Administration

A talented group of professional administrators – all of whom hold advanced degrees – oversees every aspect of the school, from admissions and academic advising to registration, financial aid, and career counseling. These women and men have streamlined day-to-day operations of the school over the last fifteen years. The need for interdepartmental communication and coordination has been met by a weekly Tuesday “Dean’s Meeting,” which keeps managers in the loop while focusing on the Law Center’s mission and the goals of each department. On occasion, the meeting focuses on alternate solutions to administrative problems and concerns. At other meetings, senior managers may be given the opportunity to present an insider’s perspective of their department’s challenges, objectives, and management philosophy.

      While working together to continually raise the caliber of the law school, each member of the administrative team performs a distinct and valuable role to enrich the quality of the Law Center experience for students before, during, and after their law school years. Among them are Kevin Conry, associate vice president for development and external affairs, Andrew Cornblatt, assistant dean of admissions, Gihan Fernando, assistant dean of career services, and Carol Q. O’Neil, assistant dean of J.D. programs.

THE FACULTY HAS UNDER TAKEN A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF CURRICULUM ARE AS INCLUDING ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION (WITH FOLLOW-UP ANNUAL REVIEWS), ANTITRUST LAW, CORPORATE ANDSECURITIES LAW, ENTERTAINMENT AND TECHNOLOGY LAW, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, AND NATIONAL SECURITY LAW.

     Andy Cornblatt, who joined the Law Center staff nearly 25 years ago, became assistant dean for admissions in 1992. Under his leadership, the department has stepped up efforts to recruit admitted students, making the admissions process warmer and more welcoming through several initiatives. Student ambassadors stay in touch with admitted students to address their questions and concerns. Innovative technology enables Carol Q. O’Neil (L’88) came on board as assistant dean for J.D. programs in 1990 to oversee the Law Center’s curriculum, which has become both broader and deeper during that time. In response to a directive in the 1999-2004 Long Range Plan, O’Neil says, the faculty has undertaken a comprehensive review of curriculum areas including alternative dispute resolution (with follow-up annual reviews), antitrust law, corporate and securities law, entertainment and technology law, intellectual property, and national security law. “Faculty review of a curriculum ‘cluster’ entails rethinking offerings, examining syllabi of Law Center courses for content and overlap, and assessing whether courses should be added to enhance coverage or dropped because of lack of enrollment or duplication, and review and assessment of new and existing adjunct offerings,” says O’Neil. In addition to curriculum development and course scheduling, O’Neil supervises the J.D. adjunct faculty program, the Office of the Registrar and, since 2000, the Law Center’s academic publications and web content development.
     Gihan Fernando (L’90), hired in 2001 as the assistant dean of career services, has made it his goal to begin advising students in their first year. “We have the idea that the students who need the most help are the ones least likely to seek it,” Fernando says. “The worst scenario is the third-year student who says, ‘I don’t have a job and this is the first time I’ve been in.’ So we’re trying to move back the time we get to know students.” In addition to following students throughout their law school career, Fernando has made it a priority to help second-year students maximize their success with prospective employers during Interview Week. Not only does the department conduct an interview training program over the summer, but, adds Fernando, “Before, we didn’t do much advising for how they select their interviews, and we now advise over 80 percent of the class.” Other innovations under his watch include a small-firm initiative — lists and resources of small and medium-size firms for students — and the inauguration of an alumni shadowing program, in which students follow alumni in their field of interest during spring break.
   Kevin Conry (L’86), who joined the Law Center in 1976, assumed his post as associate vice president for development and external affairs in 1996, having previously worked as assistant dean for J.D. programs and assistant dean for administration. Chief among his accomplishments is helping to bring alumni into the Law Center community. Toward that end, he has created programs and services with and for alumni, fostered a culture of “giving back” that begins while law students are still on campus, created a major gifts culture among donors, helped to found a law-specific Board of Visitors, and planned and managed the first stand-alone comprehensive campaign for the Law Center. Conry has also worked to improve the quality of the alumni magazine and created a law-specific stewardship program to recognize and thank donors for their many important contributions to the school.