THE OPPORTUNITY

Texas Southern University (TSU) invites nominations and applications for an innovative, dedicated, and dynamic Dean of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law (TMSL). Under general supervision reporting to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean of the TMSL will be the chief academic and administrative officer responsible for formulating and enforcing innovative policies designed to ensure that students are fully prepared to become licensed, successful, and ethical attorneys upon graduation. The Dean effectively leads efforts to engage faculty, staff, students, alumni, community members, and business representatives in support of the law school’s development and growth. The Dean ensures that the law school contributes to society through teaching, scholarship, and service. They will be responsible for advancing the law school’s historic mission of providing opportunities in the legal profession for the underserved and the economically and/or educationally disadvantaged.

The candidate will strategically lead fundraising initiatives to generate revenue to position the law school’s achievement of objectives and support of students. The Dean must manage a clear vision for increasing the law school’s bar passage rate and stature on the local and na tional stages. The Dean will serve and advance the law school’s interest on the Deans’ Council.

In addition to offering the Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree, the Law School also offers the Master of Laws (LLM) in Immigration Law. Through its clinical program, the Law School provides special attention to the legal problems of the poor and disadvantaged. Additionally, the Law School is also home to the Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy, a research and writing think-tank established in 1992 to help solve legal and social problems facing the urban community through scholarship and advocacy.

Search Prospectus

To learn more about the opportunity, download the prospectus by clicking here .

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As leader of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law the dean:

• Creates the infrastructure and controls that cultivate an environment of academic excellence through high student engagement, exceptional teaching, and rigorous curriculum designed to produce consistently competitive bar performance scores.
• Supervises the law school’s daily operations, budget management, student recruitment, and academic activities.
• Establishes priorities and sustains an environment of academic excellence through the development and assessment of curricular, research, collaborative, and partnership initiatives.
• Monitors the progress towards the college’s goals, leading the faculty, staff, and/or administrators to adjust the goals as needed and appropriate.
• Maintains accountability of all TMSL programs, personnel, and systems.
• Positions the law school to continue to meet and exceed ABA standards.
• Oversees all TMSL’s assessment activities.
• Develops long-term goals for the college and implements plans for achieving them through high- quality programming in conjunction with the Provost.
• Implements, monitors, and adjusts programmatic activities to accomplish the policies established by the faculty in alignment with the delivery and evaluation of the curriculum of all TMSL programs.
• Coordinates with the faculty to uphold the qualifications for admission to the School.
• Ensures that suitable student performance standards are maintained and makes the final decision regarding probation or dismissal of students for unacceptable performance and/or nonprofessional behavior.
• Advances a research environment aligned with the university’s and broader community’s relevant needs.
• Promotes productive collaborative research initiatives and submission of grant proposals to increase scholarly research activities in the college and University.
• Fosters positive relationships with the University, law school alums, and the state and local bar.
• Maintains Association of American Law Schools Membership by encouraging consistent scholarship.
• Oversees faculty recruitment, research, teaching, and compensation.
• Promotes productive collaborative research initiatives and submission of grant proposals to increase scholarly research activities in the college and University.
• Fosters positive relationships with the University, law school alums, and the state and local bar.
• Maintains Association of American Law Schools Membership by encouraging consistent scholarship.
• The Dean represents the college at official University functions with the Board of Regents and other university administration, the external community, local, state, national, and international officials and organizations, alums, and donors. The Dean is active in professional community activities, assuming leadership appropriate for organizations and committees.
• Oversees faculty recruitment, research, teaching, and compensation.
• Encourages and promotes professional development of faculty and staff.
• Promotes an environment that attracts, retains, and develops outstanding faculty, administrators, and staff.
• Reviews and approves matters such as appointment, continued employment, promotion and tenure, and personnel matters, such as compensation, family medical leave, etc., in accordance with university policies and procedures.
• Raises revenue for the law school’s development initiatives through sustained institutional and external fundraising, including, but not limited to, grants, partnerships, gifts, and capital campaigns.
• Collaborates with TMSL’s leadership to create a marketing plan to increase internal and external visibility to the University and college.
• The Dean leads fundraising efforts in collaboration with upper administration, faculty, staff, students, alums, community, and strategic partners of the college to position the law school’s achievement of objectives and support of students.
• Ensures that the TMSL infrastructure, facilities, and resources are properly maintained to provide an environment that promotes academic and research excellence.
• Works with the college and university advancement staff in setting goals, developing strategies, and implementing action plans to meet those goals.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS

