Dean, School of Law

Loyola University Chicago, School of Law

Search for the Dean

Chicago, Illinois

 

Loyola University Chicago, a private, coeducational, Catholic, Jesuit university, seeks a Dean of the School of Law with intellectual vision, energy, ambition, and the ability to lead the School of Law community to even greater distinction. Inspired by the Jesuit traditions of academic excellence, intellectual openness, social justice, and service to others, the School of Law is revered for its student-centered approach and dedication to educating lawyers, scholars, and leaders for an increasingly complex and diverse world. The School of Law recently adopted a new and powerful mission statement that gives meaning and currency to its Jesuit social justice tradition and reinforces a commitment to equity, justice, and anti-racism. Building upon the school’s strengths and potential, the incoming Dean will have a profound influence on the future of a school where faculty, staff, and students are mutually and deeply committed to creating an impact on Chicago, the legal community, and the world. 

 

Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is one of 27 Jesuit universities and one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States. The School of Law has been educating aspiring attorneys in the theory, practice, and ethics of lawyering for more than 100 years. The School of Law boasts a number of world-renowned scholars capable of guiding students to the frontier of legal knowledge in pursuit of a greater social justice. While the School of Law trains excellent lawyers in all practice areas, many students take advantage of the highly regarded program in healthcare law, which is ranked #3 in the country by U.S. News and World Report. With a variety of different degree and programmatic offerings, as well as opportunities for students to gain practical experience, the School of Law is a place for all students to learn together in the pursuit of a more inclusive and just world.

 

In 2019, as part of its Mission Priority Examen, Loyola completed a self-study of how the University advances its Jesuit educational mission. The study served as part of the foundation for the new strategic plan. Building on that work, in the Summer of 2020, the Loyola University Chicago School of Law community, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni, came together to examine the mission statement and ensure that it was clearly aligned with the goals of the institution and the aspirations of the community. The new mission statement, adopted in July of 2020, declares:  

 

Loyola University Chicago School of Law is a student-focused law center inspired by the Jesuit tradition of academic excellence, intellectual openness, and service to others. Our mission is:

  • to educate students to be responsible and compassionate lawyers, judges, and law-related leaders in an increasingly diverse and interdependent world;
  • to prepare graduates who will be ethical advocates for justice and equity, who will lead efforts to dismantle the legal, economic, political, and social structures that generate and sustain racism and all forms of oppression, and who will advance a rule of law that promotes social justice; and
  • to contribute to a deeper understanding of law, legal institutions, and systems of oppression through a commitment to transformation, intersectionality, and anti-subordination in our teaching, research, scholarship, and public service.

 

In accordance with this revised mission statement, School of Law stakeholders identified 8 key strategic goals with relevant objectives to guide the future direction of the school. For more information about these strategic goals, visit https://www.luc.edu/law/about/mission/index.cfm.

 

This is an outstanding opportunity for a highly collaborative, forward-looking, enthusiastic leader to inspire a diverse community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni. The Dean will join Loyola as the university embarks on a new strategic plan, We Are Called to the Next 150 Years, that focuses on finding transdisciplinary approaches to complex and urgent social problems. Thus, the Dean will guide the School of Law as it continues to seek excellence as a premier law school with a focus on educating lawyers prepared to enter an increasingly diverse, complex, and dynamic legal landscape and as it helps the university achieve the goals of the strategic plan.  The Dean will help define the next era of the School of Law and addressing a number of key strategic and operational priorities. To be successful in this role, the Dean will:

 

  • Actualize the ambitious and compelling mission of the School of Law
  • Increase visibility by building upon existing strengths and embracing innovation and scholarship
  • Continue to develop a dynamic and diverse faculty and staff
  • Nurture philanthropy in pursuit of academic excellence
  • Advocate for the School of Law and collaborate with partners across the University
  • Strengthen ties with the city of Chicago and beyond

 

Loyola University Chicago will prioritize candidates who demonstrate a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Loyola University Chicago has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. For more details, including the full position profile and to submit inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications, please see the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: www.imsearch.com/7959. Electronic submission of materials is required.

 

Julie Filizetti, Tim McFeeley, Oren Griffin, and Jaime Morgen

Isaacson, Miller

1000 Sansome Street, Suite 300

San Francisco, CA  94111

Phone: 415.655.4900

 

Loyola University Chicago is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer with a strong commitment to hiring for our mission and diversifying our faculty and staff. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion (except where religion is a bona fide occupational qualification for the job), national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or any other factor protected by law.