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Charleston Southern University President B. Keith Faulkner received the William R. Lakes Educational Leadership Award from the Virginia Bar Division for Bar Education.
Mr. Faulkner joined his undergraduate alma mater, Charleston Southern University in South Carolina, in 2023 after a long career in legal education and higher education in Virginia.
In 2015, Mr. Faulkner joined the Liberty University School of Law as dean. Faulkner's tenure was “marked by success and growth for the school,” according to a VSB news release.
Under Mr. Faulkner's leadership, Liberty Law Firm was recognized for having the seventh-highest bar passage rate in the nation in 2019. At Liberty Law, he led efforts to establish the Virginia Legal Aid Clinic, the Intellectual Property Clinic, the Professionalism Series for first-year law students, and oversaw the College of Law's law faculty. Developing honors programs in schools.
Additionally, Mr. Faulkner taught a legal practice management course at the school while serving as dean.
By the time Faulkner left Liberty University in 2021, the law school's enrollment had increased by more than 50%.
Faulkner then became dean and president of the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, a position he held until joining Charleston Southern University.
Additionally, Faulkner served on the Virginia State Bar Association Board of Directors and chaired the VSB Section on Virginia Bar Education. He also served on the boards of the Commonwealth Alliance for Regional Universities and the Council of Independent Colleges and Universities of Virginia.
Kristin H. Smith, director of employer and student services at Liberty University School of Law, nominated Mr. Faulkner for the award.
“Keith Faulkner is an extraordinary leader, communicator, team motivator, and visionary with an incredible track record of enhancing communication, cooperation, and meaningful collaboration among the three components of the legal profession. ,” Smith wrote in his nomination letter.
The Lakes Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated leadership and vision in improving legal education and a high degree of engagement and professionalism among members of the academic and legal communities in the Commonwealth.
Mr. Faulkner will receive the award at the VSB Annual Meeting in Virginia Beach in May.
