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Dean Review Process

The primary goal of Northwestern’s dean review process is to ensure that school strategies are designed and carried out to enhance a school’s prominence and impact and are aligned with University priorities. The process takes place during the penultimate year of each dean’s five-year term and provides a high-level assessment of a dean's leadership based on the following criteria:

  • Intellectual leadership of the school
  • Faculty development and success
  • Cultivation of and support for sustaining a diverse and inclusive school community that contributes significantly to a diverse University community
  • Cross-school and unit collaboration and contribution to the overall strategic goals of the University
  • Leadership/management of school operations and infrastructure
  • Development/philanthropy success
  • Engagement and impact beyond the University

The provost appoints a small faculty ad hoc work group to lead community engagement in the school and to provide the provost with advisory input regarding the dean’s performance. Guided by criteria provided by the Office of the Provost, the work group gathers perspectives on the dean's performance. The work group conducts a focused set of meetings with dean’s staff, department chairs and program directors, and representative student leaders. Perspectives from the broader school community also are gathered through a survey of faculty and staff. Additionally, perspectives from additional stakeholders, including University leaders and selected fellow deans, are collected to inform a comprehensive view of the dean’s performance.

Current Review

Dean of the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

Dean Hari M. Osofsky will be reviewed through this process during the 2024-25 academic year. Provost Kathleen Hagerty appointed a three-person faculty work group to lead the Northwestern Pritzker Law community engagement process and provide advisory input:

  • Deborah Tuerkheimer, Class of 1967 James B. Haddad Professor of Law (Chair)
  • Michael Kang, Class of 1940 Professor of Law
  • James Pfander, Owen L. Coon Professor of Law

Members of the Northwestern community are invited to submit input or questions regarding the Northwestern Pritzker Law dean review process to lawdeanreview@northwestern.edu.

Past Dean Reviews

2024

  • Dean E. Patrick Johnson in the School of Communication was reviewed through this process during Winter and Spring 2024. The review resulted in the announcement of Dean Johnson’s reappointment on Sept. 16, 2024, with his second five-year term as dean beginning on Aug. 1, 2025.
  • Dean Marwan Kraidy in NU-Q was reviewed through this process during Spring 2024. The review resulted in the announcement of Dean Kraidy’s reappointment on Sept. 16, 2024, with his second five-year term as dean beginning on July 1, 2025.

2023

  • Dean Francesca Cornelli in the Kellogg School of Management was reviewed through this process during Winter and Spring 2023. The review resulted in the announcement of Dean Cornelli’s reappointment on Dec. 6, 2023, with her second five-year term as dean beginning on Sept. 1, 2024.
  • Dean Charles Whitaker in the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications was reviewed through this process during Winter and Spring 2023. The review resulted in the announcement of Dean Whitaker’s reappointment on Dec. 6, 2023, with his second five-year term as dean beginning on Sept. 1, 2024.

2021

  • Dean David Figlio in the School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) was reviewed through this process during Winter and Spring 2021. The review resulted in the announcement of Dean Figlio’s reappointment on Oct. 7, 2021. Figlio departed the University on May 15, 2022, to become provost at the University of Rochester.

2019

  • Dean Adrian Randolph in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences was reviewed through this process during Spring and Summer 2019. The review resulted in the announcement of Dean Randolph’s reappointment on Nov. 4, 2019, with his second five-year term as dean beginning on Sept. 1, 2020.

If you have any questions or input on the dean review process, please email Associate Provost for Strategy and Policy Roma Khanna at roma.khanna@northwestern.edu.