REFLECTIONSOFARELUCTANTPIONEER
JENNIFERL.ROSATO*
IhavemixedfeelingsaboutbeingoneoffourLatinaDeansintheUnitedStates.IfeelquitehonoredandprivilegedtobepartofsuchadistinguishedgroupofLatinas,butatthesametimecontinuetobesurprisedthatourgroupisstillsosmall-andthattherewereonlytwoofusjustayearago.1 Intheannouncement fortheDeans'RoundtableattheLatCritConference,thefourLatinadeanswereintroducedas"Latina academic pioneers." I don't usually think of myself as apioneer,asmostdaysIfocusondoingajobthatIloveforwhich Ihave been training for over twenty-five years. Being a dean hasallowedmetointegratemystronginterestsineducation,students,thelaw,problem-solving, aswellasworkingwithpeopleandmotivatingthemtodotheirbest.Thedeanshiphasallowedmetopursuemylifelongpassion totransform legaleducation intoanexperience that ismoreengaging andexperiential, and moreaccessible andsatisfyingforallstudents.2
* Dean and Professor,NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw. Thankstothe organizersof the LatCrit Conference,especiallyProfessorFrank Valdes (whoinvited ustoparticipateintheconference)and ProfessorCarmen Gonzalez(for herinsightful questions as moderator). I recognize the hard work of my researchassistants, JenniferJeep Johnsonand Kehinde Durowade, and my assistantTitaKaus. Iwould not bewhere Iam today without ProfessorMichael Olivas, mentorand guardianangel, and all my fellow Latino law professorswhosupportedmeinmy journey here. As always, I am grateful for the inspiration, support, andsuggestionsofProfessorJuanPerea.
I. Iserved as Acting Dean at Earle Mack Drexel UniversitySchool of Lawfrom 2006-2007,andbegan mytermatNIU CollegeofLaw inJuly2009. SeeLauraM.Padilla,AGenderedUpdateonWomenLawDeans:Who,Where,Why,andWhyNot?,15 AM.U.J.GENDERSoc.POL'YL.443, 462 n.80 (2007).Leticia Diaz,Dean of Barry UniversitySchoolof Law, began her term in 2007. Rosenblatt'sDeansDatabase,MISS.COLL.OFLAW, Jan.18,2012).
2. SeeJenniferL. Rosato,AllIEverNeededtoKnowAboutTeachingLaw
SchoolILearnedTeachingKindergarten:IntroducingGamingTechniquesinthe
445
Asapioneer-oneofthefirsttoexperiencewhatitisliketobeaLatinalawdean-Ibringmyownuniqueperspectivesonlegaleducationandthelegalprofession.IhadtheprivilegeofsharingmanyofthoseperspectivesduringtheLatCritRoundtable.InthisEssay,Iwill focusonsomeofthe challenges thatremainfor LatinosandLatinasinlegaleducationandthelegalprofession,particularlywithregardtodiversityandleadership.Thosechallengesaredaunting,butlawdeans(especiallylawdeansofcolor)arewellsituatedtomakeadifferenceinovercomingthemintheirownway.
DIVERSITY
WhenIjoinedtheacademyin1990,Latino/alawprofessorswerestillfewandfarbetween,andLatinos/asinlawschoolswerestillasmallpercentageoftheincomingclassesinlawschool.Sincethen,manyeffortshavebeenmadeinlawschoolsandintheprofessiontoattempt to diversify and increase the numbers of Latino/a lawstudents,lawprofessors,deans,lawyers,firmpartners,andcorporatecounsel.Thoseextensiveeffortshaverangedfromawardinggenerousscholarshipstoattractdiverselawstudents;shamingoflawschoolstohiremoreLatinolawprofessors,notablytheHispanicNationalBarAssociation's"Dirty Dozen List";3 sponsoringmentoringprogramsforlawstudentsandlawyersandtrainingforhiringcommitteesatlawschoolsandlawfirms;4 andbringing"CallstoAction"toencouragegreaterdiversityinlawyersrepresentingmajorcorporationsandotherclients.5
LawSchoolClassroom,45J.LEGALEDUC.568 (1996);JenniferL.Rosato,BringingtheOutsidein:RecipesforIntegratingChildProtectionPolicyandPracticeintoOurClassrooms,41 FAM.CT.REV.439 (2003);JenniferL.Rosato,TheSocraticMethodandWomenLawStudents:Humanize,Don'tFeminize,7S.CAL.REV.L.WOMEN'SSTUD.37(1997).
