Interim Dean Takes Helm at TU Law
By April Marciszewski, Tulsa World, Okla.
Jul. 13–The new dean of the University of Tulsa’s College of Law, Janet Koven Levit, finds herself with resources to make the law school great while the university as a whole rises in esteem.
“We’re at a critical mark right now in our march toward excellence,” Levit said.
TU’s law school has long been well-regarded for energy law, American Indian law and, more recently, international law, she said.
Now the revitalization TU has undergone in the past decade — recruiting students with higher academic credentials, hiring more professors and transforming the campus to provide a residential experience — is coming around to the law school.
TU announced Friday that Levit was the school’s new dean. She had served as interim dean since October, after Robert Butkin, former state treasurer, stepped down as dean after two years to become a professor.
Levit is the college’s first female dean and the first dean since the 1960s to come from the faculty, according to a TU press release.
As interim dean, Levit led the school through the last year of a 2 1/2-year strategic-planning process, which produced three goals: improving student quality, hiring and retaining top faculty and improving
students’ experiences beyond the classroom, she said.
In an e-mailed statement, TU Provost Roger Blais said Levit was chosen as dean after extensive consultation with faculty, alumni, community members and TU constituents.
“She has clearly demonstrated that we had the right candidate for the job already in place,” Blais said.
Under Levit’s leadership, TU recruited its most academically qualified class of first-year law students, based on factors such as Law School Admission Test scores and undergraduate grade point averages.
This fall’s class is also half the size — about 130 students — as five years ago, which allowed admissions officials to form a class of the most qualified students who will be most likely to pass the bar exam, Levit said.
The new students scored, on average, in the top third of LSAT-takers nationwide, whereas entering students in 2000 scored, on average, in about the top two-thirds.
The smaller class size will allow students to get to know faculty better, Levit said.
In February, TU had the highest pass rate — 93 percent — among Oklahoma’s three law schools for students who took the bar exam for the first time.
More students take the test in July, but Levit expects the high pass rate to continue. Several years ago, TU’s rate dropped,corresponding with a peak in class size and a higher number of students toward the lower end of academic preparation.
Toward another goal, Levit wants to help faculty grow in their teaching and scholarly writing, especially as legal scholarship changes, she said.
“We have tremendous assets and talent among our faculty” — the school just needs to communicate that nationally, she said.
Ultimately, Levit wants TU’s law school to be the best at energy and American Indian law. To that end, she is looking for more partnerships like what Chesapeake Energy Corp. started last fall with a $500,000 pledge that will pay for visiting professors, scholarships and more.
“We think we have a great thing here,” Levit said.
April Marciszewski 581-8475 april.marciszewski@tulsaworld.com
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