This story by Liz Sauchelli was first published by the Valley News on April 16.
SOUTH ROYALTON — Vermont Law and Graduate School President Rodney Smolla is stepping down from his leadership role later this year to return to writing and teaching.
On July 1, law school dean Beth McCormack and graduate school dean Dan Bromberg will take on the president’s responsibilities as part of their current roles.
“There will be a search, but I don’t think it’s immediate. I think we’re going to do this interim structure for at least the next year,” McCormack said, noting that the school calendar turns over on July 1. “It’s too short to do a search now for the next academic year.”
Smolla has served as president of the South Royalton campus since 2022. He informed the school’s Board of Trustees of his intentions earlier this month. “I am very much looking forward to returning to a full-time life as a teacher, scholar, and advocate on pressing issues of national concern,” Smolla wrote in an email.
He declined a request for an interview.
Before coming to Vermont, Smolla served as dean and professor of Widener University Delaware Law School, according to a news release from the school announcing his hiring.
“He’s a prolific teacher and scholar,” McCormack said of Smolla, citing his reputation in the study of Constitutional law and the First Amendment. “It’s not surprising that he’s drawn back to those things, especially at a time when Constitutional Law and the First Amendment is more important.”
Smolla was president during a time of growth and change at the school. In 2022, the school changed its name from Vermont Law School to Vermont Law and Graduate School. Smolla raised his national profile when he had a role in the defamation lawsuit Dominion Voting Systems brought against Fox News regarding claims about the 2020 presidential election.
“He’s been a real leader in our capital campaign and I think through his external activities both with alumni and in the community has really strengthened the reputation of the school,” McCormack said.
She noted that Smolla regularly speaks at Upper Valley libraries and churches to explain Constitutional law and First Amendment issues to members of the public.
Bromberg was also complimentary of Smolla’s leaderhsip. “I think 100% we’re in a more stable position,” he said.
“I’m no longer surprised by much in academia these days,” Bromberg said about Smolla’s decision to return to teaching. “Rod is a preeminent scholar related to the First Amendment and the Constitution. I think it’s a time when someone of his ilk is interested in writing and teaching.”
The school has recently hired four new faculty members who are set to start at the beginning of the next academic year, and there are other job offers in the works. The school has 56 faculty members, the majority of whom are full time.
“Not all of them teach full time, many of them are doing research,” McCormack said, citing the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems as one example on campus.
There are currently around 450 students who attend in-person programs at the South Royalton campus and “several hundred” who are enrolled in the school’s part-time, online hybrid JD program. The program started with 18 students in 2022 and the incoming online class will have 150 students, the maximum capacity for the program, McCormack said. There are between 300 and 350 students enrolled in the school’s graduate programs, Bromberg said, which include public policy, climate and environmental policy, and restorative justice. Around half of those students take classes during any given semester because many are part-time students who are pursuing degrees while working.
Full-time tuition is around $50,000 per year, though the majority of students do not pay the full amount.
Law school applications nationwide were up 20% this year, McCormack said, and Vermont Law and Graduate School was slightly higher than the national average.
“I think people are drawn to the law right now and also drawn to protecting the environment,” McCormack said.
