Daisy Hurst Floyd Appointed Dean of Mercer Law School

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MACON – After leading Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law on an interim basis since February 2014, Daisy Hurst Floyd has been appointed dean of the University's second-oldest academic unit, effective immediately, according to Mercer Provost D. Scott Davis.

It is Floyd's second term as dean, after serving in the role from 2004 to 2010. She succeeds Gary J. Simson, who in 2014 was appointed senior vice provost for scholarship at the University.

“I am grateful for the capable leadership that Dean Floyd has provided to the law school, both as dean from 2004 to 2010, and most recently in an interim capacity,” Dr. Davis said. “She knows the school and its constituents well and over the last 15 months has implemented a number of new initiatives that strongly position the school for future success. She is highly respected by her colleagues, and I am pleased that she has agreed to once again serve as dean.”

Floyd came to Mercer in 2004 from Texas Tech University Law School, where she was a member of the faculty from 1990-2004 and served as associate dean for academic affairs for more than seven years. She received a B.A. summa cum laude and M.A. in Political Science from Emory University and a J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she served as articles editor of the Georgia Law Review.

“I am honored to once again serve as dean of Mercer Law School,” Floyd said. “I look forward to continuing to work with other members of the Law School community as we prepare our students for their future lives as lawyers and build upon the Law School's legacy of innovation and excellence.”

In 2010, she left the dean's office to serve as University Professor of Law and Ethical Formation, leading the University in collaborations between undergraduate and professional education to prepare students for lives of purpose and responsibility. In this role at Mercer, she drew upon her work with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which has focused on the formation of ethical identity in law students and the relationship between liberal arts and professional education.

Floyd is the author of numerous law review articles and is a frequent speaker at academic and law conferences. Her teaching and research interests include ethics, legal education, civil procedure, and evidence. She was the recipient of several teaching awards at Texas Tech, including the Phi Alpha Delta Professor of the Year Award, the New Professor Excellence in Teaching Award, and the President's Excellence in Teaching Award.

Floyd has been a member of the American Bar Association Presidential Council on Diversity in the Legal Profession and served on the State Bar of Georgia Diversity Committee. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Order of the Coif, an elected Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, the Texas Bar Foundation, and the Lawyers Foundation of Georgia, and a member of the State Bars of Georgia and Texas. She is a Master of the William Augustus Bootle Inn of Court, and serves regularly as a site team member for the American Bar Association and Association of American Law Schools' sabbatical reinspection of law schools.

About Mercer Law School

Founded in 1873, the Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and the first one in the state of Georgia accredited by the American Bar Association. Mercer Law School's educational philosophy is based on a broadly shared commitment to prepare students for the high-quality, general practice of law in a day-to-day learning environment that is both strongly supportive and consistently professional. Its innovative Woodruff Curriculum – which focuses on ethics and practical skills amid small class sizes – earned the Gambrell Professionalism Award from the ABA for its “depth of excellence.” With an enrollment of more than 400 students, Mercer Law School is nationally recognized for its exceptional programs in legal writing, moot court, public service, and ethics and professionalism. For more information about Mercer Law School, visit law.mercer.edu or call (478) 301-5000.