Among your many roles at the College of Law, you serve as
associate dean for research and faculty professional development. What does
this position entail?
As associate dean for research and faculty professional
development, I wear a number of hats. I ensure that the candidates for tenure
and promotion submit their application materials in a timely manner and are
evaluated by a faculty committee. I also work with the dean and the director of
communications to promote faculty research and scholarship to the legal academic
community and the public. In addition, together with the faculty programs
committee, I attempt to foster the intellectual environment at the College of
Law by bringing in faculty members from other law schools to speak to our
faculty on cutting-edge legal topics. Also, I assist junior faculty in getting their scholarly works placed in
law reviews and other outlets.
In what ways are our professors affecting students, the
DePaul community and the legal field beyond the classroom?
My faculty colleagues have a significant impact on our
students, the DePaul community and the law in general beyond their classroom
teaching. They produce scholarly writings cited by courts and referenced by
Congress, thus having an impact on law reform. Several colleagues have
coauthored amicus briefs in conjunction with appeals to the United States
Supreme Court and the U.S. Courts of Appeal. Others serve in the role of public intellectual,
publishing essays and op-ed pieces with the New York Times, the Huffington
Post, and other media. One faculty colleague, legal writing instructor and CIPLIT member Tony
Volini, collaborated with a recent graduate, Nicholas Restauri (JD ’12) in
filing a patent application for a data center migration tracking tool. This
kind of engagement with the legal community and our alumni is an important part
of our role as law faculty.
DePaul recently introduced a faculty advising program.
How does this support the College of Law’s emphasis on mentoring?
The College of Law is committed to connecting with our
students on a one-on-one basis throughout their time at DePaul. Each first-year
student is assigned a faculty advisor who can guide that student through some
of the challenges of law school and advise him or her about course selection,
externship opportunities, networking and career building. This program is part
of our personalized attention to our law students and furthers our goal of
ensuring that our students are successful in law school and beyond.
You are director of the Center for Intellectual Property
Law and Information Technology (CIPLIT®). What are some of CIPLIT’s proudest
achievements?
CIPLIT was started over 15 years ago by Professor Roberta
Kwall, who had the foresight to understand the growing importance of
intellectual property law. She created a center that serves our students,
faculty and the wider community by fostering research and scholarship in IP,
featuring nationally renowned speakers on IP topics, providing faculty and
attorney mentors for our students, and forging connections between our students
and alumni. This summer we hosted the acclaimed Intellectual Property Scholars
Conference in partnership with Berkeley, Cardozo and Stanford. Over 180 IP
scholars from across the country presented papers on the latest developments in
copyright, trademark, patent, cyberlaw and international IP. The exchange of
ideas at the conference, we hope, will stimulate further research and scholarly development in IP.
What role do our centers play in enhancing the reputation
of the law school and enriching the community?
Our centers and institutes allow us to create areas of
excellence within the law school. They bring together faculty and students who
are interested in a particular area of law, such as health law, public
interest, aviation law, cultural heritage, intellectual property and family
law. Faculty affiliated with a center or institute develop curricular
offerings, promote scholarship and research, build connections with the local
bar, and assist our students who plan careers in a particular field. Some of
our centers, such as aviation and cultural heritage, are virtually unique and
all of them have done much to enhance our national reputation.
You were recently appointed Vincent de Paul Professor of
Law. Congratulations! What does this honor mean to you?
It is a profound privilege to have been elected to the
Society of Vincent de Paul Professors. The society is composed of 32 professors
from across the university who have demonstrated outstanding teaching in core courses, have
engaged in worthwhile and significant scholarship, and have provided excellent
service to their academic unit and to the university. Except for some visits at
other schools, I have made my legal academic career at DePaul and am honored to
have my achievements recognized in this way. St. Vincent de Paul was noted, of
course, for his commitment to the poor and disadvantaged, and it is deeply
gratifying to be linked to his name.