The Faculty Lounge

CJ Leigh Saufley Named Dean of Maine Law

The University of Maine system has selected Chief Justice Leigh Ingalis Saufley of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to be the new dean of its law school.  Saufleey, who has served as Maine's Chief Justice since 2001, will take over...next week.  One of the virtues of selecting a justice, it seems.  She holds a JD from the law school.

Charleston Law School Names Larry Cunningham Dean

Charleston School of Law announced this morning that Larry Cunningham, the associate dean for assessment and institutional effectiveness (and former vice-dean) at St. John's University School of Law, will become its next dean.  Cunningham holds a JD from Georgetown.  He will take over this summer.  

Deidré Keller Named Dean of Florida A&M Law

Florida A&M University College of Law has named Deidré Keller as its new dean. Keller, who is currently associate dean of academic affairs at Ohio Northern Law, holds a JD from Emory University.  

Eboni Nelson Named Dean of UConn Law

The University of Connecticut School of Law has announced that its new dean will be Eboni Nelson.  Nelson, who is currently the associate dean for academic affairs at the University of South Carolina School of Law, holds a JD from Harvard.  She takes over August 1.

Nova Southeastern Law Seeks Dean

This just in:

Nova Southeastern University (NSU), a private university experiencing great momentum in research and scholarship, invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of dean of the Shepard Broad College of Law.

Founded in 1974, the Shepard Broad College of Law (NSU Law) is located on the university's main campus in Davie, Florida. The school is named after lawyer and philanthropist Shepard Broad, in recognition of his counsel, community leadership and financial support. NSU Law is a premier learning community focused on what students need to practice law in the complex, modern workplace. With degree and certificate programs for law students, paralegals, practicing lawyers, and professionals expanding their knowledge of law, NSU Law equips all students with the skills needed for professional success – today, tomorrow, and for decades to come. NSU Law brings students the very best legal education has to offer, from a group of faculty, mentors, clinical supervisors and administrators dedicated to seeing students flourish as part of the legal community. More information is available at www.law.nova.edu and www.nova.edu.

The dean of the NSU Law will be an inspiring, broad-minded leader and legal professional with a clear vision for maintaining and enhancing the excellence of NSU Law. The dean will also be a capable executive with skills in fiscal and human resources management as well as external relationship management that is critical for fundraising success. The dean must have the political acumen, powers of persuasion, commitment to inclusiveness, and authentic personal leadership style necessary to advance NSU Law and inspire its multiple stakeholders. The dean will work collaboratively with NSU administration, deans of other NSU colleges, faculty and staff to achieve NSU Law and university goals and reaffirming NSU’s Core Values. Proven experience as a leader of people and a successful track record as a legal educator (in the classroom, on the bench, before the judiciary or in government or non-profit service), manager, communicator and fundraiser are required for success within NSU Law. The dean will possess a J.D. and a record of accomplishments (academic or experiential) to qualify for tenure and appointment at the rank of Professor. For more information, please visit www.wittkieffer.com.

Karen Bravo Named Dean of Indiana-Indianapolis Law

IUPUI Chancellor Nasser H. Payda has announced that the next dean of Indiana - Indianapolis Law will be the school's very own vice dean, Karen Bravo.  Bravo, who takes over from retiring dean Andy Klein, has been on the faculty since 2004.  She holds a JD from Columbia and an LLM from NYU.  

South Carolina Law Seeks Dean

This just in:

Following a successful nine-year deanship that saw the hiring of 22 highly productive scholars and three teaching librarians as new faculty members, the reduction of in-state tuition by 17% (from the prior year) and the 2017 opening of an $80 million, 187,500 square-foot facility two blocks from the State House and State Supreme Court, the University of South Carolina seeks a new Dean for its School of Law.

The new Dean will have the opportunity to support the professional development and retention of a faculty that is ambitious in its scholarship and socially engaged, while enhancing and promoting programmatic strengths in children’s law, environmental law, experiential learning, healthcare law and public interest law. A new university budgeting model will benefit the School by incentivizing entrepreneurship within each academic unit and allowing the School to retain non-degree revenue, empowering the new Dean to chart a path of financial sustainability for South Carolina Law.

