University of Detroit Mercy School of Law seeks applicants for the Assistant Dean of Academic Success and Bar Preparation Department. This position is a tenure-track/administrative position.
Description of Position – Summary
The Academic Success and Bar Preparation Department is a critical department at Detroit Mercy Law. In recognition of the importance of this position, the Assistant Dean of Academic Success and Bar Preparation will hold both a tenure-track position and a twelve-month administrative position. As the director of this Department, the Assistant Dean develops, coordinates, and teaches programs and courses designed to support our students’ success at the School, on the bar examination, and in the practice of law. This Dean works with our students from orientation through bar passage. In addition, this Dean communicates with other faculty members to help them incorporate principles of learning theory into their classes. Finally, this Dean works closely with and supervises the Director of Bar Preparation. The exact title (Assistant Dean and Associate or Assistant Professor of Law) will be commensurate with experience.
Responsibilities
- Develop and expand our current program of Academic Success, including consideration of the development of new courses to meet the needs of all of our students.
- Participate in the planning and implementation of the School’s orientation for new students.
- Teach new or established courses designed to develop the students’ ability to be self-regulated learners.
- Serve as a resource for faculty in effective pedagogy and offer trainings for faculty to incorporate principles of learning theory into their teaching.
- Collect and analyze data on the achievement of learning outcomes and bar passage and make changes to the Academic Success program based on that data.
- Counsel individual students.
- Identify and assist low-performing students needing additional skills development.
- Supervise the activities of the Director of Bar Preparation.
- Publish in accordance with the School’s policies for positions that are both tenure-track and administrative.
Mandatory Qualifications
- D. with a record of high academic achievement from an ABA-accredited law school.
- Admission to the bar in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
- At least [2] years teaching academic support or bar preparation in a classroom setting
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience and/or educational training in learning theory
- Experience providing culturally proficient instruction
- Demonstrated ability to conduct data analytics
- Demonstrated commitment to scholarship through publications and/or presentations
- Experience working with vendors of bar examination courses
- Experience with both academic support and bar preparation instruction
- Experience with developing academic support courses
- Experience handling institutionally-sensitive information
About Detroit Mercy Law
Detroit Mercy Law offers a unique curriculum that complements traditional theory and doctrine based course work with intensive practical learning. Students must complete at least one clinic, one upper-level writing course, one global perspectives course, and one course within our Law Firm Program, an innovative simulated law-firm practicum. Detroit Mercy Law also offers a Dual J.D. program with the University of Windsor in Canada, in which students earn both an American and a Canadian law degree in three years while gaining a comprehensive understanding of two distinct legal systems.
Detroit Mercy Law is located one block from the riverfront in Downtown Detroit, within walking distance of federal, state, and municipal courts, the region’s largest law firms, and major corporations such as General Motors, Quicken Loans, and Comerica Bank. The School of Law is also uniquely situated two blocks from the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, an international border crossing linking Detroit with Windsor and Canada.
Detroit offers a dynamic variety of culinary, cultural, entertainment, and sporting attractions. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO4J_PC1b5M and learn more at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/20/travel/detroit-michigan-downtown.html.
Michigan’s largest, most comprehensive private university, University of Detroit Mercy is an independent Catholic institution of higher education sponsored by the Religious Sisters of Mercy and Society of Jesus. The university seeks qualified candidates who will contribute to the University's urban mission, commitment to diversity, and tradition of scholarly excellence. University of Detroit Mercy is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer with a diverse faculty and student body and welcomes persons of all backgrounds.
To Apply
Applicants should send a cover letter with a current CV and any additional supporting materials (or any questions) to:
Professor Karen McDonald Henning, Chair of Faculty Recruitment
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
651 East Jefferson
Detroit, Michigan 48226
henninkm@udmercy.edu, 313-596-0231
Materials will be accepted via email or regular mail. Review of applicants will begin in July 2020 and will continue until the position is filled.
