The University of Iowa announced earlier this month that it would name long-term faculty member Todd Pettys as dean for a limited term of two years until they find a replacement after a national search failed to yield a new dean.
The search for a new College of Law dean began last year after former College of Law Dean Kevin Washburn announced he would step down at the end of 2024. During the search, Law Professor Todd Pettys assumed the role of interim dean, planning to hold the position temporarily until someone new was found.
Pettys has been serving as interim dean since January and will officially assume the role of dean, effective July 1, 2024. Pettys limited term is a result of needing someone to serve as dean while the university looks nationwide for a successor following the end of his term.
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Pettys grew up in the Pacific Northwest; specifically Washington and Montana. While fundraising for Duke University, the idea of going to law school captured his attention.
“I found that lots of the [Duke University] donors we were working with had law degrees in their backgrounds even if they were not practicing law,” Pettys said. “ I came to recognize law as a general door-opening degree.”
Pettys completed his undergraduate degree at Seattle Pacific University and his law degree at the University of North Carolina School of Law before joining UI in 1999. He began teaching classes regarding constitutional law and federal court as an associate professor and has been at the university ever since.
Pettys original role in the dean search was co-chair of the search committee. However, After Washburn’s resignation announcement, the college concluded that they would need an interim dean to bridge the gap from one person to another.
“The provost asked me to serve as interim dean for that period and when the provost decided to pause the search and go out on the market again—they still needed someone to serve as interim dean and he asked me to continue for a longer period,” he said. “I didn’t apply for the job, it wasn’t a job I was seeking, just merely filling a gap between one long-term dean and the next.”
Being dean of a UI college isn’t easy work; it’s a hectic job. The dean’s responsibilities are widespread from fundraising for the college to day-to-day operations. Pettys works daily with people on and off campus.
“Throughout the day, I work with administrators, central administrators, my own faculty and administrative team to tackle any issues that come up in an institution of higher education,” Pettys said. “There’s not a typical day [at work].”
Pettys’ goal for the College of Law is clear: build a good foundation for the next dean. He began thinking about revenue-generating programs and ideas, budgeting, modernizing administrative operations, and overall helping the college put its best foot forward to the future.