D. with highest honors from the University of Arkansas. Guzman later earned an LL.M. from Yale Law School and worked as a litigation associate with the Philadelphia law firm Dilworth Paxson.
