UND Law School Dean Search : Faculty , staff , students , and bar play important role in process
By Kylie Blanchard , Clearwater Communications
Since the University of North Dakota ( UND ) School of Law opened in 1899 , 17 individuals have held the position of dean of the state ’ s only law school . In the fall of 2021 , the UND School of Law opened its search for its 18th dean , with the goal of filling the important leadership role , according to the position description , with “ a dynamic and visionary leader who will build upon the School of Law ’ s strengths to provide exceptional professional educational experiences , recruit and develop outstanding faculty , and promote faculty-driven scholarly and creative endeavors .”
But the planning for a national search of this effort started last summer , says UND Provost Eric Link . “ The search went live in the fall and was advertised across multiple outlets late in the fall semester ,” he notes . “ A great deal of planning and logistics takes place long before a search like this formally commences , which includes the formation of a search committee , the hiring of an executive search firm to assist with the search , the holding of multiple focus groups , and other feedback processes to build a profile for the position .”
UND Provost Eric Link
Link says the Dean of the School of Law is an executive leadership position responsible for providing vision , leadership , and administrative oversight over all aspects of the School of Law . “ This is an extraordinarily important leadership position on campus and a key member of the Dean ’ s Council and the executive leadership team .”
The Search Committee
“ Every effort is made to assemble a strong and dedicated committee that can provide valuable perspectives on the search process , help evaluate candidates , and help attract top candidates to UND and the position ,” says Link . “ We have an excellent search committee for this particular search . I have every confidence in its ability to conduct a successful search .”
Under Link ’ s direction , the 13-member search committee is led by co-chairs Chief Justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court Jon J . Jensen and Dean of the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration Amy Henley . In addition , Anthem Executive , a nationally known executive search firm , is actively engaged in the search process and building a candidate pool to bring to the search committee .
Chief Justice Jon J . Jensen
“ Because we have a relatively small bar here in North Dakota , and many of the practicing attorneys in the state have a connection to the UND School of Law , UND has made significant efforts to include both the bar association and the judiciary in the search process ,” says Jensen . “ While the title of co-chair seems significant , it is really just a designation of being the leader of equals .”
Taylor Olson , the search committee ’ s SBAND representative , says the selection of the new dean will have an enormous impact on the UND School of Law , the state bar , and the practice of law in North Dakota . “ The committee is dedicated to finding a dean that promotes high-quality programs and teaching , fosters collaborative academic planning and innovative curricular development , promotes student success and retention , maintains accreditation standards , manages the budget in Taylor Olson accordance with UND models , and maintains and strengthens the partnerships within and outside of the university , among other things ,” Olson says .
Third-year law student Zachary Tomczik serves as the UND School of Law student representative on the search committee and says his role is to serve as an advocate for the law school ’ s students . “ During the focus groups and throughout the search process , I have been in
6 THE GAVEL