Faculty Profile

Nicolas P. Terry, Chester A. Myers Professor of Law
and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty

Promoting Scholarship

Graduates and friends of the School of Law have long known that the school's commitment to teaching excellence, public service and student mentoring is what sets Saint Louis University apart from other law schools.

The School of Law takes particular pride in the relationships between professors and students, from navigating students through legal theory to arming them with the knowledge, tools and skills needed to thrive in the legal community. Yet, to effectively shepherd student development at this level of commitment, professors often need their own support system.

Nicolas P. Terry, Chester A. Myers Professor of Law, is now charged with providing that all-important support for faculty in his new role as Senior Associate Dean for Faculty.

In this position, he must ensure that the School of Law attracts, retains and promotes outstanding faculty members. Accomplishing these goals means mentoring new faculty members as well as acknowledging their accomplishments and providing resources and scholarly opportunities for faculty members at all levels.

Terry keeps his door open, literally and figuratively, so that faculty can drop by with questions about teaching, publication opportunities or research support.

By working closely with senior faculty, Terry highlights outstanding work in the classroom and in scholarly research. To further faculty opportunities, Terry seeks out publishing and speaking opportunities for the faculty and strives to make other law schools, law firms, alumni and friends of the School of Law aware of the faculty's impressive contributions to the national terrain of legal scholarship.

School Commitment

A long-time member of the School of Law faculty, Terry served as co-director of the nationally recognized Center for Health Law Studies for seven years. He also brings to the Dean's office his international reputation as a health law scholar, including his work in the area of health information technologies.

Dean Terry views his new position as another example of a series of overwhelmingly positive steps taken by Dean Jeffrey E. Lewis (and his predecessor Associate Deans Joel Goldstein and Alan Weinberger); steps that have encouraged research and fostered a more scholarly environment while maintaining the commitment to teaching and student support.

He credits Dean Lewis with facilitating a vigorous faculty workshop series, in which faculty members present their research to colleagues for critical yet collegial feedback and for increasing the school's commitment to faculty research. The sustained, concerted effort of faculty development, coupled with the School of Law's collegial atmosphere, has improved the school's ability to attract junior faculty members and to make strategic lateral hires, even in the increasingly competitive academic marketplace.

Terry is enjoying the transition to his new role, and he is optimistic about advancing the law school on regional and national fronts. But he never forgets his or the school's primary responsibility to its students — something that would be clear to anyone observing the smile on his face as he heads off to teach his 1L Torts class.

Career Highlights

• Chester A. Myers Professor of Law, Saint Louis University School of Law, 2005-Present
• Law Faculty Member, Saint Louis University School of Law, 1980-Present
• Co-Director, Center for Health Law Studies, Saint Louis University School of Law, 2000-2008
• Professor of Health Management & Policy, Saint Louis University School of Public Health
  (Secondary Appointment), 2003-Present
• Director of Legal Education, LEXIS-NEXIS, 1996-1997
• Lecturer in Law, University of Exeter, Devon, England, 1977-1980