The Faculty Lounge

University of Colorado: Law School Dean

From an email message that I received earlier today:

The University of Colorado has posted its law school dean search announcement.  You'll find the link here.

Northwestern Law Names Dean Search Committee

Northwestern University has announced the members of the law school dean search committee.  It will be chaired by Professor Erin Delaney.

Eduardo Peñalver Named President of Seattle University

Seattle University announced today that its new president will be Cornell University law dean Eduardo M. Peñalver. Peñalver has served  as Cornell's dean since 2014.  He will be Seattle University's first Latino president and the first layperson to lead the Jesuit school. Peñalver will take over on July 1, 2021.

Colorado Law Announces Search Committee for New Dean

The members include Professors Frederic Bloom,Violeta Chapin, Suzette Malveaux, Helen Norton, Scott Skinner-Thompson, and Harry Surden, among others.  Details here.

Ken Randall Named Dean of George Mason Law

George Mason University has announced that Ken Randall, the former dean of the University of Alabama School of Law (that is to say, my old boss), will be the new dean of its law school.  Randall, who founded the distance education start-up iLaw, takes over after a phenomenally successful run by Dean Henry Butler.  I'll skip the commentary about Ken's own phenomenal run at Alabama - I'm biased and, anyway, you can read about it in the link.

Southwestern Law Seeks Dean & CEO

This just in:

Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, California Seeks Dean and Chief Executive Officer

Southwestern is a private, non-profit, secular, independent law school. Inspired by a sense of social responsibility, Southwestern was founded in 1911 with a mission to provide access to legal education for those historically underrepresented persons who were otherwise excluded from law school. Ever since, Southwestern has earned a reputation for public service, innovative programming, and trailblazing alumni. Our community is intellectually vibrant, with faculty who are committed to teaching and who are highly productive scholars and leaders on the local, state, and national levels.

Our beautiful mid-city campus provides the ideal setting for law study, fostering an emphasis on community, diversity, and engagement. Situated at the heart of the entertainment industry, Southwestern is home to the nationally acclaimed Donald E. Biederman Entertainment and Media Law Institute. Our emphasis on experiential learning through the Institute, skills courses, and robust clinical and externship opportunities produces practice-ready graduates. Our alumni number 14,000 strong across the country and are inspired advocates who are versatile and entrepreneurial.

From its first day, Southwestern actively encouraged the enrollment of women and people of color. Our first graduate was Betty Trier Berry, who became the first woman in the United States to serve in a public defender's office—before women were permitted to vote in federal elections.

American University Law Seeks Dean

This just in:

American University (AU) seeks a strategic, entrepreneurial, and energetic leader to serve as Dean of the Washington College of Law (WCL), commencing no later than July 1, 2021. This is an exceptional opportunity to lead a large, vibrant, creative, and forward-looking law school in the nation’s capital. WCL’s global preeminence and distinctive brand are anchored in the quality of its academic programs, the scholarly achievements of its faculty, the diversity of its community, and its impact on the challenges facing the legal professions and society today.

AU is a private doctoral university chartered by Congress in 1893. Today, AU enrolls about 14,000 students from every U.S. state and more than 140 countries. Among the university’s more than 900 full-time faculty and 700 adjunct faculty are policy makers, diplomats, journalists, artists, scientists, and business leaders. AU offers a rich array of undergraduate and undergraduate programs through eight colleges and schools.

UNT Dallas Law Seeks Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

This just in:

The UNT Dallas College of Law welcomes applications from experienced law school professors who are interested in serving in the role of the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. The position is expected to begin in Summer 2021 for the 2021 – 2022 academic year.

The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs serves as the principal steward of, and manages and directs, the College of Law’s academic affairs, including curriculum development, faculty mentoring, class scheduling, faculty workload assignment, program assessment, program development and leadership, student advisement, and committee leadership.

The Associate Dean also serves as a strategic advisor to the College of Law’s Dean, represents the College of Law to the outside community, and facilitates coordination of all academic affairs with the UNT Dallas and UNT System’s central administration. As a Professor of Law, the Associate Dean will also be responsible for teaching one course per long semester beginning with academic year 2021-2022.

For additional information or to apply please follow this link: https://jobs.untsystem.edu/postings/39278

Felecia Epps | Dean and Professor of Law
UNT Dallas College of Law
106 S. Harwood | Dallas, Texas 75201
lawschool.untsystem.edu |214-752-3233

Phyllis Crocker Stepping Down as Dean of Detroit-Mercy Law

Dean Phyllis Crocker has announced that she will step down as dean of University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (after a seven year run) and retire in June 2021. The law school will conduct a search this year, working with Witt Kieffer. 

Jim Anaya Stepping Down as Dean of Colorado Law

University of Colorado law dean, James Anaya, has announced that he will step down as dean and join the faculty at the end of the school year, on June 30, 2021.  He will have served one five year term in the position.  The law school will conduct a dean search this year.

