Campbell University law dean announces his retirement

     Willis P. Whichard has announced that he will retire as dean of Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, effective at the conclusion of the 2005-2006 academic year. Whichard came to Campbell in 1999 after a distinguished career as a North Carolina Supreme Court justice, attorney and state legislator.
     A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, Whichard was elected to the state Supreme Court in 1986 and served until 1998. He is the only North Carolinian in the history of the state to serve in both houses of the Legislature and on both of the state’s appellate courts. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1970-1974 and served as a North Carolina senator from 1974-1980. Whichard also served on the North Carolina Court of Appeals from 1980-1986, and was a practicing attorney with the Durham law firm of Powe, Porter, Alphin and Whichard.
     As dean of the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, Whichard’s influence has certainly been felt. Under his leadership, the American Bar Association approved a cooperative education program between newly founded Handong International School of Law in Korea and the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, a program which Whichard and law professors Lynn Buzzard and Alan Button helped to develop. His book, Justice James Iredell, is the only definitive biography of the man who led the state’s Federalists in supporting ratification of the Constitution and was later appointed to the United States Supreme Court by President George Washington. The book was selected for inclusion in the annual Outstanding Academic Title list which appears in “Choice” magazine and is published by a division of the American Library Association.
     In 2002, Whichard was presented the Christopher Crittenden Memorial Award for lifetime achievement in history by the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association. He received the Distinguished Service Medal from the University of North Carolina in 2004 and was elected to the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation that same year.
Whichard earned both a Master of Laws (LL.M) and a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) from the University of Virginia.
     “In 1999 it was the University’s good fortune to bring Willis Whichard as professor and dean of the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law,” said Campbell President Jerry M. Wallace. “In the ensuing years he has guided the law school in a most capable and professional way. While we shall miss his leadership, we certainly wish him the very best in his retirement. He goes with our sincere thanks and best wishes.”
      Dr. Dwaine Greene, vice president for Academic Affairs and provost, credits Whichard’s visionary leadership with many of the law school’s successes over the past six years. “We maintain a deep appreciation for the direction he has given and for the caring professionalism which has so characterized his tenure,” Greene said.

Bulletin 0047-8/11/05