November 5, 2009

Gov. Timothy Kaine will return to teaching at the University of Richmond after his four-year term ends in January.

Kaine said Thursday he has accepted an appointment to the university's School of Law and the Jepson School of Leadership Studies. He also plans to help the private liberal-arts university advance its strategic goals. The part-time faculty job will be on top of his duties as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Kaine, 51, will teach one course each semester in his non-tenure appointment, according to the university. His first course will be offered at the Jepson School during the spring semester. He will teach at the law school next fall.

"Tim Kaine had an outstanding career as a practitioner, especially as a civil-rights lawyer, before his years in politics," law school Dean John Douglass said in a statement. "His broad practical understanding of law and his legal craftsmanship will make him both an effective teacher and a role model for the professional development of our students."

A Harvard Law School graduate, Kaine practiced law in Richmond for 17 years and taught at Richmond's law school for six years before being elected to Richmond's City Council and as the city's mayor. He was elected Virginia's 70th governor in 2005 after serving as lieutenant governor.