In June, Tracy Sullivan ’00 left her most recent role as the interim assistant dean for Career Services at Lewis & Clark Law School to become the new Associate Dean for Student Services, following a national search to replace Student Affairs Dean Libby Davis. It’s the latest step in a path that began as a Lewis & Clark Law student straight out of college, followed by stints as judicial clerk and civil litigator before an eventual return to campus and legal education.
A professional calling
“The second I started working with students it felt like a calling,” Sullivan says. She recognizes that there are many ways to achieve the goal of a professional legal career. “I didn’t have a perfect road—my grades were bad to begin with and I failed the bar on my first try,” so she has empathy for students whose path is not just “A to B to C.”
It’s an important time to be entering the legal field, especially at Lewis & Clark Law which so many students have chosen for mission-driven careers. “I tell students that I want to help keep them tethered to that mission that brought you to law school in the first place.” And while that may lead somewhere different than where the student first imagined, Sullivan knows that a Lewis & Clark law degree will ensure that “they can navigate whatever professional community they want to be a part of.”
“I’m pleased to welcome Tracy Sullivan as our new Dean of Students, following an extremely competitive national search with nearly 100 candidates,” said Lewis & Clark Law School Dean Alicia Ouellette. “I’m confident that Tracy will continue the fantastic work she did serving students in Career Services, as she takes on this new and critical leadership role.”
A personal connection
Tracy Sullivan understands the value of a strong student advocate firsthand from her first year at Lewis & Clark Law. Her mother had been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer just months before Sullivan was to leave Chicago to begin her 1L year in Portland. During that first fall semester, Sullivan struggled to balance studies while managing her mother’s care from halfway across the country. At the end of the semester, with her mother accepted into a clinical trial for treatment, Sullivan opted to take a leave of absence.
Then-Dean of Student Affairs, Martha Spence, told her not to worry—that the school would hold her place and her scholarships for as long as she needed. “I can close my eyes today and still feel what a relief it was to have that support,” Sullivan says. (Sadly, her mother passed away over the winter break.)
When Sullivan decided to return to school Dean Spence took care of getting her registered for classes and worked with classmates to welcome Sullivan back to the community. upon her return. “She helped set me back on my feet.”
The path ahead
As Dean of Students, Sullivan will continue to help students find their paths in different ways from her role in Career Services. At times it may mean hard conversations with students whose expectations might not meet the realities of law school.“We want to have a process that allows the student to maintain their dignity, feel heard, and if this isn’t the right path, help reframe what they want their future to look like.” It’s hard work, but Sullivan credits her mentor Dean Libby Davis for helping prepare her.
Tracy Sullivan begins her new role with no shortage of goals. Foremost is the implementation of the school’s new strategic plan, which includes an AI literacy initiative. “We’ll also be working to improve processes, such as support for transfer and evening students, and to further collaborate with the school’s Student Services and Career Services functions.
“I want to provide more opportunities for students to connect with me, such as via community sessions in the early morning, over lunch, or late afternoons,”said Sullivan, As one example of that effort, she plans to offer informal 30-minute “walk-and-talks” where students can get out of the classroom or library and join her for a stroll through campus to talk about the issues that matter to them.
Sullivan’s office will be located in the new Student Affairs Suite in the Legal Research Center, across from the skybridge. The space is intended to serve as a welcoming resource for students seeking support with academic success, personal wellbeing, accommodations, bar preparation planning, or opportunities for involvement outside the classroom. Students are encouraged to stop by, whether they need guidance on a specific issue or simply a quiet place to regroup between classes.