3. SeeEdibertoRoman ChristopherCarbot,FreeridersandDiversityinthe
LegalAcademy:ANewDirtyDozenList?,83IND.L.J.1235, 1238-39(2008).
4. SeegenerallyAM.BARASS'N,DIVERSITY INTHELEGAL PROFESSION: THENEXTSTEPS11-16, 25-30, 35-40 (2010);LCLDFellows,LEADERSHIPCOUNCILONLEGALDIVERSITY, visited Jan. 24, 2012)(recentmentoringprogramforlawyers).
5. Rick Palmore,ACalltoAction:DiversityintheLegalProfession,Ass'NCORP. COUNS. (Oct. 2004),
Despite these efforts, achieving meaningful diversity in lawschools and throughout the profession still remains an unrealizedgoal.6 Thefollowingstatisticalsnapshotofthelegalprofessionspeaksvolumes:
•29.8%oflawfirmshavenominoritypartners,and57.1%
havenominoritywomenpartners.7
•Most minority women lawyers leave law firms withineightyears.8
•Latinasaccountforonly1.3%ofalllawyers.9
•There arelessthan fifteen women deansofcolorout ofapproximately 200ABA-approved lawschools;andtherestillarenoAsianwomendeans.10
Moreover, itisnot likely that thispicture will improvesignificantlyanytimeintheforeseeablefuture.Thepipelinetotheprofession appearstobedryingup-despiteour"buckets" ofeffortsandtheincreaseinthenumbersofLatinos/asinthecountry.11Afewof the "dry spots" along the pipeline begin to explain the currentpictureandhelppredictthefuture.Onedryspotisatthecollegelevel.
Action: Part Two, LAW.COM(May 22, 2008), 2008WhitePaper,LEADERSHIPCOUNCILONLEGAL DIVERSITY, visited Jan.24,2012).
6. SeeAM.BARAss'N,supranote4.
7. ACloserLookatNALPFindingsonWomenandMinoritiesinLawFirmsby RaceandEthnicity,NAT'LASS'N FORLAWPLACEMENT,at tbl.3 (Jan. 2011),
8. ARINN.REEVES,AM.BARASS'N,FROMVISIBLEINVISIBILITYTOVISIBLYSUCCESSFUL7(2008).
9. COMM'N ONLATINASINTHEPROFESSION,HISPANICNAT'LBARASS'N,FEWANDFARBETWEEN:THEREALITYOFLATINALAWYERS10(2009)(contrastingthatLatinasmakeupseven percent ofthetotalU.S.population).
10. SeeMinorityLawSchoolDeans,L.PROFESSORBLOGSNETWORK(July 1,
2011),
deans.html(listinglawschool deans ofcolor).
11. See The Hispanic Population: 2010, U.S. CENSUSBUREAU2-3 (May
2011),seealsoVictorB.Saenz Luis Ponjuan,MenofColor:EnsuringtheAcademicSuccessofLatinoMales in Higher Education, INST.FORHIGHEREDUC.POL'Y 5 (Nov. 2011),
AlthoughmoreLatinos/asaregoingtocollege,manyaregoingtocommunitycollegesandnotcompleting baccalaureate degrees(whichwouldbethegatewaytograduateschool).12
Anotherdryspotislawschooladmissions,whichappeartobedecliningforstudentsofcolor. Atleastonestudyconcluded thatlawschooladmissionsforAfrican-AmericanandMexican-Americansdeclined between 1993 and 2008.'3 The environment is likely tobecome even more difficult for admitting students of color, as anumber of other adverse conditions exist: the cost of law schoolcontinuestoincreasealongwiththedebtload;14thejobprospectsforlawschoolgraduatesarestill limited;15 andtheexistence ofimplicitbiaslimitstheeffectiveness ofevenwell-meaning diversityefforts.16
ArecentchallengetotheU.S.SupremeCourt's decisioninGrutterv.Bollinger,17ifsuccessful,maydryupthepipelineevenfurtherbyprohibiting law schools from considering race as a factor inadmissions.18
12. Richard Fry,HispanicCollegeEnrollmentSpikes,NarrowingGapswithOther Groups, PEW HISPANICCTR. 3, 5-6 (Aug. 25, 2011), in2009-2010; 15%ofLatinos getting Baccalaureate degrees compared to
39%whitestudents); seealsoSaenzPonjuan, supranote11,at8-10(Latinoslag
behindLatinasincompletingbachelor'sdegrees).
