Native Chicagoan Teree E. Foster, professor and dean of the West Virginia University College of Law in Morgantown, has been named the dean of DePaul University's College of Law effective July 1.

She succeeds Acting Dean Mark Weber, who has held that position since John C. Roberts stepped down in July 1996 after 10 years as dean. Both Roberts and Weber will remain on the law faculty.

"In addition to her accomplishments as an administrator and educator, Dean Foster brings with her a deep sensitivity to and respect for DePaul's Vincentian mission of service," according to the Rev. John P. Minogue, C.M., DePaul president.

"We are pleased to welcome to DePaul, Teree Foster, who has distinguished herself as a scholar, with more than a dozen publications on civil procedure and evidence, as an outstanding teacher and as an effective dean," said Richard Meister, DePaul's executive vice president for academic affairs. "She is a person who is committed to insuring that the legal profession does contribute to creating a more humane society."

"We are lucky to have attracted someone of her caliber," said Weber of Foster's appointment.

"The opportunity to assume the deanship at DePaul is both inspiring and humbling for three reasons: the excellence of the law school; the commitment of DePaul University to the Vincentian mission of social justice and the vigor and dynamism of DePaul alumni," said Foster.

"I believe that it is a privilege to be a lawyer, and that this privilege entails the responsibility of assisting members of the community and of unceasing toil in service of the goal of social justice," said Foster. "DePaul University and the College of Law have embraced the Vincentian mission of service to the urban poor and striving towards social justice, so that the institution's values are consonant with my own."

Foster has been the dean of the West Virginia College of Law since July 1993.

Prior to that she was a member of the faculty of the University of Oklahoma College of Law in Norman in 1977, was promoted to full professor in 1983 and served as associate dean from 1990 to 1992.

While at the Oklahoma College of Law she taught evidence, civil procedure, federal courts, constitutional law, remedies, law and literature, expert and scientific evidence, selected problems in professional liability and civil rights/civil liberties.

Between 1978 and 1986, Foster coached the National Moot Court team, which won the national championship in 1985. The 1982 and 1987 teams went to the national competition as regional champions, and the 1983 team competed as regional runner-up. She also coached the ABA/LSD National Appellate Advocacy team for 11 years and her teams went to the national finals as regional winners seven times.

Foster has also been a visiting professor at the University of Denver College of Law; the University of Florida College of Law and The Ohio State University College of Law.

Foster received her bachelor's degree, with honors, from the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle in English literature and European history in 1968 and her law degree in 1976 from Loyola University in Chicago. At Loyola she served as editor-in-chief of the Loyola Law Journal. From 1976 until 1977, she served as a clerk for Judge Robert A. Sprecher of the United States Court of Appeals.

From 1984 until 1990, Foster was a lawyer specializing in commercial litigation with the firm of Hastie & Kirschner in Oklahoma City.

The recipient of many honors, Foster is listed in "Who's Who in American Law" and the "International Who's Who in Professionals." She received the E. Ann Compton Keel Award for Outstanding Service to the West Virginia Law Review in 1993-94, a commendation for leadership and dedication to equality from the West Virginia State Conferences of Branches of the NAACP in 1995 and the "Outstanding Women in History" award from the Fairmont State Multi-cultural Center in 1997.

While in Oklahoma, Foster was the recipient of the Merrick Foundation Teaching Award in 1983 for outstanding achievement in teaching; the Floyd and Irma Calvert Law Faculty Award for teaching excellence each year from 1978-1987 and the Outstanding Law Professor Award in 1990 from the University of Oklahoma Students' Association.

In West Virginia, Foster hosted two discussion programs, "The Law in Your Life" and "Legal Lines" on public television. She co-hosted "Encounter" and was the host of "Perspectives" on Norman, Okla., and University of Oklahoma cable television.

Founded in 1912, the DePaul College of Law has approximately 750 full-time and 420 part-time students. Graduate degrees are offered in taxation and health law.

The College of Law is also the home of the Center for Church/State Studies, the Health Law Institute and the International Human Rights Law Institute.

College of Law graduates have a tradition of public and professional service, and they can be found in all levels of the legal field from judges and lawyers in private practice to members of public interest groups and prosecutors and defenders.

When she assumes her position this summer, Dean Foster will be the eighth dean of the law school in its 85 years.