Dean, J. David Rosenberg College of Law

Job Title Dean, J. David Rosenberg College of Law

Requisition Number FE04255

Working Title Dean

Department Name 89000:Provost

Work Location Lexington, KY

Type of Position Faculty

Position Time Status Full-Time

Tenure Track Status Tenure Track

Required Education 

J.D. or the equivalent. Must qualify for appointment at the rank of tenured, full professor in the Rosenberg College of Law.

Required Related Experience 

▪ Progressive and broad academic administrative leadership experience arising from a senior-level administrative role such as department chair, center director, associate dean, or dean.

▪ Evidence of innovation in the classroom with demonstrated law school teaching excellence.

▪ Ability to build partnerships and collaborate with external stakeholders, government agencies, and legal partners to support the tri-part mission of teaching, research, and service.

Required License/Registration/Certificationn/a

Job SummaryThe University of Kentucky (UK) invites applications for a strategic and collaborative leader with a distinguished scholarly profile to serve as the next dean of the J. David Rosenberg College of Law (Rosenberg College of Law). Its mission is to be an outstanding public law school by preparing skilled lawyers and leaders to serve the country and the Commonwealth, produce widely recognized legal scholarship and contribute to the advancement of justice. The Rosenberg College of Law takes this responsibility seriously and fulfills its mission by engaging communities across Kentucky to serve our state and the profession by enhancing public understanding of law, engaging in law reform, delivering continuing legal education and providing legal services to the indigent.

The dean will develop a vision for the Rosenberg College of Law and provide leadership in matters related to planning, curriculum, research and scholarship as well as the college’s budget. The dean will also engage with faculty, students, alumni, the legal community and state and federal government officials to advance the goals of the Rosenberg College of Law and the university. The successful candidate must possess a J.D. and/or terminal degree in their field of study of law and must qualify for appointment at the rank of tenured, full professor in the Rosenberg College of Law. The candidate must also possess a significant record of leadership in a professional setting, including, but not limited to, higher education, government, public interest or business. They will also demonstrate a commitment and ability to advance the university’s goal of bringing many people into one community. Preference will be given to candidates who possess leadership experience in the legal academy and a sustained record of excellence in research and scholarship, service and teaching commensurate with a comprehensive research university. Additionally, the ideal candidate will demonstrate a readiness to advance the Rosenberg College of Law through fundraising and building external partnerships.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

▪ Administering the educational, research and service work of the Rosenberg College of Law and its efficient conduct and management in all matters not specifically charged in the university’s Governing Regulations.

▪ Managing the Rosenberg College of Law’s budget, including management of all scholarship funds, and positioning it for success under the university’s financial allocation models, which incentivize institutional priorities such as student growth, credit hours and success, among other factors.

▪ Working collaboratively with faculty and supporting and encouraging their efforts in scholarship, teaching and service, with an informed understanding of the unique requirements professional schools have in these areas.

▪ Bringing a deep understanding of changes taking place in legal education and the legal profession, while overseeing, with the faculty, curriculum development, including programs to monitor and assess learning outcomes of students.

▪ Leading with integrity, embracing leadership as a public service and formulating, articulating and executing the development and implementation of a shared strategic vision that operationalizes the values of UK and will position the Rosenberg College of Law among the highest rated law schools in the country.

▪ Leading in the delivery of curriculum of the Rosenberg College of Law and the quality of the instruction given therein.

▪ Leading and fostering a community of engaged legal scholars.

▪ Enforcing and utilizing the university’s Governing Regulations, Administrative Regulations and the College Bylaws.

▪ Fostering an environment of shared governance by building relations with all campus communities while shepherding a college culture of collaboration.

▪ Emphasizing wellness and well-being for all faculty, staff and students.

▪ Driving enhancements that improve the student experience, including academic achievement, affordability and career preparedness for the challenges and rigors of practicing law.

▪ Ensuring inclusion is prioritized to create a community for faculty, staff and students that is welcoming of all identities and perspectives.

▪ Serving as an ex officio member of all college committees defined in the Rules of the Rosenberg College of Law.

▪ Supervising direct reports including the associate deans, assistant deans and key administrative staff of the college.

▪ Recruiting appropriate associate deans, assistant deans and directors as necessary to fulfill specific administrative responsibilities and to advance the Rosenberg College of Law’s academic goals.

▪ Ensuring responsibility for the assignment of duties to all personnel and for the service provided by the faculty of the Rosenberg College of Law, individually and wholly.

▪ Leading ABA accreditation processes.

▪ Making recommendations on appointments, reappointments, terminal appointments, decisions not to reappoint, post-retirement appointments, promotions, granting of tenure, salaries and salary changes for members of the Rosenberg College of Law or for ultimate action therein when such authority has been delegated by the president or provost.

▪ Possessing business acumen and cultural awareness to manage a complex organization and demonstrate the interpersonal skills that will ensure successful relationship building with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, including industry leaders, donors and affiliated organizations.

▪ Broadening philanthropic engagement and leading a comprehensive development strategy to support key initiatives such as capital improvements and financial assistance for student scholarships, ensuring that it is coordinated fully with the university’s Philanthropy Office.

▪ Overseeing the periodic performance evaluation of all faculty. This includes conducting the evaluations of all direct reports and reviewing and approving the performance evaluations of faculty.

▪ Conducting periodic reviews of the academic unit relative to its missions, administration and finances and making recommendations for improving its performance as outlined in the Administrative Regulations.

▪ Serving as a chief administrative officer for the Rosenberg College of Law who reports to the provost as noted in Governing Regulation VII. The dean will be expected to meet regularly with the provost for both individual meetings and as part of regular meetings with the other deans.

