Page 20 - Delaware Lawyer - Summer 2022

FEATURE
at Delaware Law
Joseph D. Farris
Diversity
Reflections on my
inaugural year as
DEI Dean
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose...”1
The following essay shares context and background surrounding my transition from private law practice at a prominent Delaware law firm to law school administration and teaching, and highlights some of the tools and resources that I consulted in preparing for and launching into this inaugural role.
18 DELAWARE LAWYER SUMMER 2022
In September 2020, a collective of Black alumni issued a “Demand for Equity at the Delaware Law School”
in response to a specific classroom- related incident implicating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) concerns, along with other incidents and issues at Delaware Law. As a result, the faculty and administrators of Delaware Law re- viewed, then incorporated, many of the demands into their DEI Strategic Plan.2 The DEI Strategic Plan includes initial
steps that Delaware Law would take to address issues relating to race and diver- sity and help develop a more equitable and inclusive working and learning en- vironment across the constituency of the law school.3 A component of the Strategic Plan was the creation of a new role, the Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.4
To fill the new role, Delaware Law conducted a search and hiring process which spanned approximately nine