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Full-Text Articles in Law
Stepping Aside As Dean, R. Lawrence Dessem
Stepping Aside As Dean, R. Lawrence Dessem
Faculty Publications
In this Essay, though, I write not about the joys and burdens of service or the personal reasons why one might decide to step aside as dean. Instead, I write about the institutional factors that deans should consider as they make their decisions, time their departures, and determine how to most effectively help their institutions after announcing the decision to resign as dean.
Maybe Deaning Is Not For You, R. Lawrence Dessem
Maybe Deaning Is Not For You, R. Lawrence Dessem
Faculty Publications
Several years ago, I wrote an article for the second of these Leadership in Legal Education Symposia entitled, “Top Ten Reasons to Be a Law School Dean.” In that article, I offered ten very good reasons why someone might consider becoming a law school dean. I still believe that these ten reasons, and more, should cause faculty and others to consider service as dean. I continue to find my own service as dean rewarding, challenging, and (most days!) fun. However, having been asked to talk recently about why one might not want to consider deaning has led me to write …
The Aba/Aals Sabbatical Site Inspection: Strangers In A Strange Land, R. Lawrence Dessem
The Aba/Aals Sabbatical Site Inspection: Strangers In A Strange Land, R. Lawrence Dessem
Faculty Publications
At some point in their deanships, most law school deans will host a sabbatical site inspection of their law school by the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). Virtually all deans also will have the opportunity to serve as a representative of the ABA or AALS on a team inspecting another law school. In this article I will discuss these site visits from the dean's perspective.
Tim, R. Lawrence Dessem
Tim, R. Lawrence Dessem
Faculty Publications
There comes a time when every law school dean questions just why she or he has chosen to serve as dean. Deans experience both very high highs and very low lows. The dean often sees faculty, staff, and students at their best but just as often sees these same individuals at their worst. Regardless of the mix of highs to lows in any deanship, decanal service--if taken seriously-- demands a tremendous commitment of time and energy. Thus the question is posed: Why devote such a significant portion of one's professional time to such service?
Ten Things Deans Can Do With Students, R. Lawrence Dessem
Ten Things Deans Can Do With Students, R. Lawrence Dessem
Faculty Publications
A healthy relationship with students is beneficial to one's deanship, law school, and to the dean herself. An experienced provost once told me that serving as dean was the best job that he had ever had because he still had significant contact with students. Deans should take advantage of the possibilities for student interactions that their deanships afford them. What follows is my “top ten list” of ways in which deans can build a positive relationship with their students.
Unsolicited Advice To Law School Dean Search Committees, R. Lawrence Dessem
Unsolicited Advice To Law School Dean Search Committees, R. Lawrence Dessem
Faculty Publications
A true bounty of opinion, anecdotes, and advice has been offered by many outstanding deans in these symposia in recent years. By and large, these deans have focused on the art of deaning, which is to be expected. But in addition to their experiences and observations concerning deaning, law school deans are also uniquely situated to provide insights concerning a related topic: the dean search process. This I take as the subject of the current article. As these symposia contemplate, the present article is informal in tone and is based upon my own experiences both as a law school dean …
Top Ten Reasons To Be A Law School Dean, R. Lawrence Dessem
Top Ten Reasons To Be A Law School Dean, R. Lawrence Dessem
Faculty Publications
Serving as a law school dean can be tough duty. Many people, particularly law school faculty members, have asked over the years why anyone would ever take such a position. This question is particularly relevant because the likely alternative for most deans is service as a full-time professor on a law school faculty-which is, without a doubt, one of the world's truly great jobs..
A Form Letter From The Dean, R. Lawrence Dessem
A Form Letter From The Dean, R. Lawrence Dessem
Faculty Publications
A few years ago, in “A Form Letter to the Dean,” I offered the Journal's readers a template form letter which law school faculty could use to communicate with their deans. In the aftermath of that article's publication, I received letters, phone calls, and small explosive devices indicating that, mirabile dictu, a few people had actually read the article. Because I had never before had such a response to any of what I rather loosely refer to as my scholarship, I was encouraged to write a sequel. Hence the present piece. My current form letter is inspired by the annual …
A Primer For The First-Time Law Dean Candidate, Robert H. Jerry Ii
A Primer For The First-Time Law Dean Candidate, Robert H. Jerry Ii
Faculty Publications
This article identifies fourteen principles of which the first-time dean candidate should be mindful. The prescriptions are aspirational in nature, and the article suggests the reader engage in some introspection about which of the fourteen items are most applicable on a personal level.
A Form Letter To The Dean, R. Lawrence Dessem
A Form Letter To The Dean, R. Lawrence Dessem
Faculty Publications
Even though modern word processing and electronic mail greatly facilitate communication, one still must compose the basic letter, memorandum, or electronic message. In an effort to cut down on the time and intellectual intensity of this endeavor, I offer the following suggested form letter to the dean. This format may be used within basic word processing packages or for creating e-mail messages. All you need do is choose the most appropriate insertions for your basic message, and the message will be electronically created.