Dean, Alexander Blewett III School of Law

Dean, Alexander Blewett III School of Law

 

The University of Montana invites nominations and applications for the position of Dean of the Alexander Blewett III School of Law from interested individuals with diverse perspectives and backgrounds. The position has an expected starting date of July 1, 2022 or sooner.

 

Reporting directly to the Provost and Executive Vice President, the dean is the chief academic and administrative officer for the Blewett School of Law. The dean is responsible for administering the School's departments and programs, including maintaining accreditation by the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), developing and implementing strategies to enhance academic innovation and quality, recruiting students and members of the faculty and staff, and managing organizational and financial structures that promote excellence in teaching, research and service.

 

Founded in 1912, the Blewett School of Law is an established leader in law and policy education and the only law school in the U.S. to house degree programs dedicated to both the practice of law and public administration. The Department of Public Administration and Policy (DPAP) provides innovative public service education for pre-career and in-career public and nonprofit administration students. It recently placed fourth nationally for the Best 25 Masters in Public Administration Schools and placed fifth out of the Best Masters in Nonprofit Management Programs by Best Value Schools. At present, the DPAP program has 2,000 living alums.

 

The Blewett School of Law comprises 500 students and 37 faculty and staff with an operating budget of $6 million. We work and study in a spacious, state-of-the-art facility.

 

Our law curriculum is practice-rich and is taught by faculty with years of practice-based experience. Students actively prepare as attorneys from the start, beginning with an innovative skills-based program in the first year, continuing with intensive litigation and transactional simulation courses in the second year, and finishing with a required third-year clinical program offering professional placements at both in-house law clinics and government and public-interest law offices. This model of training and placing lawyers has earned the Blewett School of Law recognition as one of the best-value law schools in the nation. As Montana’s only law school, with 3,675 living alums, we enjoy a close connection to the Montana bench and bar. For additional information, please visit: https://www.umt.edu/law/.

 

A position profile and listing of the required/preferred characteristics and priorities can be found at: https://www.agbsearch.com/searches/dean-of-the-blewett-school-of-law-university-of-montana

 

Application and Nomination Process:

 

The Search Committee will begin a review of applications immediately and continue its work until an appointment is made. For best consideration, application materials should be received by February 22, 2022 and include: 1) a letter of interest; 2) curriculum vitae and 3) names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses for five (5) professional references, including a brief description of your relationship to that individual, who will be contacted only after candidates are notified.

 

Nominations and applications should be sent electronically (MS Word or PDF format) to:

MontanaDeanLaw@agbsearch.com. All applications, nominations and inquiries will be handled in confidence.

 

Please direct nominations and inquiries to:

 

Richard A. Wueste, J.D., Executive Search Consultant, AGB Search, richard.wueste@agbsearch.com / 540.431.5131

 

Kimberly Templeton, J.D., Principal, AGB Search, Kimberly.templeton@agbsearch.com / 540.761.9494

Reasonable accommodations are provided in the hiring process for persons with disabilities. For example, this material is available in alternative format upon request. As an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, we encourage applications from minorities, veterans, and women. Qualified candidates may request veterans’ or disabilities preference in accordance with state law. All New Employees must be eligible and show employment eligibility verification by the first date of employment at UM, as legally required (e.g., Form I-9).