UMass School of Law Associate Dean and Professor Michael G. Hillinger has been appointed Interim Dean by UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack.
UMass School of Law Associate Dean and Professor Michael G. Hillinger has been appointed Interim Dean by UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack. Dean Hillinger succeeds Robert V. Ward, Jr. who resigned last week.
"I am very grateful to Dean Hillinger for accepting this responsibility,'' Chancellor MacCormack said. "His long experience in legal education, his knowledge of our program and our aspirations, and his unyielding commitment to student success make him an ideal leader at this moment."
"I am honored and humbled by the trust that Chancellor MacCormack is placing in me," Dean Hillinger said. "I look forward to working closely with students, faculty, and staff to build on the great work that has already been accomplished."
Dean Hillinger has served in law school administration since 1990, including as associate dean of the Southern New England School of Law. He served as a law professor at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary, the Southern New England School of Law and the UMass School of Law. His research has focused on issues related to bankruptcy. Dean Hillinger holds a law degree from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary and a PhD in Political Science from Columbia University.
UMass School of Law Professor Philip E. Cleary has been appointed to serve as Associate Dean. Associate Dean Cleary earned his law degree at Boston College, and practiced law for a decade prior to embarking on his legal education career, which has included service as dean of the Southern New England School of Law. As a practicing attorney, Associate Dean Cleary tried the first case in the country involving private employee drug testing and served as an appellate attorney with the Committee for Public Counsel Services.