Rebecca Zietlow, Distinguished University Professor and Charles W. Fornoff Professor of Law and Values, has been named interim dean of the College of Law.
Zietlow’s appointment is effective Friday, June 16. She succeeds D. Benjamin Barros who accepted a new opportunity as dean of the Stetson University College of Law in Florida.
Rebecca Zietlow, Distinguished University Professor and Charles W. Fornoff Professor of Law and Values, has been named interim dean of the College of Law for the next year as a national search is conducted for the next leader of the law school.
“I want to thank Ben for his leadership of our law school since 2015 and his dedication to furthering diversity in the legal field and programs to help students pass their bar exams,” said Risa Dickson, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “I look forward to welcoming Rebecca Zietlow to the Academic Affairs leadership team. She is a respected member of our law faculty who will provide strong leadership for the college.”
Zietlow will serve as interim dean for the next year as a national search is conducted for the next leader of the law school.
Zietlow joined The University of Toledo faculty in 1995. A constitutional law expert, she teaches constitutional law, federal courts and constitutional litigation. Her scholarly interest is in the study of the Reconstruction Era, including the meaning and history of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments.
“I am thrilled to take on my new role at the College of Law,” Zietlow said. “I am deeply committed to our students, faculty, staff and alumni, and honored to be furthering the mission of our very special community in the year to come.”
Zietlow also has several leadership roles in the College of Law serving as associate dean for academic affairs and assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion.
In 2020, Zietlow was elected a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She received the University’s Creative and Scholarly Activity Award in 2018 and the UToledo Outstanding Faculty Research and Scholarship Award in 2012. She formerly served as chair of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Constitutional Law and its Section on Women and Legal Education.
Zietlow received her J.D. from Yale Law School and her bachelor’s degree in political science from Barnard College of Columbia University.
