Get to Know Dean Dickerson

So many things appeal to me about leading a school like Southwestern. First and foremost is the people. The students are simply amazing. They're passionate. They're committed to social justice. They have grit and resilience, and they're going to be amazing lawyers and leaders.

The faculty is incredible. They're doing so much cutting-edge work in their different fields. They love working with our students. And then the administration is amazing. All of the staff members really care about the students as complete people. Really they're part of our family for their entire lives and careers once they come here.

Dean Dickerson is an incredibly seasoned executive and Dean. Her experience in legal education is just unparalleled, and her leadership and what she's done at a number of other law schools made her the ideal candidate for Southwestern. Being the Dean at Southwestern is just not an Academic Dean. It's being the President and CEO.

There's just no substitute for the experience of actually leading not just one law school, but multiple law schools over many years through many different types of challenges. Dean Dickerson brings a fresh set of eyes to the school. She really cares about listening to students concerns and our needs and what we'd like to make better about the school. She's very proactive. She's not afraid to make changes.

I've just been blown away having worked with her for nearly a year. By her-- Not only her energy, her phenomenal intelligence, work ethic, and administrative skill. She is a really solid decision-maker. She gives a level of confidence to those around her in that regard. It's her ability to look at competing interests and make the right decision has been very impressive.

Dean Dickerson really understands the mission of the school and is committed to that mission. To support students in terms of financial need this is a critical need for the school, for the students, and she's on it. Another of Dean Dickerson strategic priorities is retaining and recruiting our exceptional faculty. We have exceptional faculty. I was a student here, I can attest to that. We want to keep them.

We got to meet and hang out kind of just one on one, discussing our common goals as me being the Student Bar Association President and she being essentially the President of our entire institution. She has a strong commitment to diversity, not only to actually attracting diversity students into the fold at the law school but figuring out ways to retain them.

Another of Dean Dickerson's strategic priorities is a holistic approach to student education and wellness... Taking care of the students not just in terms of their educational needs, but the mental-emotional well-being so we were incredibly happy that she was joining us.