The dean of a law school is responsible for shepherding the education of the school’s students and holds great sway over the courses taught and the policies enacted. While some deans serve for long tenures, others are more transient. The average tenure of a law dean is 4.1 years. Thus, openings for new deans come along somewhat frequently. Here’s a roundup of some of the deans that have been appointed in the last few months. Most will begin their service after the current school year ends, but some will take some time before their tenure begins.
The University of Texas at Austin has appointed Robert Chesney as the new dean for the School of Law. Chesney has been part of the UT Austin faculty since 2008 and has served as the associate dean for academic affairs since 2011. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard law and is widely known as an expert in on national security, counterterrorism, cybersecurity and disinformation. He begins on July 1, 2022.
Troy McKenzie has been named the new dean for New York University School of Law. McKenzie is well-earned reputation as a scholar in bankruptcy, civil procedure, complex litigation, and more. He has been on the school’s faculty since 2007 and is a magna cum laude graduate of NYU Law itself, where he served as the executive editor of the university’s Law Review. McKenzie has been published multiple times and is a two-time recipient of NYU’s Distinguished Teaching Award. His tenure begins on June 1, 2022.
The University of Illinois Chicago School of Law has named Nicola Boothe as the school’s 14th dean, which will take effect on June 16, 2022. Boothe currently holds tenure at Florida A&M University College of Law and has taught there since 2006. Previously, she served as the law school’s interim dean and the associate dean for academic affairs. Prior to that, she was a defense litigator for almost 10 years. Boothe is a nationally recognized leader in ethics and professionalism in law and has received multiple awards, such as the Silver and Bronze Pro Bono awards from the Florida Supreme Court.
Odette Lienau has been chosen as the new dean at Boston College Law School. Lienau is a magna cum laude graduate from Harvard, and a cum laude graduate from NYU Law, where she won the Jerome Lipper Graduation Prize for outstanding work in international law, and the John Bruce Moore Award for excellence in law and philosophy. She also holds a Ph.D. in government/political science from Harvard. She is renowned as an international expert on sovereign debt issues, with a focus on developing and transitional countries. Lienau will begin in January 2023.
