Help Wanted: Law Deans
Law school deanships used to be coveted positions, but no longer.
At least 27 law schools are searching for deans, and many are having a difficult time filling the jobs, the National Law Journal reports.
Thomas Ulen, a law professor at the University of Illinois, told the publication that the bad economy has increased stress on law deans, making the job less appealing to law professors. “Being a dean is less attractive than it used to be,” he said. “An increasing percentage of the job—upwards of 80 to 90 percent—is devoted to fundraising. And with the economy in this state, that is not easy. And let’s face it, being a law professor is one of the best jobs in the universe.”
In recent years, law schools have recruited deans from those who held the same jobs at other law schools, or associate deans at better law schools, the story says. But now law schools are reverting to their old model of recruiting one of their own professors for the job.
The story cites the University of Illinois law school as an example. It ran two nationwide searches for a dean, each with the help of a different search firm. The school finally hired its own associate dean, Bruce Smith.
