After five years of successful hiring, construction and fundraising at the School of Law, Katharine Bartlett was reappointed as Dean of the School of Law. Bartlett hopes to build on her accomplishments of the last few years in the realm of faculty hiring.
Katharine Bartlett didn’t need a nominating convention to help her secure five more years as Dean of the School of Law.
Provost Peter Lange announced Bartlett’s reappointment Thursday after five years of successful hiring, construction and fundraising at the School of Law. Behind the School’s new facade are new faculty members at the top of their fields and students led by an award-winning student government. The progress that Bartlett has achieved is visible and ongoing, with the continuing construction as a constant reminder.
“There’s still a lot of room to get better,” Bartlett said.
Bartlett hopes to build on her accomplishments of the last few years in the realm of faculty hiring. The law school has recently focused on attracting scholars in its priority areas of international law, constitutional law and fields related to science and innovation.
“She’s done a great job of hiring,” Lange said. Hires over the last couple of years, he added, have been among the best of any law school in the country.
Building a faculty of the highest quality has been, to some extent, a process that fuels itself. Prestigious faculty members increase Duke’s appeal to other distinguished scholars.
“They’ve all sort of attracted each other,” Bartlett explained.
Students also value the changes they see in the make-up of the faculty, such as the recent addition of Erwin Chemerinsky, an expert on constitutional law with multiple appearances before the Supreme Court to his credit.
“He’s a star,” said Justin Coon, a law student in his second year, who was impressed by the “really top-notch” additions to the faculty.
The search continues for more of these impressive scholars. In the area of business and finance law, Bartlett wants to capitalize on and further the School of Law’s partnership with the Fuqua School of Business, but she is still looking for the right people, she said.
Her hope is to hire at least one and possibly two experts in the field by the end of the year.
To reach these recruitment goals, though, the School of Law will need to raise professor salaries—which means more fundraising, to the tune of $15 to $20 million.
“Faculty support and student support remain very high priorities,” Bartlett said. The extra money would help to attract faculty and students alike. “We’d like to be more generous with our financial aid,” she added.
Fundraising initiatives have certainly been a major part of Bartlett’s first term as dean. From achieving the law school’s targets in the Campaign for Duke to gathering the resources needed to carry out the school’s construction goals, the quest for financial support has been never-ending.
For instance, completing all the planned construction is dependent on continuing fundraising efforts. To cover costs, the School of Law needs still more money, something between $5 and 10 million, Bartlett said. Still, Bartlett is hopeful that the adaptation of the law school’s courtyard into an enclosed atrium will be finished by January 2006, completing the current series of building modifications.
The developments that the School of Law has already completed are popular among students and staff. “I did not choose the school because of the facilities,” said Tulani Giscombe, who is in her third year of the JD/MBA program. Just a few years ago, the facilities might have deterred some prospective students from choosing Duke, she noted, but the renovations have greatly improved the situation. “The classrooms are much better.”
Another area of advancement has been career counseling for students. Staff added during Bartlett’s tenure as dean have helped to maintain the School of Law’s strong job placement record.
Despite all these developments, the School’s rankings have fluctuated quite a bit over the past few years. Although Bartlett sees the rankings’ weaknesses, she acknowledges the value of maintaining a high position. She hopes that the widely recognized strength of Duke’s faculty recruitment will result in improved ratings.
“We like to have the ratings reflect our true quality,” said Bartlett. “It’s important because other people think there’s some validity to it.... It’s a very seductive rating system.”
Challenges remain, but the law school has nearly concluded the work necessary to complete its current strategic plan. Now, the school needs to determine a new way forward. Amidst the changes in progress, there is a consciousness of the challenges of the future.
“We’re beginning to brainstorm among leading alumni and internally about what that strategic planning process ought to look like,” Bartlett said. Over her next five years, though, Bartlett primarily wants to secure the gains that the School of Law has already achieved. “I’m looking more to intensify the investments we have made... rather than [to begin] any bold new initiatives.”
Those who work with her applaud what she has already accomplished and her personal qualities.
“She leads by example,” said Lange. “She has a relatively moderate but energetic leadership style. She sets a high tone.”
James Boyle, William Neal Reynolds professor of law, views Bartlett as significantly different from most administrators. “Most of the people who really want to be deans you don’t want to be deans,” he said.
As dean, Bartlett has missed the intellectual engagement with students, opportunities to make academic contributions and more flexible schedule that she enjoyed before her appointment. Faculty members said they appreciate the sacrifices she has made. “She’s just been a really great dean,” Boyle said.
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