Beto Juárez Named Dean of Nova Southeastern Law

Nova Southeastern University announced that its new law school dean will be José Roberto Juárez. He is currently on the faculty of the University of Denver law school where he served as dean from 2006 to 2009. Juárez, who holds a JD from the University of Texas, starts the new position this week.

James Speta Named Interim Dean of Northwestern Law

Northwestern University has announced that the law school's vice dean, Professor James Speta, will take over as interim dean on August 1.  He holds a JD from the University of Michigan and joined the law school faculty  in 1999.

Idaho Law Seeks Dean

This just in:

The University of Idaho invites applications and nominations for an innovative, collaborative and visionary dean to lead the College Law as one of the best small state public law schools in the U.S. The dean should effectively promote and foster academic excellence, grow enrollment, expand research, guide and implement strategic planning, engage with key constituencies and stakeholders and raise funds for the College.

The dean has responsibility to oversee and implement policies and priorities of the college and university. The Dean for the College of Law leads the college faculty in the development of policies and priorities governing the academic programs of the college. The dean facilitates the appropriate inclusion of faculty, staff, students and stakeholders in the college decision-making processes. The academic programs of the college are directly affected by program planning, definitions of goals and priorities, instructional methods and standards, student advising, mutually beneficial partnerships with stakeholders, research policies, allocation of resources, fund-raising and the development of professional standards related to the branches of learning for which the college is responsible. The academic programs of the college include graduate/professional instruction and research activity. It is expected that the dean satisfactorily employs strategies to implement objectives and achieve the four goals of the University’s Strategic Plan while carrying out the mission of the college.

Required Qualifications
An earned terminal degree from an accredited law university.
Accomplishments and experience to merit an appointment with tenure and rank of full professor.
Leadership experience including: personnel management, resource management (finances, facilities, equipment, etc.) and quality programming/delivery.
Evidence of original initiatives focused on improving excellence in teaching, research, outreach, mentoring and/or student success.

Preferred Qualifications
Experience with strategic planning and visioning to successfully address change, managing program/professional-level accreditation and program assessment, increasing student enrollment and attracting and retaining a diverse student and employee population.
Interpersonal and communication skills to develop, maintain, and work successfully with faculty, staff, department administrators, peer colleagues, students, alumni and other stakeholders.
Experience developing and advancing philanthropic opportunities, economic development, extramurally funded research or other fundraising efforts.

Required documents for applicants are a CV, Letter of Qualification, List of 5 references and a Contributions to Diversity and Inclusion Statement. The first consideration date for application review will be August 8, 2020.

If you have a candidate in mind whom you believe would excel in this position, please send that individuals name and contact information to Shauna Corry, Search Advisory Committee Chair, scorry@uidaho.edu.

Kim Yuracko Leaving Northwestern Law Deanship

Northwestern University announced that Kim Yuracko will be leaving the deanship at Northwestern 's law school at the end of this month to become the university's associate provost for academic projects.  An interim dean and a search committee will be announced shortly.  

South Carolina Law Names William Hubbard Dean

After a faculty meeting in which the University of South Carolina School of Law faculty gave its backing to two dean finalists - USC Professor Joel Samuels (the faculty's preferred candidate) and USC trustee William Hubbard - the university has announced that the new law school dean will be William Hubbard.  Hubbard, a partner at Nelson Mullins in Columbia, holds a JD from the University of South Carolina.

Rey Valencia Named Dean of Capital Law School

Capital Law School has announced that Reynaldo Valencia will become its new dean.  Valencia is a faculty member at the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law where he also serves as the school's associate dean for finance and administration.  He holds a JD from Harvard Law School.

Santa Clara Law Seeks Dean

The Santa Clara University School of Law has begun its search for a new dean.  The posting is here.

University of South Carolina Announces Dean Finalists

And they are:

William Hubbard (Trustee of University of South Carolina)
Susa Kuo (Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, South Carolina Law)
Joel Samuels (Professor, South Carolina Law)
David Thronson (Professor, Michigan State Law)

Johnson Stepping Down as Dean of Widener Commonwealth; Hussey Named Interim

Dean Christian Johnson of Widener University Commonwealth Law School has announced he will step down at the end of June.  He has been with Widener for five years and was the inaugural dean of Widener Commonwealth.  Michael Hussey, previously the associate dean of academic affairs at the law school, has been named interim dean. Hussey (pictured) holds a JD from Saint Louis University and an LLM from Washington University in St. Louis.  

Wisconsin Law Names Dan Tokaji Dean

The University of Wisconsin Law School announced that its new dean will be Daniel Tokaji.  Tokaji, who holds a JD from Yale, is the associate dean for faculty at Ohio State Law.  He joined the Ohio State faculty in 2003.