CONCORD, N.H. - University of New Hampshire Provost Lisa MacFarlane announced today that dean and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice John T. Broderick, Jr. will step down as dean effective June 30, 2014, to become the first Warren B. Rudman Chair at UNH Law and executive director of its Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership, and Public Policy.

"With the support of President Mark Huddleston and Provost MacFarlane and the hard work of our faculty and staff, the law school has advanced substantially in a short time," said Broderick. "We've achieved what I set out to accomplish as dean - leading the integration of the law school with the university and enhancing its national reputation and ranking -- and now I am excited to focus my energies on continuing to build the Rudman Center as a lasting legacy to the principles of bipartisanship and democracy that were so important to Senator Rudman."

Huddleston noted that Broderick's leadership and vision played a critical role in the successful integration of the law school with the university. "John raised the school's national rankings, strengthened its internationally renowned intellectual property program, and launched the Rudman Center, while at the same time focusing on graduates' employment opportunities and the quality of the law school's practice-ready programs," said Huddleston. "The Daniel Webster Scholar program, in particular, is increasingly regarded as perhaps the best model for training new lawyers."

"I look forward to continuing to work with John as he secures the legacy of this important new center," said MacFarlane. "The Rudman Center plays a central role in the future of the law school and the university, and John is the right person to lead the center that embodies the values of the late Senator Rudman."

MacFarlane also announced that Jordan Budd, who has served as associate dean for academic affairs under Broderick, will serve as interim dean for a period of three years. "I have worked closely with Jordan through the integration process, and I know that he has the strategic skills and knowledge required to carry forward John's legacy," said MacFarlane.

Budd, a Harvard Law School graduate, joined the law school faculty in 2006 and has co-chaired the integration process. Prior to joining UNH Law, Budd served for more than a decade as legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties. "I am fortunate to work with faculty colleagues and university administrators who are committed to supporting the law school on its upward trajectory. We are grateful to Dean Broderick for his commitment here these last several years, and I am thankful he will continue to work with all of us at the law school to continue our forward march," he said.

In the most recent U.S. News & World Report law school rankings UNH Law rose to #93, 26 spots higher than last year. Over the past two years, UNH Law has moved up a combined 49 spots, and is among the top 100 law schools in the nation for the first time ever. In the U.S. News specialty rankings, UNH Law retained its top 10 ranking for its intellectual property law program for the 23rd straight year. The law school has also recently added the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute headed by Mike McCann - a well-known sports law scholar and writer for Sports Illustrated.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,300 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.