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The final four have been chosen, and now it’s up to the search committee for next year’s UCLA School of Law dean to compile a report to send to the chancellor.

Stephen McAllister, dean at the University of Kansas School of Law, Michael Schill, professor at New York University Law School, Thomas Sullivan, professor at the University of Minnesota School of Law and Gerald Torres, professor at the University of Texas School of Law, have all been chosen as final candidates, as stated in a letter written to the UCLA law school community on April 12.

When Jonathan Varat resigned from the position last fall, the search committee began a comprehensive hunt for a new dean.

The committee comprised of faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members have been conducting interviews with potential candidates since February.

All four finalists are coming to the UCLA campus to meet with staff and students to better acquaint the UCLA community with the potential deans.

The finalists will also be meeting with faculty members and presenting their ideas about how to better the law school, said Laura Finefrock, assistant to the associate dean.

Finefrock has been coordinating meetings between students, faculty members and the candidates.

Last week, Sullivan visited the campus, while this week McAllister is visiting, Finefrock said. Both Schill and Torres will be at the law school next week, she added.

A member of the University of Kansas law faculty since 1993, McAllister became dean of the law school in 2000. McAllister’s experience includes clerkships with Justices Byron White and Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Michael Schill is a professor at New York University’s law school, and is the director of the school’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy.

If offered the position at the UCLA School of Law, it would be Thomas Sullivan’s third deanship. He has previous experience as dean at the University of Minnesota School of Law, and the University of Arizona College of Law.

With expertise in critical race theory, agriculture and environmental law, Gerald Torres has served as deputy assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice and as consul to former Attorney General Janet Reno.

Law students have been involved with the search in many ways, including having a student representative on the search committee, and allowing representatives from student organizations to meet with the candidates at roundtable discussions, said Brian Dominguez, next year’s Student Bar Association president.

“One of the biggest concerns is the fee increase and students want to know what the new dean’s stance is on that and what steps he will take to help students,” Dominguez said.

Sometime in May the search committee will present a report to Chancellor Albert Carnesale, and he will make the final determination as to who the dean will be, said Rene Dennis, a spokeswoman for the Chancellor’s Office.