Transformative Years
is Daniel Meador's account of his four years as dean of the School of Law at the University of Alabama from 1966 to 1970. Those were indeed transformative years, bridging the Law School of the past to the Law School of the future. Working on the premise that this institution was a crucial training ground for the state’s future legal and political leadership, the author, with the backing of university president Frank Rose, moved rapidly to build the school up in every respect—alumni involvement in fundraising, faculty, curriculum, library, and student life. All of these steps are described, along with the challenges presented by entrenched and limited expectations. The book describes the problems the author faced, in the context of their time and place, the steps taken to overcome them, and his dashed hopes in the ultimate denouement. The book concludes with a summary of what turned out to be lasting changes in the school as a result of those four years.