DEAN, FACULTY OF LAW - UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
Location: Calgary
Salary Range: $260,000 - $350,000
Deadline: Open until filled.
The University of Calgary (UCalgary), located in the heart of Southern Alberta, both acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations) as well as the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Wesley First Nations). The university recognizes that the City of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 & 6). By virtue of the signing of Treaty 7 in 1877, the University recognizes that we are all treaty people. The City of Calgary is home to a culturally diverse community. Together, we share this land, strive to live together, learn together, walk together, and grow together in a good way.
From unique experiential learning opportunities and courses that will prepare students for tomorrow’s legal services market, to one of the highest articling placement rates in the country, UCalgary Law is producing some of the best graduates.
Reporting to the Provost and Vice-President (Academic), the Dean of the Faculty of Law is responsible for providing strategic leadership, academic direction, community engagement, fund development, and administrative oversight to Canada’s most innovative law school. The Dean plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of legal education at the University of Calgary. They will work creatively and collaboratively to articulate the vision for the faculty and develop, implement and adapt strategies and initiatives that meet the needs of students, staff, faculty, and stakeholders. As a champion of Indigenous engagement and equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, they will elevate the faculty’s reputation, scholarly excellence, and world-renowned research by adapting to current and future trends and creating innovations that will advance legal education and practice.
The Dean will engage and lead an experienced team that promotes collaboration, high impact academic and research activities, and develops interdisciplinary partnerships through a shared vision with other faculties and university stakeholders. As an open and trusted decision maker, the Dean will inspire and cultivate relationships with students, faculty, staff, and alumni to sustain and enhance the reputation of the Faculty of Law at University of Calgary. They will focus on deepening existing relationships and building new relationships with internal and external stakeholders in the legal and business communities, and with Indigenous, Black and racialized communities. The Dean will promote a vision that will build partnerships, attract resources, and secure funding for sustainability and growth.
The successful candidate will hold a Juris Doctor (J.D.), graduate degree in law, or PhD, and qualifications commensurate with an appointment with tenure at the rank of full Professor. They will possess a level of scholarship and professional acumen that will allow them to speak to both scholarly communities and the legal profession. The ideal candidate has the ability to lead change given the evolving environment of legal education and practice, inspire intellectual curiosity and creativity, and balance internal and external engagement. Candidates preferably have experience in a senior role as an academic leader including a Dean or higher, an Associate Dean, a Chair of a department or as a Director of an Institute or Centre, or an equivalent academic framework. Candidates coming from industry or academia will have a proven capacity to advocate, build trust, influence, and collaborate. They will demonstrate success in support of academic productivity, participate in philanthropic and fund-raising efforts, and possess the ability to build strong relationships with local, national, and international communities, government, and alumni.
The successful candidate will provide leadership in creating space for diverse perspectives, a commitment to freedom of expression, and will actively lead the local implementation of university strategies including Indigenous (ii' taa’poh'to'p), Sustainability, Global Engagement, Mental Health, as well as an emerging EDIA strategy. The appointment as Dean, Faculty of Law is for a five-year period with the possibility of renewal. The successful candidate will be offered an academic position “With Tenure” at the rank of Professor.
About The University of Calgary
UCalgary is a global intellectual hub located in Canada’s most enterprising city. UCalgary is a bold and spirited institution, recognized as one of Canada’s top research universities, grounded in innovative teaching and learning, and fully engaged with the community it serves and leads.
“Great cities are built around great research universities and cities that successfully reinvent themselves do so in partnerships with focused, world-class institutions. The fate of Calgary and UCalgary are inextricably tied. Our community has supported us, and now is the time to show returns on those investments for the benefit of our community. Our ambition is nothing short of UCalgary being a catalyst of economic growth and quality-of-life improvements in this city and beyond.”