13. TamarLewin,LawSchoolAdmissionsLagAmongMinorities,N.Y.TIMES(Jan.6,2010),Butsee
E-mailfromStephenT.Schreiber,Exec.VicePres.LawSchoolAdmissionCouncil,todeansofAmericanlawschools(Jan. 14,2010),availableat (rebutting assertionsmadeinLewin,supra,explainingdata,andconcluding that"[d]iversity amonglawschoolmatriculantshasconsistently increasedoverthepastseveralyears").
14. William D.Henderson Rachel M.Zahorsky, TheLawSchoolBubble:HowLongWillItLastifGradsCan'tPayBills?,ABAJ.(Jan. 1,2012),
15. SeeWilliam D.Henderson Rachel M.Zahorsky, LawJobStagnationMayHaveStartedBeforetheRecession-andItMayBeaSignofLastingChange,ABAJ.(July1,2011),
16. SeeHowardRoss,ProvenStrategiesforAddressingUnconsciousBiasintheWorkplace,2CDOINSIGHTS 1, 1-16(2008), availableat
17. 539U.S.306(2003).
Despite these challenges to diversity, a dean is in a uniquepositiontomakesomesignificant progress towards diversity. IhavetakenonanumberofinitiativesasDean,inadditiontoconsideringdiversityinfacultyhiringandinadmissions. (Asapubliclawschool,diversity andaccess areanintegral partofthelawschool'smissionandcorevalues.)Idirectsomeofmyeffortstobuildingthepipeline.Forexample,Iencourageminoritylawyerstoconsiderandprepareforan academic career through presentations to lawyers. I have cosponsored aSociety ofAmerican LawTeachers' (SALT)"BreakingIn"conference toencourage more professors ofcolor.19 Iregularlyspeaktogroupsofstudents,includingundergraduatesandminoritystudents,andencourage themtobelawyersandleaders.Ialsospeakto law students of color, candidly discussing issues such as thecontinuedneedtofightdiscrimination(overtandsubtle),andtheirimportantidentitiesasmentorsandrolemodelstootherswhofollowintheirfootsteps. Icollaborate withlawyerstopresentworkshops onidentifyinganderadicatingimplicitbias,andotherdiversityissues.Ibelievethatallofthesecontributions willhelpinsomesmallwaytoimprove the diversity pipeline, which requires all of our persistenteffortsdespitesetbacks.
LEADERSHIP
Thewell-worn adage"it'slonelyatthetop"isevenmorefittingforleadersofcolor,includinglawdeans.Myexperienceofbeingaminority women law dean is probably similar to the experience ofminoritywomenjudges, lawpartners,andbarleaderswhohavebeenpioneersintheirownareas.IwillsharewhatIseeastheleadershipchallenges from my own personal experiences, and how I haveaddressedthosechallenges.
First,beingaminoritylawdeanisanisolatingexperience. There
are few support networks available to deal with the myriad ofproblemsthatenduponadean's deskonadailybasis.Adeanmustmaintain a certain professional distance from her faculty and staff
granted,132 S.Ct. 1536 (2012); Adam Liptak, CollegeDiversityNearsItsLastStand,N.YTIMES(Oct. 15,2011),
19. ThisSALTworkshop wasco-sponsored byNIUCollegeofLawandJohn
MarshallLawSchool,andwasheldonSeptember 16,2011.
colleagues, since a dean must deal with them professionally on aregular basis through difficult faculty and staff dynamics, seriousstudentproblems,andprivatepersonnelissues.Theisolationmayfeelevendeeperforadeanofcolor,asprofessorsofcolormayfeellikeadean's decision against their interests maybe seen asabetrayal ofone's own rather than an attempt at a thoughtful resolution ofcompeting interests. In addition, there are few opportunities formentoringandmuchlearningisbytrialanderror.Iconfesstoreadinginspirational management books from time-to-time tokeep positiveandgivemehelpfulguidance. IalsoamfortunatetohavetheformerdeansforwhomIhaveworkedandcolleaguedeansattheUniversitytohelpmenavigatethemostdifficultproblems.
