I have on good authority that the University of Richmond is fortunate to have four terrific finalists for their dean search, which I have previously written about here. The finalists, with their interview dates on campus, are:
Jeff Rosen of George Washington School of Law. Professor Rosen is legal affairs editor of The New Republic and has been described by the LA Times as “the nation’s most widely read and influential legal commentator.” (Jan 31-Feb 1)
Joel Reidenberg of Fordham School of Law. Professor Reidenberg is the founding director of CLIP, Fordham’s Center on Law and Information Policy, and brings significant administrative experience at the University, as well as law school, level. (Feb 3-4)
Wendy Perdue of Georgetown University. Professor Perdue is Georgetown’s Associate Dean for the JD Program, former Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, and former Associate Dean for Research. Many consider her among the most knowledgeable leaders in legal education. (Feb 7-8)
Michael Seigel of the University of Florida School of Law. Professor Seigel is a former First Assistant United States Attorney, former Associate Dean at Florida, and is a recognized expert in the area of collegiality. (Feb 10-11)
I suspect that this reflects the influence of University of Richmond president (and historian) Edward Ayers and his support for the law school. I'll be most interested in hearing what happens. These folks present some exciting possibilities for the law school and the University.
All of this reminds me that at some point we should talk about what kinds of questions law school dean candidates are likely to get -- and perhaps what kinds of answers we (and administrators) should be looking for from them. The "literature" on law school faculty positions is well-developed, but there's substantially less "literature" (i.e., blogging) about law school dean hiring.
"Why on earth would you like to be a Dean?"
Posted by: Orin Kerr | January 26, 2011 at 09:33 PM
Orin, I'd assume it's because it's prestigious and you get to deal with students clamoring to get into and through law school instead of clients and endless contract documents.
Posted by: Joe | January 27, 2011 at 02:21 AM
Yes, Orin, that's the absolute first question we should ask! I'm not sure what answer I want to hear....
Posted by: Alfred Brophy | January 27, 2011 at 11:24 AM
I have never understood why anybody would want to be a dean. It is more of an administrative job than being a partner in a good firm and pays a fraction. Nonetheless, I am glad that some do serve. And if you did not come from the faculty of the school, returning to the faculty after a term as a dean can be problematic on occasion. It is easier if the dean came from the faculty and returns to it at the end of the term.
Posted by: Bill Turnier | January 27, 2011 at 01:57 PM
I have always taken pleasure out of helping my colleagues succeed. Anyone who does this for prestige or power is doing it for the wrong reasons.
Posted by: Richard Gershon | January 27, 2011 at 06:48 PM
Actually, about 90% of being a dean is rewarding, if the dean gets his or her jollies from helping other people achieve their goals and from building an institution. The dirty little secret of deaning is that working with alums and fundraising are two of the most fun parts of the job.
What I liked about deaning was that it combined the skill sets of good lawyering with a setting that I far preferred to private practice.
The worst part of being a dean is knowing way too much about certain people and realizing that you'll never be able to forget what you know.
Posted by: Nancy Rapoport | January 29, 2011 at 11:27 AM
Isn't the answer to the "why" question obvious from the empirical evidence? Someone has to do it . . .
Posted by: Richard | January 31, 2011 at 02:24 PM