The Faculty Lounge

Paula Casey Named Interim Dean Of Arkansas-Little Rock

Professor Paula Casey, who began teaching at the University of  Arkansas - Little Rock School of Law in 1978 - taking off eight years to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas during the Clinton years - has been named the law school's interim dean as of July 1, 2012.  She was associate dean from 1986-91.

St. Thomas Dean, Tom Mengler, Becoming President Of St. Mary's

The dean of the St. Thomas University School of Law in Minneapolis, Thomas Mengler, will be moving to San Antonio this summer.  He will take over as the president of St. Mary's University effective June 1.  Mengler, a University of Texas law grad (and a Carleton undergrad), previously served as the dean of the University of Illinois College of Law.  Dean Mengler had already announced that he was stepping down as dean at St. Thomas.  More info on that search is here.

Dean Search Updates, Plus

The 2011-12 law school dean search list is updated here.  

One notable story: it appears that Emory Law announced its dean search on Jaunary 12, 2012 with a call for nominations of tenured Emory faculty.  Based on the timeline set out in this document, it's not even clear the committee was considering outside candidates at all.  Indeed, the committee has apparently already identified three finalists - all from the existing Emory faculty and one the current interim dean.  There's nothing wrong with doing an internal dean search; it's just unusual for a search committee to be so open about it.

Barack Obama, Law School Dean

I have not read Jodi Kantor's new book, The Obamas, but thankfully many other people have - and two have now shared this nugget: earlier in his career, Barack Obama's greatest aspiration was to become a law school dean!  That's a tad different than W's pre-presidential aspiration of becoming the commissioner of baseball.

This new factoid provides some important blogging points.   First, might he become a law school dean after the presidency?  Sure, it'll be  tempting to take over an entire univesrity such as - say - Harvard.  But that would require him to focus on so many large institutional issues and problems.  Why take on those headaches?  And of course, there will be other job options: he could create a TV network .  He could make a new neighborhood safe for Starbucks.  Hell - he could suspend the constitution and become the General Secretary of the United Socialist States.  (Yes, somebody really believes this.) 

But it seems to me that he'll want to follow his inner compass and become a law school dean.  So the obvious question is: which law school?  Personally, I hope that the President will be able to keep his current gig for four more years.  But if not, there are a few schools with existing openings that might be willing to wait if he shows serious interest immediately.

The University of LaVerne is an obvious choice.  The President has shown that he knows how to take decisive action under extreme conditions.  Given all the complicated noise going on in the Inland Empire, LaVerne needs a leader with the sort of bold vision led to a takeover of GM and Chrysler back in 2009.   Feeling entrepreneurial?  Oxy Law sure has a nice ring!   If he's looking to integrate his "left wing liberal" values with his burning desire to lead an ABA accredited, JD granting institution, the food stamp President can head to Northeastern Law.  There, students can alternate classes in payment systems and employment law with a co-op in which students represent Dorchester residents in their SNAP denial hearings.   On the other hand, if he's missing the sturm and drang of  Rahm Emanuel, can you spell UT?

Second, everyone will surely wonder whether he has developed the skill set for the job.  No matter what position he settles into, Obama will have to stare down the Law School Bubble.  But as a fellow who already lives in a bubble within a bubble, this is going to seem like old hat.  It's not like he'll be co-opted by all old guard law faculty types; after all, this is the guy who passed through Chicago without absorbing much of the internal culture.  And we've been told that legal education may soon provide an object lesson of what happens when we do nothing: bad things happen. Other than Harry Truman, there's probably no person better situated to harness the power of a bunch of do-nothings to produce an excellent result. 

Right now, the Republicans are doing their best to insure the President of a second term. Maybe they'll succeed.  If not, those of us in the law school industry may soon have a new fellow traveler. 

I just hope he's not too cocky.  Sure, he might be able engineer a leaner military that can fight two wars at once.    But if he thinks law professors are going to get their finals graded before Christmas, he's as crazy as a betsy bug.

More LaVerne Turbulence: Dean Allen Easley Resigns

The University of LaVerne School of Law has been going through a series of tough shocks of late.  Last year, the ABA decided to deny the LaVerne full accreditation and instead strip it of provisional accreditation entirely.  Recently, one of the school's faculty stars - John Linarelli - accepted a position heading the Swansea School of Law in Wales.  

New California bar results show LaVerne's first-time pass rate at 56.3% - not helpful from an ABA point of view.  (Remarkably, two other California ABA accredited schools posted even lower California bar pass rates.  But even those two schools don't have to suffer the vexation of this accredited school's 5% California pass rate.)

Now, Dean Allen Easley has announced his resignation effective immediately.  I don't envy Philip Hawkey, the interim dean who has to guide LaVerne for the next while.  

 

Finalists In Missouri Law Dean Search

They are:  Gary Myers (Mississippi), Andrew Klein (Indiana-Indianapolis), Robert Pushaw Jr. (Pepperdine), Marcella David (Iowa), and Beverly Moran (Vanderbilt).

