Executive Director of the OCU Tribal Sovereignty Institute and Professor of Law

OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW (OCU Law) invites applications to fill a tenured or tenure-track 12-month position in American Indian Law.  The successful applicant, in addition to being a faculty member, will also be the inaugural Executive Director of the Oklahoma City University Tribal Sovereignty Institute (the Institute), which will be housed at OCU Law.  We welcome candidates whose approaches in research will add to the scope and depth of our faculty scholarship.

Applicants should have a lengthy history of scholarship in the area of American Indian Law and/or Tribal Law.  The successful applicant will teach classes at OCU Law and produce scholarship commensurate with the expectations for a tenured professor.  The Executive Director will help build a vital new institution serving tribal communities in Oklahoma and throughout the United States.   The Institute will provide support for academic research, teaching and advocacy, education, training, and cultural preservation.  The Executive Director will be expected to share the Institute’s scholarship on a state and national level, support fundraising efforts to expand the Institute’s mission, guide the planning and implementation of the Institute as it grows, supervise future staff additions to the Institute, and oversee existing activities at the University related to Native and Indigenous communities, including the American Indian Wills Clinic, the Sovereignty Symposium, and efforts in language preservation, cultural preservation and economic development.    

The Executive Director will work closely with the Dean of OCU Law, the University President, and other senior leaders in the institution.  The salary for the position will be that of a law professor of appropriate rank, supplemented with the salary associated with the Executive Director.

Candidates should have an excellent academic background, demonstrated ability as a productive and innovative scholar, a strong commitment to the practice of inclusion, and a strong commitment to engaged classroom teaching.  In addition, candidates should have administrative experience, as well as experience in leadership roles and in public outreach, including outreach through communications directed at both the legal community and lay people.  Candidates must have either (1) a J.D. degree from an ABA-accredited law school or (2) the combination of a foreign law degree and either a U.S. LL.M. or S.J.D. degree.

OCU Law is located in downtown Oklahoma City and is deeply engaged with the legal, business, and governmental communities.  Oklahoma City has been named “American’s Most Livable Community” and is consistently ranked among the most affordable and prosperous cities, among the top cities for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and among the best-run large cities.  

Oklahoma City University is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the values and goals of diversity.  We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, particularly members of groups underrepresented in the teaching or practice of law.  For the university’s complete nondiscrimination policy, please see:  https://www.okcu.edu/admin/hr/eeoc.

To apply, please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and job-talk paper to the Chair of the OCU Law Faculty Appointments Committee, Professor Jeremy Telman, datelman@okcu.edu.  Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Integrating Doctrine & Diversity Speaker Series — This Thursday

Register here.

Beyond the First Year: Integrating Doctrine & Diversity, Volume 2 Release Celebration

Join us for an enriching webinar as we celebrate the release of “Beyond the First Year,” the latest volume in the Integrating Doctrine & Diversity series. Engage in a dynamic discussion with the series editors and gain valuable insights into weaving diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into a variety of upper level courses. Listen to a selection of authors discuss their essays and offer practical strategies for enhancing your teaching throughout the upper-level curriculum. Don’t miss this opportunity to advance your approach and contribute to the evolving landscape of inclusive legal pedagogy.

This event is co-sponsored by Roger Williams University School of Law, City University of New York School of Law, George Washington University Law School, Berkeley Law, and JURIST.

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EST

Pathway to Law 2024 Details

Pathway to Law Workshop

June 5-9, 2024

Berkeley, CA

The Native American Pathway to Law Pre-Law programs educate and help students successfully navigate the law school application process. The Tenth Annual workshop will assist participants in preparing competitive applications. Come learn how to successfully apply to law school and network with law school professionals.

Topics covered:
• Learn about law school and career options
• Obtain information about the varied admissions criteria for law school
• Work with mentors to develop an effective application, resume, and personal statement
• Explore law school funding options
• Receive test prep tips for the LSAT
• Network with other participants, faculty, and professionals
• Hear from former and current American Indian law students

Applications are due March 15.

Apply at: law.asu.edu/pathwaytolaw

Questions? Contact ilp@asu.edu

UCLA Richard M. Milanovich Fellowship in Law 2024-2026 — Deadline Extended to Feb. 1, 2024

Here.

Breanna Bollig on Indian Education Rights

Breanna K. Bollig has published “Improving Public Schools: What Advocates Can Learn From Indian Education Rights” in the Journal of Law and Education.

An except:

Unbeknownst to most education advocates, though, is that Indian education rights provide critical lessons on how to improve schools and the right to education. Just as tribal nations—as separate sovereigns that are capable of enacting their own laws—are considered “laboratories of legal innovation,” there is massive potential for studying Indian education rights. With its successes and failures, education advocates can look to Indian education rights to better develop a strategy to improve public schools. In fact, education advocates could have much needed guidance in asking vital questions surrounding inadequate and inequitable public schools. For example, how should the states and the federal government share the responsibility of education in the United States? How should a federal right to education be created? How can we better hold inadequate and inequitable schools accountable? What other strategies can we use to improve inadequate and inequitable schools?

New Mexico COA Dismisses Effort to Force School District Consultation with Navajo Nation over Reopening of Schools During Pandemic

Here is the order in National Education Association of New Mexico v. Central Consolidated School District (N.M. Ct. App.):

Federal Court Action Challenging Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Exclusion of Child Abusing Teachers

Here are the materials so far in Shaff v. Claymore (D.S.D.):

Applications for Milanovich Fellowship in Law @ UCLA Law

UCLA’s Native Nations Law and Policy Center is now accepting applications for the Milanovich Fellowship in Law at UCLA School of Law (generously supported by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians). The Fellowship is designed for up to two years to help mentor and launch aspiring academics focusing on Indigenous rights into the legal academy.

Please circulate this announcement to your networks and encourage people to apply! Feel free to direct questions to Angela Riley.

Richard M. Milanovich Fellowship in Law 2024-2026 at UCLA School of Law is now active. Please direct interested applicants to https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF08950.

AILC & PLSI Judicial Clerkship Panel Discussion Next Week

The tribal, state, and federal benches need more Native judges and judicial clerks.  We encourage Native law students to join us to meet Native federal judges and learn more about their journey.  Please share with NALSA groups!

Visit the website for more information about the panelists and to register.

NYTs Story on Indian Boarding Schools

Here.