Margaret Sova McCabe to Step Down as University of Arkansas Law School Dean

Dean Margaret Sova McCabe has plans for the University of Arkansas School of Law.

Margaret Sova McCabe will step down as dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law, effective June 30, but will continue to serve as a professor.

An 2022-23 interim dean will be named, and Interim Provost Terry Martin will convene a committee to search for the new permanent dean. More details will be announced in the coming months.

“I’m excited to re-engage in my teaching and research interests while expanding my campus and national collaborations with a variety of faculty and administrative colleagues next year,” McCabe said, adding that announcing the news now will give the provost adequate time to replace her. Her research has focused on regulatory and legal issues in the food system.

McCabe has led the law school since 2018.

Under her leadership, the school saw its largest incoming class in 2021, despite the pandemic. Half of the class identified as women, and one quarter were students of color.

The law school also received several accolades for being a good value and filling prestigious federal clerkships. It launched a Summer Public Service Fellowship Program in 2019, commenced Dean’s Circle Faculty Awards, and added five faculty members.

Before joining the UA, McCabe was a member of the University of New Hampshire School of Law’s faculty and served as associate dean for Academic Affairs. Previously, she was associate dean for academic administration there.

McCabe is a graduate of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. She earned her law degree from the University of Maine and has also worked in the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Commissioner’s Office.

A previous version of this story mistakenly referred to the UA School of Law as the Bowen School of Law.