▪ Ensuring the compliance of all Rosenberg College of Law policies that relate to student selection and admission, their subsequent education program and the promotion and effectiveness of student support services and programs.

▪ Assuming responsibility for the appropriate allocation of administrative space assigned to the Rosenberg College of Law, for periodic review of space utilization and for establishing and implementing guidelines for retention or reallocation of space based on faculty productivity.

▪ Promoting the visibility and reputation of the Rosenberg College of Law both inside and outside the university through interactions with a broad array of constituencies to advance the Rosenberg College of Law’s and university’s reputation locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

▪ Providing leadership for alumni engagements.

▪ Partnering, participating in, planning and developing public relations and marketing activities with the university central units in ways that support and align with the institution’s mission and strategic plan.

▪ Assuming such other duties and responsibilities as may be requested by the provost.

The executive search firm of WittKieffer is assisting the University of Kentucky in this search. To be considered, you must complete the UK application and contact WittKieffer through:

Werner Boel, LL.M. and Ashlee Winters Musser

[email protected]

Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

All applications will be handled in a secure, sensitive, and confidential manner.

Skills / Knowledge / Abilities▪ Commitment to Others: A demonstrable commitment to — and record of — leadership in advancing the vision, hopes, desires and needs of the staff, students, faculty and the communities in which they work, live and serve.

▪ Articulating Vision, Undertaking Strategic Thinking and Demonstrating Capacity for Execution: A record of formulating and articulating ambitious plans, operationalizing and executing strategic initiatives, inspiring consensus around shared goals, demonstrating superb judgment and decision-making, fostering a culture of trust and fairness, building collaboration among faculty and staff and catalyzing innovative thinking to ensure continued relevance and impact.

▪ Fostering a Cohesive and High-Performing Team Culture: An open, accessible and transparent leadership and communication style; delegation of authority and accountability to the team to deliver and ensure alignment with overall strategy and direction; reinforces independent and open communication among Rosenberg College of Law constituents; actively seeks and accepts feedback — both positive and negative — and appropriately acknowledges the contributions of the team.

▪ Demonstrating Collaborative and Courageous Leadership: Leadership capacity to make complex decisions and to enter wholeheartedly into challenging conversations; an appreciation for and ability to work within a model and tradition of strong shared governance; the inclination to seek broad stakeholder input and the ability to take informed and decisive action when necessary while modeling exemplary institutional citizenship.

▪ Being a Bridge-Builder: Ability to break down barriers and build relationships across programs, centers and constituencies within a complex environment of higher education, research, practice and service; strength for building partnerships across the university to address organization-wide challenges or opportunities; commitment to developing connections and collaborations for engaging stakeholders in the mission to advance excellence in the practice of law.

▪ Demonstrating Outstanding Communication Skills: A propensity for active listening and a willingness to learn from others; a natural inclination to communicate openly and with transparency and respect; the emotional intelligence to build and inspire trust, establish collaborative relationships and ensure broad-based support for decisions, plans and initiatives; ability to express and generate excitement for the Rosenberg College of Law’s mission and plans and the capacity to promote the interests, mission and brand across and beyond the university’s campus; ease with a variety of constituencies and the ability to connect with audiences large and small.

▪ Showing Emotional Intelligence: Empathy skills and capacity to relate to others, see other points of view, build broad support for decisions and inspire followership and action; the skill and experience to steward and develop relationships with current and potential partners throughout the city, region and Commonwealth; a palpable respect for colleagues and students, self-awareness and the capacity and inclination to be a model colleague and university citizen.

▪ Demanding Ethics and Integrity for Yourself and Others: Excellent judgment with the highest integrity.

Does this position have supervisory responsibilities? Yes

Preferred Education/Experience▪ Mission: Passionate advocate for the university and the Rosenberg College of Law and a strong identification with the mission of both; commitment to preparing students to be lawyers and leaders to serve the country and the Commonwealth, producing widely recognized legal scholarship and contributing to the advancement of justice.

▪ Commitment to Excellence: Deep understanding of the foundations for excellence and integrity in teaching, research and service, especially in the context of the Rosenberg College of Law’s mission; an ability to attract, retain and develop outstanding faculty, students and staff and to support them in building and sustaining programs of the highest caliber amidst a dynamic and increasingly politicized educational landscape; a record of facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations; an ability to build partnerships within the university, with state and local agencies and with external stakeholders to enhance the Rosenberg College of Law’s programs, offerings, research and contributions to the field.

▪ Investment and Interest in Students: Commitment to understanding evolving student needs and concerns and to providing students with meaningful experiences that lead to their academic and professional success; decision-making puts student interests at the forefront.

▪ Community Engagement: Ability to engage and build meaningful partnerships with a wide variety of external constituents including community leaders, law practitioners and community members; an ability to support and enhance the Rosenberg College of Law’s national presence while honoring its commitment to prioritize community building in the region.

▪ Managerial, Operational and Fiscal Acumen: Ability to work, thrive, and successfully manage faculty, staff, programs and change in a large, complex environment. Experience with budgets, financial planning, market research, and strategic resource allocation.

▪ Experience or Demonstrable Potential for Success in Fundraising: Capacity and experience to lead an effective fundraising effort that inspires alumni and others to strengthen and support the Rosenberg College of Law and its mission.

Deadline to Apply 

Open Until Filled Yes

Our University Community 

We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we strongly encourage veterans, individuals with disabilities, women, and all minorities to consider our employment opportunities.

Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.

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