Dive Brief:
- Several university law schools have appointed co-deans in recent years, mostly on a temporary basis, but a few, including Case Western Reserve University Law School, have decided the co-dean approach is the way to go permanently.
- Inside Higher Ed reports Michael Scharf and Jessica Berg approach their co-dean positions at Case Western as a united front — sharing an email account, drafting formal statements together, jointly making big decisions, and supporting each other’s smaller decisions — which doesn’t give anyone room to divide and conquer.
- The co-dean position helps with isolation, giving those in it someone to talk to, it increases efficiency with fundraising and other duties, and, if the two deans split the standard dean’s supplement, it doesn’t cost any extra. But schools have to find the right people for the job.
Dive Insight:
Hiring co-deans remains rare in higher education. Law schools seem to have latched onto the idea more than schools in other fields, including business and medicine. Where colleges have multiple campuses, two deans could seem like a no-brainer, like with the co-deans at Rutgers. One works at the Newark campus, and the other works in Camden.
When the right people come to a position and embrace the partnership, like Scharf and Berg, it obviously works well. But there is certainly room for failure if the two are not compatible in their leadership or work styles. The question of compensation is also a consideration. Some schools end up paying more, especially if they expect the deans to do more together than they would alone. While still rare, it could be an option to consider for schools nationwide.