- Dr. Ed McCauley, President & Vice-Chancellor, University of Calgary
UCalgary recently unveiled its Ahead of Tomorrow strategic plan, which articulates a 7-year vision out to 2030. It's a bold vision that reflects our ambition to increase access to future-focused education, to maximize the impact of our research and innovation, to put the community at the centre of all that we do, and to make our operational processes clearer, simpler and better than any other university. To learn more about UCalgary’s strategic plan, visit: http://ucalgary.ca/about/ahead-of-tomorrow
Despite its youth, at only 57 years of age, UCalgary is already one of the nation’s leading research universities. It has five campuses in Calgary, one in Qatar, a University Innovation Quarter in Calgary, and five research stations in Alberta, BC, and the Yukon. UCalgary is a global intellectual hub for high-quality research and scholarship, one where students thrive in programs made rich by research, hands-on experiences, and entrepreneurial thinking, grounded in innovative learning and teaching; it is fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. As a Comprehensive Academic and Research University, we aim to produce the next generation of leaders who experience the best possible training in acquiring and creating new knowledge.
These foundational values and commitments enable excellence, discovery, creativity, and innovation across the research ecosystem. With over 28,000 undergraduate students, 8,000 graduate students, 575 postdoctoral fellows/associates (postdocs), and 1,800+ faculty actively engaged in transdisciplinary discovery, creativity, and innovation across 14 faculties and schools, and supported by 3,200+ staff, we deliver over 250 degree and non-credit programs – undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, postdoctoral training, and continuing and professional education programs. We increasingly attract domestic students from within Alberta and across Canada, and our knowledge and experience are enriched by international students from over 119 countries.
With over $545M in annual research revenue and more than 50 research institutes and centres, UCalgary has become known as a research powerhouse in Canada. The scholarly environment at UCalgary encourages our students, faculty, and staff to take on the tough challenges facing our society and to draw expertise from across all our domains to develop evidence-based solutions. We integrate research into graduate and undergraduate curricula, equipping students with transferable problem-solving skills tested in experiential and work-integrated learning scenarios to increase employability and opportunities for professional advancement.
UCalgary benefits from the ongoing support of our community, which rallies behind the university, recently completing the third-largest fundraising campaign in Canadian history, surpassing $1.4B.
UCalgary is a large and complex institution that drives tremendous value with an annual consolidated budget of more than $1.6B, it is among Calgary’s largest employers, and generates over $16B annually in economic impact to the province. Two-thirds of the university's 220,000 alumni live and work in the Calgary area, effectively building a city of leaders and those dedicated to improving quality of life and prosperity.
UCalgary has been recognized for eight consecutive years as one of Alberta’s Top 75 Employers (2017–2024) and Canada’s best diversity employer (2017–2024).
To learn more, visit ucalgary.ca. You can also view the academic and research & innovation plans, as well as the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility, Indigenous, mental health and sustainability strategies.
About Calgary
Recently ranked the most liveable city in North America and 5th in the world (2024) by The Economist Intelligence Unit, and possessing one of the youngest populations of major cities in Canada, Calgary is home to world-class attractions, sporting amenities and public infrastructure that supports a healthy lifestyle, making it a great place to raise a family (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnh-WugziiiHwMT44-sVwrA). Situated where the Canadian plains reach the sunny foothills of Canada’s majestic Rocky Mountains, Calgary is a major urban centre surrounded by an area of profound beauty with an awe-inspiring mountains, lakes, rivers and gorgeous prairie.
Consistently rated by the United Nations as the world’s best country to live in, Canada is the world’s second largest country by total area and is one of the most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations. Canada ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, and education.
To explore this opportunity further, please send your CV and Letter of Interest in confidence, with the subject line “Dean of Law” to: apply@jssearch.ca
The University of Calgary’s comprehensive benefits and pension program is designed to promote a productive level of health and well-being to staff members. In Alberta, decanal salaries are provincially regulated with the total compensation maximum set by the reform of Agencies, Boards, and Commissions (Post-Secondary Institutions) Compensation Regulation. In alignment with this regulation the salary range for this position is $260,000 - $350,000. To learn about our comprehensive benefits package for this Calgary-based, English-speaking position, please visit https://www.ucalgary.ca/hr/benefits-pension.
The University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here; in particular, we encourage members of equity-deserving groups (women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding diversity at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodation can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).
