It was amazing at the way dean candidates would shoot themselves in the foot during the interview process. The main problem was ambivalence. People want to be inspired.
—Melanie Leslie, dean of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, explaining one of the biggest reasons for failed law school dean candidates. She goes on to note, that with steadying law school enrollment jobs are increasingly competitive, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t throw your hat in the ring. The secret is no one really knows how to be dean until they’re doing the job, but, “Don’t take yourself out of the running because you’re smart enough to know you don’t know how to run anything,” Leslie said.