Drinan Scholars Program Visiting Assistant Professor
Boston College: Boston College Law School
Location: Newton, MA
Description:
Boston College Law School seeks applicants for the Drinan Scholars Program. The Drinan Scholars Program is a two-year Visiting Assistant Professor appointment that provides aspiring legal academics with an opportunity to develop their scholarship and teaching in pursuit of long-term academic positions. The Program provides research opportunities, faculty mentoring, and career development for promising legal scholars and teachers. BC Law is known for its strong focus on law teaching, research excellence, and a collaborative atmosphere. Boston College is a major research university located near Boston, a city with a rich academic culture including 6 law schools and 35 colleges and universities.
The Drinan Scholars Program concentrates on aspects of academic life most likely to be helpful in preparing for a faculty career in legal education. The Drinan Scholar will teach law courses, with teaching assignments designed to dovetail with the scholar's research and teaching interests. The teaching load will allow ample opportunities for research and publication of major works of scholarship. In addition, the scholar will be assigned a primary senior faculty and junior faculty mentor to provide advice and support on teaching, scholarship, and preparation for the legal academic teaching market. Drinan Scholars participate fully in the life of BC Law, including but not limited to attendance at faculty workshops, opportunities to workshop papers and present at BC Law's Junior Faculty Forum, and access to teaching support through Boston College's Center for Teaching Excellence.
The Drinan Scholars Program does not have a specific subject matter focus, but we are especially interested in receiving applications from scholars who seek to conduct research and writing on issues related to race and the law. Consistent with our mission as a Jesuit institution, we are also interested in candidates from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the legal academy. Selection criteria include the potential for excellence in legal teaching and scholarship, contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the degree to which the applicant's research proposal aligns with institutional resources and opportunities.
Drinan Scholar appointments are for two years with support for participating in the law hiring market during the second year. Scholars will be appointed at the rank of Visiting Assistant Professor of Law. The salary for the 2025-26 Academic Year will be competitive with well-regarded law fellowship and VAP programs. In addition, Drinan Scholars will be provided with research support including research, travel funds and the opportunity to hire law student research assistants. Scholars will be expected to be in full-time residence at BC Law during the academic year.
Qualifications:
Educational Qualifications:
A JD or equivalent (including LLM or JSD), or Ph.D. from a relevant field of study.
Required Qualifications:
Strong potential for excellence in legal teaching;
Strong potential for excellence in legal scholarship;
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Desired Qualifications:
Alignment between the proposed research plan and law school resources and opportunities.
