University of Miami Fires Law Dean He Wasn’t Good At Raising Cash

The thin veneer of reality about what law deans are really there for is stripped away by this case in hand.

University boots law dean from post after less than two years, suggesting he’s a better faculty member than a key fundraiser. The law faculty is livid writes  Inside Higher Ed.

The University of Miami is pushing out its law dean despite objections from the faculty, apparently because he didn’t raise enough money.

The dean, Anthony Varona, will remain at Miami in his role as the M. Minnette Massey Professor of Law, focusing on media and sexuality law. He served as dean for less than two years, most of which was spent navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a message to the law school this week, Miami president Julio Frenk said he’d asked Varona to step down as dean, effective July 1, as the university approaches its centennial and “we prepare to accelerate progress on our strategic priorities.”

The historic events of the last 16 months “have revealed both challenges and opportunities that highlight the need for a dean with the required vision and effectiveness of execution to bring the school to new levels of excellence,” Frenk said. In particular, “the current capital campaign — which will culminate in four short years — presents a rapidly narrowing window of opportunity to mobilize significant resources on behalf of Miami Law.”

Following his implicit criticism of the dean’s fundraising abilities, Frenk thanked Varona for his service during “a time of unparalleled disruption in higher education.” As social justice “remains at the forefront of jurisprudence,” Frenk said, “we look forward to his continued impact on the school and its students as a tenured member of the faculty, who has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to Miami Law.”

A search for a new dean is planned.

The tenured faculty at the University of Miami immediately adopted a resolution protesting the decision and asking Frenk to reconsider.

“This news surprised and shocked the faculty,” the resolution says. “The haste and lack of consultation with which the president and provost have made this decision raise profound and disturbing issues of governance.”

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https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/05/27/u-miami-ousts-law-dean-apparently-over-insufficient-fundraising