Founded in 1867, South Carolina Law is an incubator for the bar, bench, elected office and civic leadership in its region and across the nation. Within South Carolina, its influence and prestige exceed those of many flagship state university law schools: currently, every sitting Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court and some 25% of state legislators are South Carolina Law graduates. Supported by direct state appropriation, the School maintains the only public law library in South Carolina. Its location in the state capital affords government access for faculty members as well as internship and career opportunities for students. The School is home to several important academic and service centers, including The Children’s Law Center and the Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough Center on Professionalism. The School hosts the annual National Cybersecurity Institute, and South Carolina Law faculty provide key leadership for the University’s Rule of Law Collaborative. The U. S. Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center and Fort Jackson, the U. S. Army’s largest training post, are near neighbors to the School.

Anthony S. Niedwiecki Named Dean of Mitchell Hamline

The Mitchell Hamline School of Law has selected Anthony S. Niedwiecki, the current dean of Golden Gate University School of Law,  to be its new president and dean.  Niedwiecki holds a JD from Tulane and an LLM from Temple.  He takes over this July.  

Dayna Matthew Named Dean of GW Law

George Washington University Law has announced that its new dean will be Dayna Bowen Matthew.  Matthew, the William L. Matheson and Robert M. Morgenthau Distinguished Professor of Law and the F. Palmer Weber Research Professor of Civil Liberties and Human Rights at the University of Virginia School of Law, holds a JD from UVA and a Ph.D from the University of Colorado Denver.  She will take over from interim dean Christopher Bracey this summer.

Tennessee Law Announces Dean Finalists

The University of Tennessee College of Law has announced its four finalists for the deanship.  They are: Joan Heminway (Tennessee), Susan Kuo (South Carolina), Stephen Mazza (Kansas) and Amelia Rinehart (Utah).  

Two More Law Dean Finalists at Indiana-Indianapolis

They been dribbling out - the first two here.  The third and fourth finalists are Ngai Pindell (UNLV) and Karen Bravo (IUI).

Lisa Kloppenberg Named Santa Clara Provost

Lisa Kloppenberg, the interim provost of Santa Clara University, and former dean of both Santa Clara Law and Dayton Law, has been named permanent provost of Santa Clara.  She will take the position March 1.

Two Finalists Named in Indiana - Indy Law Dean Search

The news is drip, drip, but the first two finalists in the Indiana University Indianapolis law school dean search have been identified.  They are David Thronson (Michigan State) and Milena Sterio (Cleveland-Marshall).  

Miles Appointed to Second Term as Chicago Law Dean

The University of Chicago Law School has renewed the appointment of Dean Thomas Miles, effective July 1.   He first took the position in November of 2015.

Peter Goplerud Named Dean of Florida Coastal Law

Florida Coastal School of Law has named its president, Peter Goplerud, to be the new dean.  He takes over from interim dean Jennifer Reiber.  Goplerud was dean of the school from 2004 to 2013.

Indiana Indianapolis Law Selects Dean Finalists

There are four people coming to the IU-Indianapolis campus in the next few weeks to interview for the law school deanship, but you'll have to sit tight to learn their identities.  More here.

Wisconsin Law Begins Dean Search

Isaacson, Miller is consulting. 

The committee is chaired by Heinz Klug, Evjue-Bascom Professor of Law and the others are: Michelle Behnke, community member and external practicing attorney; Roman Gierok, student; Erica Halverson, professor of curriculum and instruction; Alexandra Huneeus, professor of law; Richard Monette, professor of law; Yaron Nili, assistant professor of law; Kim Peterson, lecturer; Howard Schweber, professor of political science and Law School affiliated faculty; Mitra Sharafi, professor of law; Susannah Tahk, associate dean for research and faculty development at the Law School; Janice Toliver, executive assistant at the Law School; Kathryn VandenBosch dean of College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; Steven Wright, clinical associate professor; and Jason Yackee, professor of law.

Further details here.

Hawaii Law Names Dean Finalists

The University of Hawaii has named three finalists for its law school deanship.  They are Robert Chang (Seattle), Camille Nelson (American),  and Anthony Niedwiecki (Golden Gate.)  

Camille Davidson Named Dean of Southern Illinois Law

Southern Illinois University has named Camille Davidson as its new dean.  Davidson, a former professor and associate dean for academic affairs and faculty development at Charlotte School of Law, will take over this summer.  She holds a JD from Georgetown Law.  

Melanie Jacobs Named Interim Dean of MSU Law

Michigan State University College of Law has named Professor Melanie Jacobs as interim dean, effective January 1.  She takes over from Lawrence Ponoroff who stepped down at the end of 2019.  Jacobs joined the MSU faculty in 2002.