Royal Furgeson Named Dean Of University Of North Texas Law School

The University of North Texas, which plans to open a law school in Dallas in August 2014, has named Senior U.S. District Judge Royal Furgeson as its founding dean.  Furgeson, a University of Texas law graduate, will take over in April, 2013.  

Rick Matasar From Dean Of New York Law To NYU

Richard Matasar, who has just left the deanship at New York Law School, has set up shop a few blocks away at NYU.  He has assumed the position of Vice President for University Enterprise Initiatives within NYU's  School of Continuing & Professional Studies.  He also has the title of Professor - which he presumably holds within the School of Continuing & Professional Studies as well.

Texas Law Dean, Lawrence Sager, Forced Out

The president of the University of Texas, William Powers Jr., has asked for - and received - the immediate resignation of UT Law Dean Lawrence Sager.  Sager had previously announced he would be leaving the position at the end of the school year.  Professor Stefanie Lindquist was named interim dean. 

According to reports, there was significant faculty unhappiness - particularly over compensation disparities.  In particular, some faculty were apparently unhappy about the school's forgivable loan program which Sager used to lure, or keep, faculty.  Dean Sager sent this letter to faculty explaining some of his compensation practices earlier this week.

Elite state schools - and indeed, all elite law schools outside of the Atlantic and Pacific coastal corridors - struggle to recruit and retain those faculty targeted by the private school elites in the corridors.  The fact is that Yale, Harvard, NYU, and their counterpart are fierce recruiters with lots of money and relatively little oversight in the allocation of those funds. The question a school like Texas must ask is whether it is willing to absorb the costs of competing with these schools.  As is evident in this dispute, the costs go beyond mere dollars (and the risk of taxpayer outrage) and extend deeply into the culture and community of the institution.

 The Texas faculty may consider Dean Sager's tenure there to be a failure; it is not at all clear that his former colleagues at NYU, and their peers in the region, would offer a similar assessment.  Actually, they might be pretty impressed.

North Carolina Central Law Dean, Raymond Pierce, Stepping Down

Raymond Pierce, who has served as dean of the NCCU School of Law since 2005, will step down as of next summer.  Before joining NCCU, Pierce was a partner at Baker, Hostetler; he is leaving to join a Raleigh firm.  Pierce, who is a graduate of Case Western University School of Law, previously served as President Bill Clinton’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education.  He was new to academia when he first took the deanship.

Indiana-Bloomington Law Dean, Lauren Robel, Named Interim Provost

Lauren Robel, the dean of Indiana University Bloomington law school,  has been named the interim provost of the Bloomington campus.   She will take over on February 1, 2012.   Robel is the president-elect of the AALS.  No word yet on who will be helming the law school in her absence.

University of Baltimore Launches Law Dean Search

The University of Baltimore has issued an official announcement of its dean search here.  You could do a lot worse than to lead a school that's essentially been gifted a new $107 million law building.  Plus, how fun would it be to cheer "Go Super Bees"?  

Washington & Lee Announces Law School Dean Finalists

And they are...Marion Crain (Wash U.), Nora Demleitner (Hofstra), Michael Gerhardt (UNC), and David Scheffer (Northwestern).  Details here.

Law School Dean Searches 2011-12 Edition

Updated 1/30/2012

Time flies when you're having fun!  And what could be more fun than posting the annual list of dean searches?    As always, I encourage folks to contact me with updates - ideally via my email, danielmfiller@gmail.com.  

Albany (Isaacson, Miller consulting on search)

Appalachian (Judge Keary Williams, chair of search committee) (Lucy McGough named dean)

Arizona State (search committee here)

Baltimore (Greenwood/Asher & Assoc. consulting)

Brooklyn Law School  (search committee here) (Witt/Kiefer consulting) (Lawrence Solan, Russell Osgood, Janet Levit and Nicholas Allard finalists)

California Western (search committee here) (Isaacson, Miller consulting)

Campbell University  (Dr. Dwaine Greene, chair of search committee)

Catholic University (Dr. Michael Mack, chair of search committee)

Charlotte School of Law

Emory  (search committee here) (Howard Abrams, Frank Vandall, and Robert Schapiro finalists)

Hofstra

Indiana Tech (Peter Alexander named dean)

LaVerne

UMass Dartmouth

McGeorge (U of Pacific) (Francis "Jay" Mootz III named dean)

Missouri  (search committee here) (finalists are Gary Myers, Andrew Klein, Robert Pushaw, Marcella David and Beverly Moran)

New York Law (search committee here) (Storbeck Pimentel consulting)

North Texas (Royal Furgeson named dean)

Northeastern

Oklahoma City (Judge Valerie Couch named dean)

Pittsburgh

South Dakota

St. Thomas (Minnesota) (search committee here)

Stetson (search committee here)  (Christopher Pietruszkiewicz named dean)

