Widener University has officially split its Wilmington, Delaware, and Harrisburg law school campuses into two law schools, each with different names and different deans.

The move is months in the making and comes after the American Bar Association approved the university's application to make the split. Both law schools will still operate under the Widener University umbrella.

The Delaware law school will become Widener University Delaware Law School and will be led by a new dean, Rod Smolla, the university announced the afternoon of March 27. Smolla was the president of Furman University from 2010 to 2013 and has served on the faculty of a number of law schools. A noted author, Smolla has served as dean of Washington and Lee University School of Law and the University of Richmond School of Law and as director of the Institute of Bill of Rights Law at the College of William & Mary. Smolla is currently a visiting professor at University of Georgia School of Law.