Searches underway for Drake University Law School dean, director positions

Provost Joseph Valenzano III, also appointed to his position this summer, is heading the national search effort, Anderson said, and is currently putting together a search committee. The job application will open Oct. 1.

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“The provost is planning to have the search concluded by February, so that we can expect a new dean to start next summer,” Anderson said. “It’s always the best time for a new dean to start.”

Drake isn’t working with any outside firms currently to aid in the search, he said.

Also without a leader is Drake University’s Wrongful Convictions Clinic, which has paused its operation since the firing of former director Erica Nichols Cook in January. Job advertisements have already been released for the director position, Anderson said, with the same goal of having someone selected and starting on campus next summer. This search is also a national one, he said, saying the clinic is “a very specialized kind of practice.”

William Amor, who spent 22 years in prison for murder before being acquitted in a new trial, left around $3 million to the wrongful convictions clinic, Anderson said. The clinic is described in the director job posting as an entity that “provides meaningful experiential learning opportunities for students related to wrongful convictions and manifest injustice work.”

According to reporting from the Des Moines Register, conflicts over how the funds should be used and legal misunderstandings between Drake and the trustee for Amor’s estate led to Nichols Cook’s firing. She said to the Register that Amor, who died in 2023, wanted to leave the money to her as she had represented him previously.

“We’re excited by the possibilities for new leadership in that role,” Anderson said. “It’s definitely something that we’re committed to, and we have this endowment now that is supporting that work, that means that we have a long-term commitment to that clinic.”

A “really robust” cohort of 140 new students started their first-year orientation Tuesday, with the most out-of-state students the school has had in his 35 years working there, Anderson said. Application numbers have increased by 75% over the past four years, a trend Anderson attributes to top-100 rankings in the past few years and efforts Jones took to travel the country and “raise the national profile of Drake.”

One of Anderson’s main focuses in his temporary role is rural practice and ensuring students have the ability and training to work in rural areas, something he said is helped by a new law passed in the 2026 legislative session providing a framework for attorney loan forgiveness.

He said he will also continue to “seek alumni support” for scholarships for students, as new borrowing limits have been placed on federal loans.

“We definitely want to keep the momentum going, and I think they selected me because … I’ve done the job before,” Anderson said. “We cannot have any downtime in terms of keeping the momentum going.”

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