Second,thepresumption ofincompetence ofminority leadersisever-present, albeitsubtle.InarecentABAJournalarticleregardingLatinolawyers,anumberofthelawyersinterviewedraisedthepresumptionofincompetenceasaconsistenttheme:"Latinolawyersneededtobe'10timesbetter'asprofessionalsthantheirnon-Latinocounterparts."20 This presumption can present itself inanumber ofways,including"microagressions,"defined asthe"everyday insults,indignitiesanddemeaning messages senttopeopleofcolorbywell
intentionedwhitepeople."21
Inmy experience as dean, one way this presumption presentsitselfisthroughfeminizationandsexualization. Ihappentobefemale,Latina,petite,andyouthful-looking (forfifty).IamregularlyaskedifIamarunnerorworkoutregularly;myweight,eatinghabits,andmyfashionaremattersofcommoninterest.Iamaskedaboutmyteenagedaughteronaregularbasis(although shedoesnotlivewithme),andabout thestatus of myrelationship with my partner (who isalawprofessor at another law school). I am continually balancing thecommonexpectation tobe nice andsupportive, and theneed tobe
20. Maria Chavez, The Rise of the Latino Lawyer: New Study RevealsInspiring Success, Lingering Obstacles, ABA J. (Oct. I, 20II), see also COMM'N ON LATINAS IN THEPROFESSION, supra note 9, at 35-37. See generally CARMEN G. GONZALEZ ANGELA P.HARRIS,PRESUMEDINCOMPETENT:THEINTERSECTIONSOFRACEANDCLASS FORWOMEN INACADEMIA(GabriellaGutierrezyMuhsetal.eds.,2012).
21. Tori DeAngelis, Unmasking 'RacialMicroAggressions,'AM.PSYCHOL.Ass'N (Feb.2009),
"tough"whennecessary.Asmanywomenleadershaveexperienced,signsofassertivenessthatareexpectedofwhitemalebossesarestilldifficulttoacceptfromwomenbosses(andespeciallyifpetiteandyoungandLatina).
Despitethesechallenges,Ihavefoundwaystoovercomethemanddevelopmyownstyleofleadershipthatfitsmypersonalityand
role.Ihavefounditveryimportanttoknowthecultureandhistoryoftheinstitution,andevenmoreimportanttoknowthemotivationsand
personalitiesofthefolksIdealwithonaregularbasis,includingstaff,faculty, and University administrators. Building relationships, and
buildingmycredibilitythroughthestrengthofthoserelationships,hasbeencrucial.Anditreallyisimportantto"chooseyourbattles"and
notcall-outeverypettyindignitythatonereceives.
Ialsohaveenjoyeddevelopingmyownmanagementstyle.Foryears,studentshavecalledmethe"sneakerdean"becauseIoftenwearsneakersaroundcampus,signalingmyinformalityandaccessibility.Evenmoreimportantly,Itrytoleadconsistentlywithtransparency,straightforwardness,professionalism,andinclusion.Asa teacheranddean,Iamknownas"tough butfair."Ialsotrytocombatmicroaggressionswithmicroaffirmations,whichhavebeendefinedas"tinyactsofopeningdoorstoopportunity,gesturesofinclusionandcaring,andgracefulactsoflistening."22 Specifically,Itrytoidentifytheskillsandtalentsofmyteam(especiallyfacultyandstaff),andmaximizethesecontributionsasmuchaspossible.
AlthoughIfeelthatIhaveworkedhardtostrengthenmyown
credibilityandabilitytoleadatmyowninstitution,mylingeringconcernisbroaderandmoresignificant:therestillremainasmallnumberofminoritywomenlawdeans,andIdonotfeelthatthenumbers are likely to grow significantly in the years to come.Becomingadeanoftenmeansmovingafamilytoanewplaceandfindingworkforaspouseorpartner,anditisademandingjoballyearlongwithsignificanttravelandpublicappearancesoneveningsandweekends.Moreneedstobedonetoencouragewomenandminoritylawprofessorstobecomeassociatedeansorgainothervaluableadministrativeexperiencethatwillprepareandpositionthemfordeanshipswhenthoseopportunitiesarise.ThePromotingDiversityin
22. Ross,supranote16,at9.
LawSchoolLeadershipconference23 isastart,butmuchmoreneedstobedoneifthenumbersofminoritywomenlawdeansaregoingtomcrease.
FINALREFLECTIONS
While I love being a dean, I reluctantly accept my role as a"pioneer" Latina dean. This role has enabled me to impact legaleducationandthelegalprofessioninmanywaysthatIcouldnothaveimagined,includingcurricular innovation,experiential learning,ethicseducation,resourcedevelopment,andfacilities.MymostsignificantimpactisthatIreaffirm-eachday-thataLatinacanbeaneffectivedeanandleadalawschoolwithvision,competence,andstyle.AndperhapsmakeiteasierforotherLatinastobecomedeans,asIhave.
23. The workshop was held most recently on September 23-24, 2011. Formoreinformation,seePromotingDiversityinLawSchoolLeadership,REGONLINE, visitedJan.24,2012).