I recently learned that the median tenure of law school deans has declined to just 2.4 years. That seems very short! The trend raises important questions about the sustainability of law deanships and the challenges that deans face in leading law schools.

Dean Patricia E. Roberts of St. Mary’s with the Association of American Law Schools is conducting a survey of deans and former deans, along with some interviews, to shed light on the reasons for the relatively short average tenure of law deans. The results will form the basis for a report on what might help extend the future tenure of law school deans. Further exploration will compare law school dean tenure to the tenure of deans of other professional schools.

Having recently completed 16 years of law school deaning, I take great interest in this research. A supportive faculty, student body, and law school community made the experience worthwhile and often enjoyable. I imagine that the pandemic created many issues that contribute to the shorter tenure of law deans in recent years.