Director for Student Development, Student Affairs
About the role
The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School is one of the nation’s oldest and most distinguished law schools. We offer a distinctive cross-disciplinary legal education, drawing on the depth and breadth of the University of Pennsylvania, and a supportive intellectual community for our scholars, staff, and students alike.
Responsibilities
Lead the Professionalism Working Group and partner committees to shape policies and programs that embed professionalism and constructive dialogue across the student experience.
Represent the Law School in university-wide efforts related to civil discourse.
Develop and implement workshops, speaker series, and resources that support students’ growth as ethical, professional legal practitioners.
Collaborate with the Office of Career Strategy, Toll Public Interest Center, Externship office, faculty, and student leaders to coordinate professionalism training across all student programming, including Orientation; pro bono, clinical, and externship training, and leadership development programming.
Serve as a resource for students navigating questions of professional conduct, ethical decision-making, and identity formation within the legal field.
Partner with the Director for Student and Community Engagement to support student organizations in modeling professional norms and inclusive leadership.
Prepare sessions for the 1LAP cohort and new student Orientation focused on professional identity formation, networking, authenticity, inclusive leadership, and professionalism skills across a variety of legal practice settings.
Support the academic programming and leadership development for merit scholarship programs, including Levy Scholars, Silverman Scholars, and the Franklin Scholars, to guide academic enrichment, mentorship, and professional development opportunities for Scholars.
Shape and enhance the Morris Fellows program in partnership with Student Affairs and Admissions, building a more intentional framework for mentor preparation, regular communication, and sustained community-building between incoming students and their upper-level mentors.
Leverage Inn of Court program to cultivate mentorship opportunities, professional networking, and experiential learning that reinforce values of professionalism and professional dialogue.
Design and facilitate programs across all class years and throughout the academic year that encourage respectful dialogue across ideological, cultural, and political differences.
Collaborate with faculty, student groups, and external speakers to host forums, debates, and roundtables on complex legal and societal issues.
Advise and strengthen student-led journals by supporting editorial leadership, fostering scholarly excellence, and serving as a leadership resource for inclusive problem-solving.
Develop programming that introduces the concept of civil discourse to 1L students during Orientation and sets discourse expectations for the year.
Utilize restorative practices and conflict resolution techniques to support constructive engagement in moments of tension or disagreement.
Work in partnership with the Associate Dean of Students when student conflict touches upon broader community dynamics.
Serve as primary liaison with the University’s dialogue offices, including but not limited to, the Open Expression, Office of Equal Opportunity, Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests (Title VI), and the Paideia program.
Assist as needed with key Student Affairs events, including Orientation, community events, graduation, and more.
Engage in regular meetings with members of the Student Affairs team, individually and as a group, to ensure the continuation of a collaborative and engaged office.
Collaborate consistently with the Office of Career Strategy through individual and group meetings to advance shared goals and reinforce a student-focused office culture.
Requirements
Demonstrated record of at least five to seven years of progressively responsible leadership in student development, higher education, or legal professional training.
Experience designing and implementing programs that foster professional identity formation, civil discourse, and values-based engagement, preferably in the legal profession.
Experience supporting students from a variety of backgrounds, including across a range of cultural, socio-economic, or professional experiences.
Background in institutional management, student services, or the legal industry is valuable.
Strong understanding of the professional legal environment and its expectations for emerging practitioners is preferred.
Excellent portfolio of events and programs that establish an ability to think creatively about student development and an ability to collaborate across a variety of systems and organizational situations.
Bachelor's degree required, Masters or JD preferred, with concentration in higher education, or a related field.
Knowledge of legal education highly desirable.
Qualifications
Demonstrated record of at least five to seven years of progressively responsible leadership in student development, higher education, or legal professional training.
Experience designing and implementing programs that foster professional identity formation, civil discourse, and values-based engagement, preferably in the legal profession.
Experience supporting students from a variety of backgrounds, including across a range of cultural, socio-economic, or professional experiences.
Background in institutional management, student services, or the legal industry is valuable.
Strong understanding of the professional legal environment and its expectations for emerging practitioners is preferred.
Excellent portfolio of events and programs that establish an ability to think creatively about student development and an ability to collaborate across a variety of systems and organizational situations.
Bachelor's degree required, Masters or JD preferred, with concentration in higher education, or a related field.
Knowledge of legal education highly desirable.
Skills
Strategic planning and implementation.
Collaborative leadership and teamwork.
Program design and delivery.
Conflict resolution and mediation.
Communication and public speaking.
Event planning and coordination.
Student development and mentoring.
Legal education and professional ethics.
Benefits
The University of Pennsylvania offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.