A NEW TIME OF TRANSITION
MICHAEL S . MCGINNISS Dean , University of North Dakota School of Law
On May 24 , I announced my decision to conclude my deanship of the UND School of Law effective at the mid-point of next year , June 30 , 2022 . That date will mark the completion of my renewable three-year contract to serve as our permanent dean , in which I have been very proud to lead the School of Law out of times of great adversity into times of great progress and toward a very bright and promising future . My work this academic year will focus on securing and enhancing the significant advancements we have made since I began this journey ; and , for our loyal alumni and friends , it will provide an excellent opportunity for me to personally visit with and thank you for supporting me throughout my deanship and to encourage your continued support for UND Law . I am truly grateful to UND ’ s President Andrew Armacost and his academic and financial team for the great support I have received from them ; and I am also excited for UND to welcome its new Provost Eric Link this July . Making this difficult decision at this time reflects the high degree of trust I am placing in UND ’ s academic leadership to proceed wisely and to act with sound judgment in selecting the new dean .
Thanks to our collective efforts since I was named as dean in 2019 , the UND School of Law has made enormous strides and grown stronger across the board . This record of accomplishments spans critically important areas such as the School of Law ’ s financial resources , faculty and staff , the range of curriculum and overall program of legal education , enrollments and quality of incoming students , bar passage rates , and alumni fundraising . Below are a few examples :
• In the 2019 legislative session , as Deanselect I worked closely with Interim Dean Brad Myers to increase the state ’ s budget support for the School of Law . Our loyal alumni and friends in the North Dakota Bar , with great leadership from then-President Zack Pelham and Executive Director Tony Weiler , provided outstanding support with our legislators and helped us obtain a significant increase to the base appropriation for the School of Law of almost $ 2.8 million for the biennium . In the most recent 2021 session , based on the record of achievements over the past two years , UND could readily demonstrate the School of Law has been employing these enhanced resources wisely and effectively , and I am very pleased the state fully continued that new level of support for the new biennium .
• I requested and received approval to recruit three new tenure-track faculty members in the fall of 2019 . I am delighted that we successfully filled all three positions , with Assistant Professors Jennifer Cook , Nikola Datzov , and Michelle Phillips . Moreover , we have continued to develop and grow our strong and superb cadre of non-tenuretrack and full-time faculty , including new Assistant Professors Paul Traynor in 2019 and John Cook in 2020 , as well as restoring adjunct faculty positions previously pared back due to budget considerations . We are well-positioned to maintain the curricular strength and stability that our first-rate faculty provide for our legal education program and our students . In addition , this fall we will begin recruiting for several tenure-track positions to start in 2022-2023 .
• With respect to our amazing UND Law staff , we have been able to fill open leadership positions with outstanding success , including Aleisha Lokken as director of Admissions , Ja ’ toi Moore as assistant director of Alumni & Public Relations , and Beth Moe as director . In addition , I am very proud of how well our UND Law community came together to safely and skillfully navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic , and how effectively we organized for and accomplished our very positive and successful American Bar Association reaccreditation site visit in March 2021 .
• We have restored previous course offerings that were popular with students and beneficial for practice in our state and region ( e . g ., Criminal Advocacy , Agricultural Law , Alternative Dispute Resolution , and Health Law ), and also expanded our curriculum in significant and impactful ways . For example , we have developed and now offer a new Family Law Clinical Practicum to provide students with opportunities for faculty-supervised experiential learning in real cases with live clients . Additionally , we developed and have now received approval from the State Board of Higher Education for a new Energy , Environment , and Natural Resources Certificate that our students will be able to pursue along with their juris doctor degree starting in fall 2021 .
• With the talented leadership of Director Aleisha Lokken , we have made tremendous advancements in the area of admissions and enrollments . In fall 2017 , our incoming 1L class was 71 students , and in fall 2018 , it
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