Position Summary:

OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW (OCU Law) invites applications to fill a tenured or tenure-track 12-month position in American Indian Law. The successful applicant, in addition to being a faculty member, will also be the inaugural Executive Director of the Oklahoma City University Tribal Sovereignty Institute (the Institute), which will be housed at OCU Law. We welcome candidates whose approaches in research will add to the scope and depth of our faculty scholarship. 

Applicants should have a lengthy history of scholarship in the area of American Indian Law and/or Tribal Law. The successful applicant will teach classes at OCU Law and produce scholarship commensurate with the expectations for a tenured professor. The Executive Director will help build a vital new institution serving tribal communities in Oklahoma and throughout the United States. The Institute will provide support for academic research, teaching and advocacy, education, training, and cultural preservation. The Executive Director will be expected to share the Institute’s scholarship on a state and national level, support fundraising efforts to expand the Institute’s mission, guide the planning and implementation of the Institute as it grows, supervise future staff additions to the Institute, and oversee existing activities at the University related to Native and Indigenous communities, including the American Indian Wills Clinic, the Sovereignty Symposium, and efforts in language revitalization, cultural preservation and economic development. 

The Executive Director will work closely with the Dean of OCU Law, the University President, and other senior leaders in the institution. The salary for the position will be that of a law professor of appropriate rank, supplemented with the salary associated with the Executive Director. 

Candidates should have an excellent academic background, demonstrated ability as a productive and innovative scholar, a strong commitment to the practice of inclusion, and a strong commitment to engaged classroom teaching. In addition, candidates should have administrative experience, as well as experience in leadership roles and in public outreach, including outreach through communications directed at both the legal community and lay people. Candidates must have either (1) a J.D. degree from an ABA-accredited law school or (2) the combination of a foreign law degree and either a U.S. LL.M. or S.J.D. degree. 

OCU Law is located in downtown Oklahoma City and is deeply engaged with the legal, business, and governmental communities. Oklahoma City has been named “American’s Most Livable Community” and is consistently ranked among the most affordable and prosperous cities, among the top cities for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and among the best-run large cities. 

Oklahoma City University is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the values and goals of diversity. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, particularly members of groups underrepresented in the teaching or practice of law. For the university’s complete nondiscrimination policy, please see: https://www.okcu.edu/admin/hr/eeoc. 

To apply, please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and a scholarly writing sample to the Chair of the OCU Law Faculty Appointments Committee, Associate Dean Lee Peoples, lpeoples@okcu.edu. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.