University of Connecticut School of Law Dean Timothy Fisher is set to step down from his position on July 31.

Fisher brought an incubator program—the Connecticut Community Law Center—and several new clinics, and was in charge when the law school's grade point average hit an all-time high of 3.53.

The 66-year-old Hartford resident will leave on a sabbatical and return to the law school faculty in 2021. His successor is Eboni Nelson, associate dean of academic affairs and professor of law at the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Fisher said the law school has had much to be proud of during his seven-year tenure, and that the current challenges related to COVID-19 have been the most daunting.

"I am tremendously proud of what our school did in March," he said. "In the space of just 36 hours we were able to shut down the school, and in the space of another 48 hours make it an entirely online institution. That was possible, first and foremost, because of our staff. We were able to turn on a dime and adjust all of our systems to be managed remotely. We went from in-class to Internet-based teaching basically in a few days."

The last seven years have seen a major transformation at the law school, which went from a ranking as the top 65th law school in the nation to a tie for 50th from the annual ranking of law schools from U.S. News & World Report. The latest ranking from the news outlet is for 2021. The law school has about 550 students. There are more than 200 law schools in the nation.

Fisher said one of his greatest accomplishments was pushing for the incubator program that began in 2016.

"There are more than 50 incubators in the country, almost all associated with law schools," Fisher said Wednesday. "It provides an office for recent law school graduates who set up solo practices representing the low-income and working-poor communities. We provide them with an office on campus and office equipment and an intake system."

Fisher said about 12 recent law school graduates have worked in the Connecticut Community Law Center, representing hundreds of clients.

The law school's 3.53 GPA projected for this fall is up from a low of 3.31 six years ago, Fisher said.

The law school, under Fisher's leadership, has also put into place several law clinics, including a Veterans Benefits Advocacy Clinic and one for elder law, as well as an animal law clinic.

The law school also introduced the Brown Family Campus Center on Fisher's watch.

"Our campus used to be a food desert," Fisher said. "Thanks to the generosity of one family, we were able to build the campus center and cafe that has become the heart of our community. The cafe is open all day long and a lot of law students gather there to study and faculty have office hours there, and that includes me."

Fisher, whose childhood was spent in New Haven, San Francisco, Hartford and San Juan, Puerto Rico, said he'll miss the law school's mission the most.

He said, "Having been given the opportunity to help lead an organization like that, and to see it reach its great potential is about as much as anyone could ask for."

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