Dean, College of Law

Located in the scenic Tampa Bay area, Stetson University College of Law, Florida’s oldest law school, seeks an engaged and energetic leader to serve as its dean, commencing in the summer of 2023. Reporting to the executive vice president and provost, the dean is the chief academic and administrative leader of the College of Law and serves as an inspirational and cohesive leader for the tight-knit Stetson Law community. The dean will be an exceptional relationship-builder who leads with a collaborative attitude, exercising sound judgment and constructive discretion in decision-making for the long-term future of this distinctive law school. 

As the chief academic leader of the College of Law, the dean ensures the promise that Stetson Law students will receive an academically rigorous legal education that reflects its commitment to an inclusive, professional, and collaborative community. The dean must be energized by the challenge to lead an extraordinary law school using principles of shared governance with its engaged and productive faculty and staff, thriving alumni base, enthusiastic Board of Overseers, and welcoming and diverse student body. The dean will provide leadership to the College of Law’s nationally and internationally recognized programs in advocacy, elder law, legal writing, Caribbean law, veterans law, and higher education, as well as its growing concentrations in business law, biodiversity, international law, and social justice advocacy.

With a comprehensive understanding of the issues facing legal education and the leadership skills to guide a close community in achieving continued success, the dean will collaborate with the faculty to amplify the law school’s strengths and support its students, faculty, and staff. The dean will apply financial management skills and sound, informed judgment to set budgetary priorities to reach Stetson Law’s financial goals, including enhancing its core J.D. tuition revenue with sustainable earned income from new programs, grants that support its public service activities, and investments from individual and corporate donors. As a collaborative and inspiring relationship-builder, the dean will form long-term partnerships with Stetson Law’s dedicated alumni and other prospective donors to increase annual giving and stewardship for the College of Law. 

The dean will treat others with respect and kindness in seeking to understand the needs of the Stetson Law community through transparent, inclusive, and compassionate conversations. With an eye for improvement, the dean will establish priorities to increase student, faculty, and staff engagement, focusing on the well-being and professional development of Stetson Law community members. The dean will also work to recruit and retain the best faculty and staff to support Stetson Law’s mission and objectives. 

Stetson Law is distinctive in its focus on student success and supporting professional careers that have impact whether in private practice, in business, in government, or in the civic sector. Students, staff, faculty, and alumni share a tremendous pride in Stetson Law, and they encourage and assist each other in pursuing their diverse interests and ambitions. The dean should be eager to harness this positive passion for the law school, join the engaged community, and commit to serving Stetson’s long-term goals.  That Stetson Law pride, passion, and promise are evidenced in this brief video welcoming your candidacy as Dean of Stetson Law.

Stetson University has appointed a 14-member search committee comprised of faculty, staff, students, and alumni and co-chaired by the Gary R. Trombley Family White Collar Crime Research Professor of Law, Ellen S. Podgor and Gregory W. Coleman, Chair of the Board of Overseers and former President of the Florida Bar. All inquiries, nominations, and applications may be submitted confidentially below. For full consideration, applicant materials should be submitted by February 1, 2023.  

Pam Pezzoli and Tim McFeeley are leading this search with Corinne Crews and Melissa Barravecchio. 

Stetson University is an Equal Opportunity Employer that affirms cultural diversity and inclusion as a core value of academic excellence at Stetson University. We are committed to achieving equal access in education, employment, and participation through the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty, staff, and students from diverse backgrounds, and to meaningful academic and intellectual transformation in curriculum, research and service. We are dedicated to actions and policies that foster a community in which individuals with various identities, cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints work together to create opportunities for engagement through rewarding and fulfilling careers and personal experiences in a culturally and racially diverse society and a globalized world. We strongly encourage members of historically under-represented and economically-disadvantaged groups and women to apply for employment. Stetson University is an EEO, ADA, ADEA, and GINA employer. The Law School's Non-Discrimination Policy is here.