The College of Law needs a fresh start — and that’s exactly what it’s getting.

Last Thursday, College of Law Dean Bruce Smith announced his resignation, effective June 1. Meanwhile, law professor John Colombo has been named the interim dean of the college.

Smith has served as dean since February 2009, taking over just before the news of the clout scandal broke — when the University was caught giving certain applicants special consideration for admission. This scandal reflected not only on the law school, but on the entire University.

Smith was called to his position when the University was in a tough spot. But during his tenure, the College of Law endured more scandal and dropped significantly in rankings, which is why we look forward to the changes that await the college.

In 2011, after reports showed misinformation in the Class of 2014 profile, a follow-up investigation determined that the college misreported four years of GPA and LSAT scores to help make the college appear more appealing and exclusive in the eyes of the Law School Admissions Council and potential applicants to the college.

As a fallout from the scandals, the College of Law ranking from US News and World Report fell from 23rd in Smith’s first year to 40th rankings for 2015, bottoming out at 47th last year.

The recent history of the law school taints the image of the University as a whole and place us in a negative light nationally. Smith’s resignation represents a much-needed opportunity for the college to restore its reputation. A new dean in the College of Law could help give the school a clean slate and hopefully put this image further in the University’s past while also replacing it with an admirable future.

In the interim, Colombo provides experienced leadership, as he has served as acting or interim dean three times: 1998, 2001 and 2002. He has also served as associate dean of the college from 1995 to 1998, 1999 to 2000 and 2010 to 2012. Because of his previous experiences and knowledge of the position, Colombo will provide a stable bridge to a new dean.

With the law school’s rocky past, we endorse bringing in a new dean from outside the college and outside the University community. A new dean and new leadership can help return the College of Law to its proper place among the top 20 law schools in the nation. Along with that, the college can hopefully restore its tarnished image from the past.