Minimum Qualifications:

Candidates must hold a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and possess a distinguished record of administrative leadership, including demonstrated experience in strategic planning, fundraising, budgeting, and resource allocation. The candidate must currently hold the rank of full professor with tenure or have academic and professional credentials that merit appointment at the rank of full professor with tenure. Qualifications for tenure-track equivalency include:

• A minimum of four published, high-quality law review articles;
• At least six years of demonstrated excellence in legal education and classroom teaching; and
• A minimum of six years of meaningful service to a law school, the legal profession, or broader public interest initiatives.
• Candidates must also have practiced law for at least four years.

Licensure Requirements:

Applicants must be licensed to practice law in any U.S. jurisdiction.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Valid Texas Driver’s License
• Demonstrated scholarship and professional recognition in a specialized area of law, with acknowledgment by both academic and legal practice communities.

Leadership Characteristics:

The successful candidate will exhibit a strong commitment to academic excellence, institutional integrity, and student success. As a collaborative and visionary leader, the Interim Dean should bring the following leadership characteristics:

• Strategic Insight: Ability to guide the law school through transitional periods with clarity, purpose, and a commitment to advancing its mission and long-term goals.
• Inspirational Leadership: Demonstrated capacity to motivate faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders through transparent communication, inclusion, and shared governance.
• Academic Credibility: A respected legal scholar and educator with the intellectual gravitas to lead a diverse and dynamic academic community.
• Ethical Judgment: A principled leader who models integrity, fairness, and accountability in all decision-making.
• Fundraising & External Relations: Proven success in securing external support, building donor relationships, and fostering partnerships with alumni, the judiciary, legal professionals, and the broader community.
• Commitment to Equity and Justice: Dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion as fundamental values in legal education and leadership.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Knowledge:

• Experience with curriculum development, review, and revision.
• Compliance in ABA standards, Federal, State, Local, and County laws.
• Innovative approaches to teaching in a highly advanced and tech space.
• Policies, procedures, and practices.
• Accreditation/re-accreditation efforts and necessary external review processes.
• Banner and other job-related software systems.
• Supervisory techniques.
• Microsoft Office Professional or similar applications.

Skill in:

• Working with diverse faculty, students, and staff.
• Practical training; built and enhanced clinics and trail advocacy programs.
• Leading and managing a diverse faculty and programs.
• Problem-solving, innovation, and decision-making.
• Multitasking and time management.
• Fundraising and development.
• Research and grant writing.
• Coordinating the work and activities of personnel.
• Analytics and strategic planning.
• Budget management.
• Verbal and written communication.

Ability to:

• Advocate for the TMSL, faculty, staff, students and alumni.
• Prepare detailed reports.
• Build multidisciplinary teams.
• Provide innovative approaches to teaching.
• Understand the needs of faculty, staff and students.
• Effectively manage people, resources and relationships.
• Build bridges and partnerships in the community, nation, and globally.
• Understand faculty productivity and workload.
• Increase visibility of TMSL.

Characteristics:

• Demonstrate high integrity.
• Ability to embrace change.
• High emotional intelligence.
• Good listener and offers good judgement.
• Bold, visionary, collaborative, data-driven leader.
• Innovative educator, who can lead change, and administer innovative ideas.
• Operate with a sense of urgency.
• Presence in the legal community.

NOMINATION & APPLICATION PROCESS

Application materials should include:

A letter of interest that clearly states the applicant’s qualifications for the position

A current résumé/curriculum vitae

The name, relationship, and email address of five professional references

We strongly encourage submitting application materials as PDF attachments. The search will be conducted with a confidentiality commitment for candidates until finalists are selected. Initial screening of applications will begin immediately and continue until an appointment is made.

Inquiries and nominations to:

Dr. Dakota Doman Managing Principal TM² Executive Search dakota.doman@tm2search.com

Dr. Amanda Washington Lockett Principal TM² Executive Search amanda.lockett@tm2search.com

Dr. Will Anyu Associate Principal TM² Executive Search will.anyu@tm2search.com

For more information: https://tm2search.com/tmsldean

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