Dean Kathleen M. Boozang announces her return to the Seton Hall Law faculty and Professor John Kip Cornwell is named Interim Dean
In a message to the Seton Hall community on November 9, 2022, Dean Kathleen M. Boozang announced that in the eighth year of her deanship, she felt it was the right time for her and the Law School to begin their next chapters. She shared that she advised the provost of her decision to return to the Law School faculty, a common practice for law schools and one used by many of her predecessors.
“It is time for the next generation of leadership to articulate and actualize the vision for Seton Hall Law,” said Dean Boozang. “I have dedicated more than half of my adult life to this law school. Those who came before me built something very special, and it was a special privilege and responsibility to be entrusted with its stewardship. I am proud to be returning to a faculty for which I have such great respect and affection.”
Dean Boozang’s tenure was guided by her “One Student at a Time” ethos. Her first initiatives were creating the position of Assistant Dean of Equity, Diversity and Engagement, dramatically growing the Law School’s graduate programs for non-lawyers, and converting the part-time evening program to an innovative weekend-hybrid program.
The Legal Educational Opportunities (LEO) program has been revitalized and the very thoughtful work with academic success and bar pass, including the endowment of a bar pass fund, has had a real impact on Seton Hall Law students becoming lawyers.
The Law School’s focus on technology and emphasis on pedagogy have created a superior experience for students. The strength of its skills curriculum is captured by the outstanding quality of the Lawyering Program, the creation of the McLaughlin Trial Advocacy Workshop and the beauty of the DeCotiis Moot Court Room.
The investment in its graduate programs — compliance, health law, privacy and cybersecurity — and expansion of emerging specialties like Sports, Gaming, Hospitality, and Entertainment— continues to distinguish Seton Hall Law.
These initiatives attracted strong and diverse law school classes that achieved increasing bar-passage rates and career success across a variety of sectors.
During her deanship and especially throughout COVID, Seton Hall Law was able to sustain the tradition of putting students first while advancing an environment that allows faculty to thrive in the classroom and in their research.
The entire Seton Hall community thanks Dean Boozang for her tireless devotion to Seton Hall Law, and for her continued service to the University — her academic home since 1990.
Interim Dean Kip Cornwell has called Seton Hall Law his professional home since 1994 and is a highly regarded member of the community. In his November 14, 2022 email, he shared, “I have had the honor of teaching thousands of students, primarily in Criminal Law and Procedure, and have been faculty advisor for our student journals, overseen transfer admissions and served as Associate Dean under Pat Hobbs.”
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard, master’s from Cambridge and J.D. from Yale. His scholarship focuses on the intersection of criminal and mental health law, with particular attention to the constitutional limits on states’ authority to manage criminal offending linked to mental disability.
As interim dean, he will continue to elevate the Law School’s mission to foster top-notch attorneys who work for justice and bring Seton Hall’s ideals to the legal profession and society.
The dean transition is already underway and going well, with Boozang and Cornwell working together to ensure a smooth transition for the remainder of the semester. During Cornwell’s tenure as interim dean, the University will launch and conduct a nationwide search for the Law School’s next full-time dean.
Dean Boozang and Interim Dean Cornwell agree, “Seton Hall Law is an outstanding law school, as evidenced first and foremost by the success of our alumni, by the reputation of our graduates and by our bar pass and employment outcomes. The Seton Hall Lawyer is truly unique.”