Penn State Dickinson School of Law named Retired Vice Admiral James Houck as its interim dean. He will also serve as interim dean of Penn State's School of International Affairs. He was previously a distinguished scholar in residence.
In addition, for readers who follow these things, Penn State's Board of Trustees has formally approved the split of the two campuses – State College and Carlisle – into separate law schools, confirming a plan which had been floated a few months ago. For now, Houck will serve as the interim dean of both campuses though the school is apparently looking for another person to head up the Carlisle campus, which will begin the formal split in 2014-15.
Curious choice. Appointees to interim deanships normally have experience running some part of a law school and know the ABA standards and other regulations. There are probably other examples here and there, but it does seem unusual to have someone without that experience as an interim.