Former FAMU law dean says in resignation letter 'abusive' oversight was reason she quit
In her resignation letter, the now former dean of Florida A&M University’s law school explained she had to step down because the university's treatment of her was getting "abusive."
In the Jan. 31 letter Deidre Keller wrote to FAMU Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Allyson Watson, she expressed how her protestations about the law school’s bar exam passage rates “fell on deaf ears.”
“Specifically, at this juncture, it is clear that the university’s vision for the College of Law no longer resonates with my vision for sustained success at the college,” she wrote in the letter, provided to the Tallahassee Democrat by Keller after an email request.
“My efforts to strengthen the college’s student body, its relationship with the bar, bench, surrounding community, its alumni and the university have recently been met with behavior on the part of the university that can only be properly characterized as abusive,” she added.
The university does not comment on personnel matters, a university spokesperson said. Keller remains on the College of Law's faculty, and Associate Provost of Academic Programs Cecil Howard has taken on the dean's role temporarily ahead of an interim appointment.
The leadership transition comes during the law school’s continuous trend of lower bar exam passage rates.
Most law students traditionally take the bar exam in the summer following their graduation, but the exam is generally offered twice a year in Florida, as well as in other states.
Last July, 25 of 60 test-takers from FAMU’s College of Law passed, making the school the lowest-performing law school in Florida on the bar exam, with a passage rate of 41.7%.
That rate was about 10 points lower than the 52.6% rate in July 2022, in which 50 of 95 graduates were successful.
'Impossible to answer and irrelevant'
Keller wrote that she was sent a list of questions from Nicole Washington, the FAMU Board of Trustees’ Academic and Student Affairs Committee chair, regarding student success at the College of Law.
But Keller explained during a Jan. 18 trustees meeting that the requested information was “impossible to answer and irrelevant to the project of addressing the college’s bar pass challenges.”
She also explained in December that frequent interactions with the board hindered her ability to work effectively in Orlando, where the College of Law is located.
Despite her objections, she says she was still expected to answer the questions and was also asked to meet individually with trustees.
More: FAMU law school dean resigns as bar exam passage rates keep trending downward
Related news: FSU bar exam scores rise to second best in state; FAMU falls to lowest rate in state
In addition, Keller’s resignation letter also notes that on the morning of her resignation Wednesday, an email from Howard “mischaracterized statements” that she made to trustees.
Howard’s email was sent to Keller along with Interim Director and Instructor of Academic Success and Bar Preparation (ASBP) Eurilynne Williams and Associate Dean for Student Learning and Assessment Jonathan Fineman.
Keller wrote that the virtual communication from Howard was “clearly an attempt to impugn my integrity” and was “neither management nor oversight.”
“These two recent examples come in the wake of steadily escalating unreasonable demands which make doing my work — managing the college — impossible,” Keller wrote.
The university plans to appoint the college’s interim dean in the coming days ahead of an executive search this spring semester for someone to fill the position permanently.
In spite of the issues, Keller expressed her gratitude for the experiences and relationships she gained during her time as dean, adding that she looks forward to staying connected with the law school and “witnessing its continued success.”
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Letter: FAMU Law dean says trustees, others stymied her success
