Dean, College of Law

Job #: 040598
Location Syracuse, NY
Pay Range: $425,000 - $525,000
Hours: Standard University business hours

8:30am - 5:00pm (academic year)
8:00am - 4:30pm (summer)
Hours may vary based on operational needs.
Job Type: Full-time

Job Description:
Syracuse University, a private, educationally innovative, and globally engaged R1 research university, invites inquiries, applications, and nominations for the position of Dean of the College of Law. Founded in 1895, the College of Law is committed to offering a rigorous and practical legal education that prepares students for modern legal practice and to shaping law and public policy through cutting-edge scholarship.

A leader in legal education, Syracuse College of Law offers students the opportunity to earn their JD through two routes: (1) its long-standing Residential Program (JDr) and (2) JDinteractive (JDi), the nation's first fully interactive, primarily online law degree program. In addition, the College of Law offers a Masters of Laws (LL.M.) for foreign lawyers, an accelerated Juris Doctor (J.D.) Program for Foreign Law Graduates, a LLM in advocacy, and an S.J.D.

The College of Law capitalizes on Syracuse University's strength as a major research University by offering JD students the opportunity to pursue a variety of joint degree options, including a joint degree with the nation's leading public policy program (the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, located a five-minute walk from the College of Law) and the nation's first online joint JD/MBA. As of Fall 2024, the College of Law will also offer a joint JD/LLM in advocacy, allowing students to more fully benefit from the College's long-standing strength in advocacy education. Additionally, the College capitalizes on the University's subject matter strengths with four centers of excellence recognized in its new strategic plan: disability law and policy, national security, innovation and technology commercialization, and advocacy.

Reporting to the Provost, the Dean should be a strategic, collaborative, and communicative leader who guides faculty, staff, and students with empathy, integrity, and enthusiasm. The Dean should have a track record of distinguished management and administration and be deeply committed to student success, high-quality education, scholarship, and public engagement. The Dean should also have the organizational and leadership skills necessary to attract and retain human and financial resources and strong interpersonal skills and enthusiasm for engaging-in-person and online-with all College of Law constituencies. In addition, the ideal candidate should have a sophisticated understanding of the changing landscape of legal education, respect and appreciation for shared governance, fundraising experience, and a strong commitment to the College's role as an innovator in legal education.

The Dean will be responsible for leading the College of Law community to execute a strategic vision that collaboratively builds upon its foundation of innovative and successful programs to further distinguish the College within legal academia. Syracuse College of Law faculty, staff, students, alumni, and Board of Advisors look forward to working with a leader who is energetic, creative, supportive, and able to inspire its diverse and highly engaged community. The Dean must be committed to promoting diversity among students, faculty, and staff and eager to promote its advantages to a variety of constituents. The Dean will be expected to maintain and reinvigorate close relationships with College alumni and donors to enhance current revenue sources while also identifying new ones. More information can be found at wittkieffer.com .

The successful candidate will have a record of excellence in leadership, strong management skills, a J.D. degree or its equivalent, and demonstrated commitment to service, the legal profession, and the public.
WittKieffer is assisting Syracuse University in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by March 11, 2024 and submitted through WittKieffer's candidate portal . Nominations and inquiries can be directed to: Werner Boel, LL.M. and Ashlee Winters Musser SyracuseLawDean@wittkieffer.com

Qualifications:

J.D. or equivalent degree required.
Substantial teaching experience and an academic record to qualify for tenure or extensive leadership experience and expertise in other academic or legal contexts required.

Job Specific Qualifications:

Provide creative and distinguished academic leadership to Syracuse College of Law and its programs, constantly seeking opportunities to advance the Colleges innovation in teaching, scholarly reputation, and academic excellence.
Project a strong public presence and image for Syracuse College of Law, promoting the accomplishments of its faculty and students to enhance its reputation in the legal community.
Be committed to cultivating a student-centered learning environment, including administrative resources to ensure student success, such as academic support services and professional career development.
Be committed to being an active and strong presence on-campus and within the College.
Work collaboratively with faculty, supporting and encouraging their efforts in scholarship, teaching, and service, with an informed understanding of the unique requirements that professional schools have in these areas.
Demonstrate strong and effective administrative skills, with a capacity to build and develop working teams at all levels, including administrative staff and faculty.
Show deep commitment to DEIA, as demonstrated by a record of promoting diversity in multiple constituencies.
Connect with alumni, with leaders in the regional and national bench and bar, and with a broad range of external constituencies to advance the Colleges visibility and success and to lead sophisticated and effective alumni development and fundraising activities.
Possess the intellectual leadership to guide a program of scholarship and innovative teaching in and for a vibrant community of legal educators and scholars.
Bring a deep understanding of the changes taking place in legal education and the legal profession, including programs to monitor and assess student learning outcomes.
Work collegially with other members of the Universitys leadership team, promoting and advocating for the Colleges place within the broader University community.
Consider how new technologies can support the College of Laws administration, teaching, and support for faculty and students; and possess experience in managing growth and change, managing competing interests, resolving conflict, building consensus, and making hard decisions in a way that is principled and strategic.