Texas (search committee is here)

Touro (search committee here)

Vermont  (Mark Latham, co-chair) (Isaacson, Miller consulting) (Raymond Ku, Mark Mihaly, Gary Robers, Niels Schaumann and Brenda Smith finalists)

Washington & Lee (search committee here) (Isaacson, Miller consulting) (Marion Crain, Nora Demleitner, Michael Gerhardt and David Scheffer finalists) (Nora Demleitner named dean)

 

UMass Law Dean Resigns Suddenly

Robert Ward, dean of the UMass School of Law - who oversaw the acquisition of Southern New England School of Law by UMass Dartmouth - resigned yesterday, effective today.  His stated reason was that his two hour commute was taking a toll on his health and family.  At the same time, however, he disclosed that he had used his state credit card for personal expenses and (once told of this) had reimbursed the state.

We've previously blogged about the controversial merger between UMass and SNESL here, here, here, and here.  It's easy to imagine that every aspect of the law school's operation was subject to greater scrutiny once the school switched from being a free-standing, private institution.  It will be very interesting to see if the university selects an academic, a practicing lawyer, or someone with strong political ties to head the institution going forward.

New Brooklyn Law Dean Search Announcement

The Brooklyn Law School dean search announcement is now up here.  Witt/Kieffer is consulting on the search.

Catholic University Law School Dean Search Announcement

Interested in becoming the dean of a D.C. area law school?  Good news!  The Catholic University School of Law dean search announcement is here.

Dean Emily Spieler Stepping Down At Northeastern Law

Emily Spieler, who has served as the dean of the Northeastern University School of Law since 2002, has announced that she will step down at the end of the academic year. 

Vermont Law School President/Dean Search

From our colleagues at Vermont:

President/Dean Search: Vermont Law School

Vermont Law School (VLS) seeks applications and nominations for a new President and Dean who will lead our community and advance the mission of the school. VLS is a private, independent law school established in 1972. The new President and Dean will have the opportunity to build on the momentum that the law school is experiencing and will assume the position in July 2012.

The reach of Vermont Law School is national and global, with more than 95 percent of our 600 students coming from states outside Vermont and from 20 foreign nations. The school offers a strong core curriculum that is supported and enhanced by a variety of institutes and experiential programs.  Vermont Law School offers the largest graduate Environmental Law program in the country and has consistently been top-ranked in this specialty. In our nationally recognized Experiential Learning Program, students may put theory and doctrine into practice through our award-winning General Practice Program or Semester in Practice Program, or by participating in our many legal clinics, internships and externships.

The law school's extensive International and Comparative Law Programs exemplify the school motto, "Law for the Community and the World."  We are one of the few law schools in the U.S. to offer international dual degrees. Our students may earn a JD together with a degree from the University of Cambridge, the University of Cergy-Pontoise or the University of Seville.  We also offer semester exchanges with McGill University, the University of Cergy-Pontoise, the University of Trento, and, beginning this year, with Renmin University in Beijing. 

Our new distance learning program allows professionals to continue working while pursuing an LLM or MELP degree in environmental law and policy through an innovative, academically rigorous online program. 

The new Dean should be able to communicate a vision and implement policies consistent with the school’s mission; provide collaborative and effective leadership; lead within a culture of shared governance with the VLS faculty, staff, students and Board of Trustees; sustain, promote, and enhance the teaching, service, and research activities of the VLS faculty, staff and students; and support the school's commitment to diversity that is central to our inclusive community.  More information on the opportunity to lead this entrepreneurial institution is available in the announcement here.

Inquiries regarding the position may be made to Professor Mark Latham, co-chair of the Vermont Law School Dean Search Committee, at 802 831-1226,mlatham@vermontlaw.edu.  Initial inquiries and applications will be kept in strictest confidence. 

Appalachian Law Seeks Dean Candidates

From the school's job posting:

The Appalachian School of Law invites nominations, applications and inquiries for the position of Dean and Chief Operating Officer. Applications are invited from legal educators, scholars and administrators and from experienced lawyers and jurists with a demonstrated interest in legal education. The position will be available July 1, 2012, but the starting date may be adjusted to accommodate prior commitments. Confidential review of nominations and applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. To ensure consideration, nominations and applications should be submitted by September 30, 2011. For more information, please visit our dean search website at www.asl.edu/jobs/deansearch. Candidates are asked to submit a curriculum vitae, a list of at least three professional references, and a letter describing the candidate’s qualifications for the position with specific reference to the responsibilities and attributes described in the Position Description available on the website.

Applications should be submitted electronically (Adobe PDF or MS Word format) to deansearch@asl.edu. Applications, nominations and inquiries will be kept strictly confidential.  Nominations or inquiries may be sent to: Judge Keary Williams Chair, Dean Search Committee Appalachian School of Law 1169 Edgewater Drive P.O. Box 2825 Grundy, VA.