Syracuse College of Law Dean Boise to step down after this academic year

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Craig Boise, who has served as dean of the Syracuse University College of Law since 2016, will step down from the role at the end of this academic year.

Following a sabbatical, Boise will return to the College of Law to teach, mentor and continue his work as a legal scholar, Syracuse said in an online announcement.

Information on the search effort to identify Boise’s successor is “forthcoming,” the school noted.

“Craig’s impact has been transformative,” Gretchen Ritter, Syracuse University vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer, said in a university statement. “Under his leadership, the College of Law has been exceptionally strong in research, which is not traditional for law schools, and it has been innovative and entrepreneurial, particularly as it relates to evolving the legal education space to meet the needs of today’s students, increasing accessibility and opening doors to those who may come from post-traditional pathways. Craig has been an outstanding leader, partner and innovator and will leave behind an incredible success on which to be built.”

Boise came to Syracuse University from the Cleveland State University College of Law during a “period of great stress in legal education” when there were substantially fewer law-school applicants and a soft legal job market, Syracuse said.

When Boise stepped into his role as dean of the College of Law, Syracuse University said he described his vision to create “a sustainable law school that leverages the knowledge, skill and imagination of its faculty and staff to expand legal education in innovative ways.”

Seven years later, Boise is announcing his decision to step down “with that vision achieved,” the university contends. The College of Law is on “strong” financial and academic footing with new, “innovative” programs, partnerships and modalities, and students and graduates “performing at high levels during and after their legal education,” it adds.