Melissa Essary was formally installed Monday, Aug. 14, as the fourth dean of Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. Essary’s installation was the focus of the 31st Convocation ceremony for the law school. Representatives from the State Bar, NC Bar Association, American Bar Association, NC Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court and Federal Bench participated in the ceremony, extending greetings and encouragement to Dean Essary. Essary assumed her position at Campbell on July 1, after a distinguished tenure on the faculty of Baylor University’s School of Law. When she learned of the opportunity at Campbell, Essary was intrigued with the challenge of leading an established and respected law school. “I came to Campbell because I saw in it the potential to lead a law school that is already great. With God’s help and the efforts of our wonderful faculty and staff, we can take the law school to new heights,” she said. A 1982 summa cum laude graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Dean Essary earned the Juris Doctor degree from Baylor University School of Law in 1985, graduating magna cum laude. Following graduation, Essary served as a trial lawyer for two Texas firms, most notably the prestigious ‘Vinson and Elkins’ firm of Dallas. In 1990, she joined the faculty at Baylor, where she taught courses in Employment Discrimination Law and Torts Law. Dr. Jerry Wallace, President of Campbell University, said he expects great things from Dean Essary. “We believe that the law school will be strengthened nationally and internationally. We believe that our graduates will have greater opportunity,” said Wallace. “She will set a high mark for the faculty, as teachers and researchers. The law school will grow in every way.” Melissa Essary, her husband, Larry, and two daughters, Amber and Rachel, live in Buies Creek.
Essary formally installed as new dean of Campbell School of Law