Dean of Chicago-Kent College of Law

Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) invites inquiries, nominations and applications for the Dean of Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Founded in 1888, IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law has a long history of excellence in providing rigorous, innovative legal training to a diverse student body. Chicago-Kent is located in downtown Chicago, in the heart of Chicago’s business community. For the past 40 years, Chicago-Kent has committed itself to nurturing an engaged, productive, and vibrant scholarly faculty. It has also established a reputation as among the nation’s leading law schools in the areas of innovation, intellectual property, advocacy, law and technology, and legal writing. Its alumni thrive in the Chicago legal market. The school benefits from its unique position within a technical university and from its central location in one of the most vibrant cities in the world.

IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law seeks a visionary and decisive leader to build on the school’s history of excellence and innovation in legal education. The Dean must engage effectively with all Chicago-Kent stakeholders, including faculty, alumni, students, staff, and practitioners in the fields of law, business, technology and policy, to strategically implement his or her vision for Chicago-Kent’s future. The Dean will report to the IIT Provost, Peter Kilpatrick, and be responsible for the law school’s academic programs, operating budget, personnel management, strategic planning, public relations and fundraising. The Dean must possess the strategic acumen and personal leadership style necessary to inspire its faculty and students to continue advancement of the Chicago-Kent College of Law as part of IIT.

The new Dean will need to lead the Chicago-Kent community in a collaborative effort to create and execute a strategic mission for the school. The new Dean must understand the challenges of modern legal education and locate new opportunities for educational innovation while also developing Chicago-Kent’s unique strengths. Chicago-Kent’s faculty members are eager to work with a leader who is energetic, creative, supportive, and able to inspire the law school's diverse, eclectic, and heterogeneous community. The new Dean must be committed to that diversity and eager to promote its advantages to a variety of constituents. The new Dean will be expected to maintain close relationships with the Chicago-Kent alumni and donor community to maintain and enhance current sources of revenue for the school while also identifying potential new ones.

The successful candidate will, at minimum, possess a J.D. degree or its equivalent and will have an outstanding record of accomplishment in the legal academy and/or in the practice of law that warrants appointment as a tenured Professor of Law. In addition to a record of academic and professional accomplishment, the successful candidate will have demonstrated a commitment to service to the legal profession and the public, and will offer a proven record in management or administration suitable for appointment as Dean.

The Search Committee invites letters of nomination, expressions of interest, or applications and they may be sent to Werner Boel, LL.M., Veena Abraham J.D. and Jessica Herrington, the Witt/Kieffer consultants assisting Chicago-Kent College of Law with this search, at ChicagoKentDean@wittkieffer.com. Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged. A complete application will include a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae, and contact information for five professional references. This search will be conducted with respect for the confidentiality of candidates; references will not be contacted without prior knowledge and approval of the candidate. Review of materials will begin immediately and continue until an appointment is made. To ensure full consideration, please submit your application before January 7, 2019. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the Search Committee. The anticipated starting date for the new dean is July 1, 2019.

Illinois Institute of Technology is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA employer committed to enhancing equity, inclusion and diversity within its community. It actively seeks applications from women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, veterans and other underrepresented groups. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration.