DLS Found New Dean in New Year!
Posted by richardcjy on January 3, 2007
First of all, happy 2007 to everyone who is reading this not-really-updating-little blog! I wasn’t updating b/c I was trying to survive the final exams. After that, I had a lot of fun in my winter break so far, traveling from hot Florida to cold ski resort! Will have some report before the kickoff of the spring semester:)
Federal Judge David F. Levi is our New Dean
Today President Brodhead and Provost Lange announced Judge David Levi will succeed Dean Katharine Bartlett as the Dean of Duke Law School from July, 1, 2007. Dean Bartlett choose to return to teaching and scholarship after seven years as the Dean. We thank Dean Bartlett for her contribution and legacy toward the DLS, and look forward to the deanship of Judge Levi.
The Dean Hunting
Dean Bartlett is one of the three deans stepping down at Duke this year, joining Douglas Breeden, dean of the Fuqua School of Business; and William Schlesinger, dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences. The University and the three Schools quickly formed dean search committees to hunt for their successors nationwide.
This process impressed me a lot. Unlike the US, academic deanships in Taiwan are usually coming from the faculty members in the department/school. The general scenario is that faculty members elect the dean, usually from senior faculty members in this case. But I do think a dean search committee is necessary and healthy to the academic environment. I heard of some political collisions in Taiwanese academic society in dean election.
First, the dean should be deemed as a “manager” of the school, outside expertise could be as good as, if not better than, the in-house counterpart. They can bring in some fresh experience, and in this case in-house candidates are not ruled out of course. The point is to find the most capable and suitable person. Second, current faculty members do not need to “choose a side”, ie. no political pressure, especially for those junior faculty members. Third, becoming a dean should not really be seemed as a “promotion,” of course it is an important position, but the more important part of the deanship is the administrative leadership rather than academic recognition.
Finally, as a member of the Duke Law community, I welcome Judge Levi to our big family, and look forward to his leadership:)
