John Valery White Incoming dean of Boyd Law School credits predecessor Richard Morgan

UNLV's Boyd Law School will get its second dean in 10 years in June.

John Valery White, a professor of law at Louisiana State University, will succeed founding Dean Richard Morgan, who retires in June.

"I'm excited about it," White said. "I think the school is a fantastic school that they put together in a short period of time."

White, 39, has been focusing on the history of civil rights and its role in addressing the social legacy of the Jim Crow period.

His recent article, "The Persistence of Race Politics and the Restraint of Recovery in Katrina's Wake," was published in the 2006 anthology, "After the Storm: Black Intellectuals Explore the Meaning of Hurricane Katrina," according to LSU's Web site.

He is also a distinguished visiting professor at the University of Insubria in Como, Italy.

"The faculty, even now, is involved in dealing with social change sorts of issues," White said. "I wouldn't suggest big changes."

Morgan, who made almost $219,000 last year, has been credited with many of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas law school's successes.

"Dean Morgan's done an exceptional job," White said.

He said the LSU and UNLV law schools have significant differences.

"I think the main one (is) the LSU law school has been around for a little more than 100 years," White said. "Institutions of that age and gravity don't change that quickly."

The Boyd School of Law, founded in 1997, had 156 students enrolled in fall 2006 compared to nearly 800 at the LSU law school.