Rochelle Edwards Appointed as Assistant Dean for Equity, Justice, and Engagement

Seton Hall Law welcomes Rochelle Edwards as the new Assistant Dean for Equity, Justice, and Engagement. As Dean Edwards begins her tenure, she plans to focus on ways the law school can continue to build its already strong and loyal community through events and team building opportunities. She recognizes the importance of meeting with student organizations in the coming weeks and hopes to bring back community conversation lunches with students and faculty to discuss the needs of the Seton Hall Law community.

But students don’t need to wait for one of her office’s scheduled event to work on cultural competency skills. Dean Edwards shared that students should purposefully surround themselves with people who are unlike them. She explains that “it takes a lot of conscious effort on the part of the individual to actually immerse yourself in a different environment, but the beauty of being in law school is that we have all these various affinity student organizations who hold many events that any student can attend.” She also highlighted the opportunity students have being in Newark, one of the most diverse cities in the country, to attend events and festivals happening in the city.

Dean Edwards is excited to be back in a legal setting and shared one benefit of a legal education is acquiring a skill set that others don’t have. Dean Edwards reflected on the various non-legal jobs she had before coming to Seton Hall, and how useful her legal education was. “We (as lawyers) think about things in a very analytical way, and weigh arguments that others might not consider. I think that's a set of skills that translates across a wide variety of industries. With a legal education you can do almost anything.”

Prior to joining Seton Hall Law, Dean Edwards served as the Director of Equity and Inclusion at Newark Academy, where she taught courses in U.S. and World History, Sociology of Race, and Global Politics. She received her bachelor's degree in history from Rice University and her J.D., with distinction, from Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law, where she was the Erwin L. Clemons Scholar. She received her Ph.D. in History at the University of South Carolina. 

Dean Edwards’ office is in Room 302, where she is happy to talk with students about how to make Seton Hall a more inclusive and welcoming school. Current students are invited to meet Dean Edwards in person on September 30th. Check the flyers near the elevators for details.

Categories: Diversity