Responsibilities:
Reporting directly to the Provost and working closely with Syracuse Universitys Chancellor and senior leadership, the Dean is the College of Laws chief academic and administrative officer, with overall responsibility for its academic programs, operating budget, human resources, external relations, and fundraising. The Dean is also the College of Laws principal representative in University governance and the broader legal community.

The next Dean of Syracuse College of Law will have primary responsibility to :

Provide inspiring leadership and skilled management to ensure that all aspects of the institution effectively serve the College of Laws teaching, scholarly engagement, and service missions.
Develop a compelling vision and implement strategic steps that promote and advance Syracuse College of Laws national reputation in collaboration with faculty, staff, and university leadership.
Lead the College of Laws institutional advancement and fundraising initiatives.
Oversee the continued development and effective management of the Colleges structural, financial, and human resources, including those needed to sustain a first-class online JD program and maintain its role as a market leader and to support and bolster the College of Laws long-standing residential JD program.
Actively recruit talented and diverse new faculty, students, and staff to the College of Law and build systems and a culture to ensure their long-term commitment to the institution.
Serve as a strong and energetic advocate for the College of Law, its students, staff, and faculty and work collaboratively with faculty and University leadership to implement and align the Colleges mission with the Universitys strategic priorities.
Cultivate collegial and constructive relations with and among faculty and staff.
Enhance Syracuse Laws relationships with alumni, members of the legal profession, and other external constituencies and stakeholders, including through personal outreach.
Foster a culture of excellence in faculty teaching and proactively engage in efforts to advance teaching quality across course offering; and foster a culture of excellence in legal scholarship and promote the College of Laws reputation in academia.
The Deans success in this work is currently supported by a team of Associate and Assistant Deans.

The Dean will provide leadership in all aspects of the College of Laws operation and will have ultimate responsibility for the following key objectives:

Strategic Vision

The Dean will be expected to develop a strategic vision to promote the Syracuse College of Law as a leader in offering high-quality, innovative legal education that meets the needs of diverse student populations and distinguishes its graduates. This work will involve building on the Colleges strong foundation, continuing to strengthen the programs and experiences that differentiate it, capitalizing on the Colleges position at an R1 research University to create opportunities for interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching, strengthening student recruitment and alumni engagement, and identifying priorities necessary for the Colleges continued growth and advancement.
The Dean will work collaboratively with faculty, students, and staff to enhance the College of Laws sense of community, model of education, and student recruitment. This work will
involve being a strong advocate for the Colleges interests within the larger university.

Administration, Planning, and Management

The Dean will create and lead a management team to efficiently and effectively support all academic and administrative functions of the College of Law, with vice, associate, and assistant deans and members of the senior staff reporting to them. This work will include investing in the systems, personnel, and relationship-building needed to support successful recruitment and retention of exceptional students, faculty, and staff.
The Dean will manage and steward the College of Laws budget and staff and work closely with the Provosts office around financial planning and resource allocation.
The Dean must be able to design and lead planning processes that engage faculty, staff, and students in a way that facilitates collective ownership of resulting strategies or programs. The Dean will play a critical role in formulating recommendations for consideration by the Provost, faculty, and staff on administrative, educational policy, financial, governance, institutional advancement, and other matters. In addition, the Dean will identify opportunities to collaborate and connect with faculty, staff, and students to craft a plan of action for future success.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

The Dean will be expected to promote, continue, and celebrate a diverse and inclusive student body, faculty, and staff. The Dean will also be expected to take a leadership role in reinforcing the College of Laws commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility (DEIA) and belonging among students, faculty, and staff and to ensure that those principles are central to all decision-making.

