UNT System
The University of North Texas System announces the search for the Founding Dean of the UNT Dallas College of Law, the first new public law school established in Texas in more than 40 years and the only public law school in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The System is searching for an outstanding and visionary leader to launch the University of North Texas Dallas College of Law. The Founding Dean will have a unique opportunity to shape a twenty-first century law school while providing academic, budgetary, administrative, and managerial leadership.
The Founding Dean of the UNT Dallas College of Law will join a thriving public university system, which serves the North Texas area, boosting economic activity in the region by nearly $2 billion annually. The System includes three rapidly growing campuses, and more than 36,000 students are enrolled in its undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. System enrollment is projected to increase to 45,000 students by 2015. The UNT System is a vibrant part of a state with a strong economy, and the North Texas area is a national economic leader in many categories including job growth. The proposed UNT Dallas College of Law will play a vital role in development of the System and revitalization of downtown Dallas.
Located in the heart of Dallas, the College of Law will be permanently housed in the historic former Dallas City Hall building with the development of a new city park across the street from the law building. In partnership with the City of Dallas, the UNT System received legislative authorization in 2009 to establish the law school. Classes are projected to begin in Fall 2011.
Curricular innovation, a mission of public service, and strong city and community support will drive the development of the UNT Dallas College of Law. The law school seeks to meet a demonstrated need for legal education in the North Texas region, while drawing students from the entire United States. The new UNT Dallas College of Law has received very strong support from governmental, civic, business, and legal groups as well as a variety of diverse communities of North Texas.
The Founding Dean will serve as the chief academic, fiscal, and administrative officer for the College, reporting to the UNT System Chancellor until 2015 when it will become part of the emerging University of North Texas at Dallas.
The Founding Dean must be able to establish the College of Law’s quality as a teaching, research, and service institution; build its financial strength; and develop mutually beneficial links to the UNT System and the North Texas region. The ability to build a strong leadership team and communicate effectively with the System, community constituencies, faculty, students, administrators, and staff are key attributes of a successful candidate, as the Founding Dean will be the face and voice of an innovative approach to legal education and research.
The Founding Dean will be responsible for recruiting and leading key faculty members; securing non-state sources of funding; directing development of the physical campus; and cultivating excellence and diversity in the school’s faculty, students, and staff. This position creates a unique opportunity to develop an innovative curriculum taking full advantage of recent developments in legal education while incorporating American Bar Association requirements and the needs of the North Texas region. The Founding Dean will be responsible for leading the UNT Dallas College of Law through provisional and permanent accreditation by the American Bar Association.
The Founding Dean will provide strategic and administrative leadership to the law school and will ensure the highest levels of teaching and learning excellence. In teaching its students the importance of the rule of law to our community, state, and nation, the UNT Dallas College of Law will follow the best practices of legal education with an emphasis on encouraging in students the highest ethical and professional standards.
For more information about the University of North Texas (UNTS) System and the UNT Dallas College of Law, please go to untsystem.unt.edu.
Salary: Salary will be commensurate with experience, educational background, professional experience, and scholarship.
Nomination/Application Procedure: To ensure full consideration, applications should be received by September 30, 2009; however, applications will continue to be accepted until the position is filled. Interested candidates should submit a detailed cover letter addressing the above-referenced essential functions and qualifications, current curriculum vitae, and five references complete with contact information. Please submit your recommendation or personal interest electronically in Adobe pdf format to Chancellor Lee F. Jackson, c/o untcollegeoflaw@unt.edu.
A detailed position description, including position qualifications and specific duties, can be found at http://untsystem.unt.edu/news/dean-search/.
The University of North Texas System does not discriminate in the employment of individuals on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, disability, sex or age.
Posted: July 24, 2009
