Don Guter, the former Duquesne University law dean whose removal in December sparked a campus outcry, is about to take the helm of another law school -- this one in Texas.

Effective Aug. 1, Mr. Guter, 60, becomes president and dean of South Texas College of Law in Houston, with an enrollment of approximately 1,200, officials with the college said yesterday.

The appointment follows a nationwide search. Mr. Guter was law dean at Duquesne from 2005 through 2008 and remained on the law school's faculty after he was ousted from that job.

"The board, faculty and staff of South Texas College of Law are thrilled," South Texas board chairman Mike Hays said. "We feel extremely fortunate to have a person of his stature and caliber join the college."

Mr. Guter, a Duquesne graduate, served as Navy judge advocate general from 2000 to 2002 and had a 32-year career in the service.

"I feel really good about this," Mr. Guter said. "The law school is really well situated. It's got a wonderful mission which is not unlike ours [at Duquesne] -- to give people a chance to go to law school. It started out as a night school, just like Duquesne's."

In December, Duquesne President Charles Dougherty gave Mr. Guter 24 hours to resign or be removed. Amid the outcry that followed, Dr. Dougherty indicated he acted because Mr. Guter did not adequately "perform as a part of the university's administrative team" or "effectively manage the school."

His supporters, including some donors who withheld support, cited accomplishments under Mr. Guter, including a 97 percent student pass rate among first-time bar exam takers this year. They said he was the victim of a persona vendetta.

Some 200 students protested on campus in January said the university's faculty senate criticized the president's handling of the removal.

Asked about the episode, Mr. Guter said he was honored to be chosen in 2005 as Duquesne's law dean and harbors no ill will regarding his final months. "I'm going to remember the good things," he said.

Duquesne previously named an interim dean, Ken Gormley. A spokeswoman said Mr. Dougherty and the Duquesne administration wish Mr. Guter well in his new opportunity.