Director of Academic Success

The University of New Hampshire School of Law, located in Concord, New Hampshire, seeks a Director of Academic Success.

Working collaboratively with the law school community, the Director will focus the Academic Success program on the skills critical to being a lawyer, succeeding in law school, and passing the bar exam. These skills include the analytical ability to understand and organize the law, apply it to facts, make arguments where appropriate, and communicate effectively.

In addition, the program will also address non-analytical skills such as time and stress management, motivation, responsibility, self-direction, among others, necessary for students to succeed in law practice, law school and on the bar exam. The Director will effectively design and prioritize academic success efforts to maximize student performance in these areas.

UNH Law, an affiliated school of the University of New Hampshire, is internationally renowned for its intellectual property program. The school’s unique Daniel Webster Scholar Honors program is a pioneer in practice-based education. The Social Justice Institute offers a wide range of clinics, externships and practice-based curricular opportunities.

Concord, the capitol of New Hampshire, is home to the state’s legislature, state offices and local, state and federal courts. Just over an hour’s drive from Boston, Massachusetts, the ocean, and the majestic White Mountains, Concord offers good schools, high quality of life, and a variety of affordable housing options.

Salary for the position will be competitive and commensurate with experience.

Please submit a cover letter and CV to Professor Margaret Sova McCabe, Chair of the Academic Success Director National Search Committee, via e-mail to Lorraine.Albanese@law.unh.edu.

Job Description - Director of Academic Success

Classification: Contract Faculty
Title: Director of Academic Success, Associate (or Assistant) Professor of Legal Skills
Reports to: Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Supervises: Student tutors, adjunct or lecturers engaged by the Director, staff.

Primary Purpose

The Director will help the law school enhance students' ability to succeed on law school exams and the bar exam. The Director will have the ability to analyze and assess systemic issues existing in the curriculum, teaching, and assessment. The Director will work with faculty, students, and staff to remedy or enhance those issues for greater student success.

Essential Job Functions

The Director will

• Work collaboratively with the faculty, administration and staff to design, implement, evaluate, and improve the academic success program, with particular focus on bar passage;

• Design, implement, and teach or staff programs related to success on the bar exam;

• Analyze bar exam data and provide regular reports of results and patterns, and their implications to the law school administration and faculty;

• Provide current bar-related information to faculty members to help faculty promote student bar passage. Information includes, in part, topics tested and frequency, and recent bar exam questions and testing formats in the faculty member's area of teaching;

• Design, implement, conduct and evaluate workshops, tutorials and programs, including instruction for refining students’ analytical, learning, and time management skills, as well as guidance in case briefing, note taking, outlining, exam preparation and exam taking;

• Work with administration, staff and faculty to identify students for possible inclusion in academic success programs and communicate with students who could benefit from academic success services, and track and evaluate the academic and bar passage progress of those students being served;

• Collaborate with the Academic Standing Committee;

• If the Director implements a student tutoring model, then design an effective, high-quality peer tutoring or student teaching fellow program, including designing appropriate student-led sessions and recruiting, training, supervising, and evaluating the participating upper class students;

• Work cooperatively with the Assistant Dean of Students to provide guidance and materials for the academic advising program;

• Assist in collecting and evaluating data to assess the effectiveness of the Academic Success program including reporting on all Academic Success programs and services, critically evaluating all available programs and initiatives to assist in determining which should be continued or expanded and which should be discontinued or modified;

• Assist in developing and overseeing a budget for Academic Success Department;

• Participate in the larger academic success and other professional educational communities including participation in relevant conferences, listservs and blogs, and study of relevant books and other resources;

• Perform other duties as needed to promote law school and bar success.

Education, Experience, and Other Skills and Characteristics
Required Education and Experience

• A strong academic record that demonstrates potential for leading a successful law school academic support and success program;

• A J.D. or equivalent degree from an ABA-approved law school, with admission to a state bar in the United States;

• Substantial relevant legal  experience, with a focus on legal analysis and writing (including a combination of public or private law practice, judicial clerkship, teaching or academic success delivery experience in an ABA-approved law school, or  providing writing instruction in a law firm or an ABA-approved law school); and

• Demonstrated understanding of legal education (which may include experience in teaching legal writing and analysis, academic success, other law school teaching or law school administration) 

Preferred Education and Experience

• Experience in an ABA-approved law school's academic success program; and
• Additional experience or an advanced degree in educational psychology, psychology, counseling or secondary or post-secondary education.

Skills and Characteristics

The successful candidate must demonstrate a commitment to and understanding of academic success in legal education and bar passage. S/he must have the requisite knowledge and experience to design and implement legal academic success and bar preparation programs. The successful candidate will

• Work with multiple, diverse constituencies, including students, faculty and administration;
• Have superior verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills as well as either demonstrated or potential teaching skills;
• Encourage self-improvement by students from diverse backgrounds through counseling and critiquing in a professional, rigorous, respectful, and supportive environment;
   
• Think imaginatively, critically, and collaboratively about how to improve and measure law student academic development and bar passage;
• Understand developments in legal pedagogy in order to assist in designing, implementing, and managing programs that will promote law student academic and bar success;
• Maintain student confidentiality and privacy;
   
• Possess excellent organizational skills and a strong attention to detail;
• Effectively manage multiple priorities and related deadlines; and
• Have a commitment to maintaining and enhancing the academic strength and cultural diversity of the law school community.

Additional Search Information

All applications will be acknowledged. Candidates that interest Search Committee will initially be invited to participate in a teleconference with committee members.  If after the teleconference committee members determine the candidate meets the law school’s needs, the candidate will be invited to visit UNH Law. During the campus visit, a candidate will provide a short written description of the programs he or she would design for our students and will make a presentation on that subject to the faculty. Professor Laurie Zimet of UC Hastings Law has agreed to act as consultant to the Law School during the search.