Jennifer Rosato was named dean of the Northern Illinois University College of Law in July. Roasto comes to NIU from Drexel University in Philadelphia, where she helped launch the Earle Mack School of Law, acting as dean for the school’s first year of operation and as a consultant in the year prior to the school’s opening.
Rosato cites NIU’s commitment to diversity as one of the primary reasons she took the job. NIU received the 2007 Diversity Award from the Council on Legal Education Opportunity and has been ranked in the top 10 for faculty diversity by the Princeton Review for the past four years. As one of only two Latina law school deans in the nation, Rosato says expanding access to legal education is of chief importance to her as a leader in law school administration.
Additionally, NIU’s focus on public interest law drew Rosato to the position. As dean, she wants to find new ways to connect the law school and the community.
Prior to her time at Drexel, Rosato was the associate dean for Student Affairs at Brooklyn Law School, where she was also co-director of the Center for Health, Science and Public Policy and a professor of law. She has also taught at Villanova University School of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School and New York University School of Law.
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