Gormley Speaks About Appointment

The interim leader of Duquesne University's law school says his top priority will be a smooth transition as students finish their fall exams and then he will "take a big breath" to prepare for a new semester. Ken Gormley says he was called by university President Charles Dougherty this morning and asked if he would serve as Interim Dean. He was not given an explanation for the firing of Don Guter, who told colleagues he was given 24 hours to quit or be removed. When asked about tensions between Guter and Dougherty, Gormley said he preferred to focus on the future.

Law school professor Nancy Perkins says the firing came as a surprise. She says many people believed Guter would leave, but they assumed it would happen in the spring, at the end of the academic year. She says there's been a lot of tension between the law school and the administration, but she doesn't think that's uncommon. She says Guter accomplished some good things at the school, including some administrative improvements. Perkins also says she believes the school might go through a rough patch, but believes it has a lot of strengths and that students won't suffer.