Institutional Advancement and External Relations

The Dean will play a critical role in raising the College of Laws profile among the legal academy, the bar, the legal profession, and the community by highlighting the reputation of its faculty and alumni.
The Dean will lead the College of Laws institutional advancement and fundraising initiatives. To this end, the Dean will be expected to build alliances with numerous external partners, find external revenue sources, and align them with institutional priorities.
The Dean will be expected to leverage the Colleges alumni and alumni network by working closely with the alumni association and regularly communicating with alumni to deepen their involvement as volunteers, donors, mentors, and employers of College of Law graduates.
The Dean will be a strong communicator and will implement an effective, multifaceted communications plan that presents a compelling, positive, and consistent image to key constituencies.

Faculty and Academic Reputation

The Dean will lead the faculty by enacting a shared governance structure, encouraging and supporting faculty scholarship, facilitating teaching excellence, cultivating collegial and constructive relations with and among faculty, expanding faculty ranks, making continued investments in DEIA, encouraging faculty service, addressing faculty concerns, and ensuring that library and information resources continue to effectively support the academic program and faculty scholarship.
The Dean will seek to enhance the College of Laws scholarly reputation by building on existing strengths in trial advocacy, disability, innovation, and national security law. The Dean will also identify areas for growth as it competes in a national market for students, faculty, and rankings.
The Dean will recruit and retain talented and diverse faculty and foster a culture and systems that support faculty belonging and success.
The Dean, in collaboration with the faculty, will develop and implement a strategy for the College of Laws externship opportunities and clinical program to help students gain real-world experience and make a difference in the community. More broadly, the Dean will work with the faculty to implement a strategy for applied legal learning.
The Dean will bring a strategic focus on bar exam preparation and success. It is imperative that the next Dean lead and support administrators and faculty in ensuring strong academic success and bar preparation programs, including support for students who are at heightened risk for bar failure.

About Syracuse University:
Syracuse University is a private, international research university with distinctive academics, diversely unique offerings, and an undeniable spirit. Located in the geographic heart of New York State, with a global footprint, and over 150 years of history, Syracuse University offers a quintessential college experience.

The scope of Syracuse University is a testament to its strengths: a pioneering history dating back to 1870; a choice of more than 200 majors, 100 minors, and 200 advanced degree programs offered across the Universitys 13 schools and colleges; over 15,000 undergraduates and over 6,000 graduate students; more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries; and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, please visit

About the Syracuse area:
Syracuse is a medium-sized city situated in the geographic center of New York State approximately 250 miles northwest of New York City. The metro-area population totals approximately 500,000. The area offers a low cost of living and provides many social, cultural, and recreational options, including parks, museums, festivals, professional regional theater, and premier shopping venues. Syracuse and Central New York present a wide range of seasonal recreation and attractions ranging from water skiing and snow skiing, hiking in the Adirondacks, touring the historic sites, visiting wineries along the Finger Lakes, and biking on trails along the Erie Canal.

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Syracuse University is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution. The University prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender, national origin, citizenship, ethnicity, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law to the extent prohibited by law. This nondiscrimination policy covers admissions, employment, and access to and treatment in University programs, services, and activities.
Syracuse University has a long history of engaging veterans and the military-connected community through its educational programs, community outreach, and employment programs. After World War II, Syracuse University welcomed more than 10,000 returning veterans to our campus, and those veterans literally transformed Syracuse University into the national research institution it is today. The Universitys contemporary commitment to veterans builds on this historical legacy, and extends to both class-leading initiatives focused on making an SU degree accessible and affordable to the post-9/11 generation of veterans, and also programs designed to position Syracuse University as the employer of choice for military veterans, members of the Guard and Reserve, and military family members.
Syracuse University maintains an inclusive learning environment in which students, faculty, administrators, staff, curriculum, social activities, governance, and all other aspects of campus life reflect a diverse, multi-cultural, and international worldview. The University community recognizes and values the many similarities and differences among individuals and groups. At Syracuse, we are committed to preparing students to understand, live among, appreciate, and work in an inherently diverse country and world made up of people with different ethnic and racial backgrounds, military backgrounds, religious beliefs, socio-economic status, cultural traditions, abilities, sexual orientations and gender identities. To do so, we commit ourselves to promoting a community that celebrates and models the principles of diversity and inclusivity.

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About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a place where talent, desire, and opportunity thrive. In 12 different schools and colleges that span the liberal arts and professional disciplines, students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds come together to learn, create, and break boundaries. The University is also a vital part of the community, providing services as well as being a leader in employee benefits, work-life and organizational development, training, student employment, staff relations, and workforce diversity. Syracuse itself is located at the crossroads of New York State, and offers a lush landscape of seasons. From fun-filled summers in the Finger Lakes to snowy winters that thrill outdoor sports enthusiasts, the area truly has something for everyone.

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