Drinan Scholars Program
The Drinan Scholars Program funds one Visiting Assistant Professor (VAP) each year, for a two-year term, to gain research, writing, and teaching experience and prepare for the law school teaching market. We welcome applications from legal scholars across all fields, with a preference for those working on issues related to race and the law. Consistent with our mission as a Jesuit institution, we are also interested in candidates from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the legal academy.
The salary for the Drinan Scholars is $70,000 per year (plus full benefits), and the position includes a faculty office, faculty support, library research support, a travel budget, and research assistance.
We are now accepting applications for the 2027-2029 Drinan VAP.
For more information, please contact:
Daniel Lyons
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
(617) 552-3962
Drinan Scholars are selected by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in consultation with the Drinan Scholars Faculty Committee. Hiring is subject to a faculty vote. Selection criteria include the potential for excellence in legal teaching and scholarship and the degree to which the applicant’s research proposal aligns with institutional resources and needs. Scholars are expected to maintain full-time residence at Boston College Law School during the academic year.
Drinan Scholars are expected to teach one class per semester, to enable more opportunities for research and publication. The Scholars will be assigned classes that dovetail with their teaching interests. They should have the opportunity to teach seminars and will not be asked to teach first-year classes or other large classes unless they request to do so.
Each Drinan Scholar is assigned a junior and senior faculty mentor who will provide advice and support on teaching, scholarship, and preparation for the teaching market. We offer regular programming to support our Scholars, including a monthly dinner with mentors and other junior faculty; teaching support; opportunities to workshop papers; participation in our junior faculty forum; and other programming designed by the Drinan Scholar Faculty Committee.
The Drinan Scholar Faculty Committee provides advice and support as the Drinan Scholar enters the teaching market, including recommendation letters, phone calls to faculty committees, mock interviews and job talks. The two-year rotation also benefits Drinan Scholars’ chances of success in the legal teaching market by allowing first-year Scholars the opportunity to strengthen their publication record while “shadowing” the second-year Scholar as they navigate the timing and demands of the job market.
2019-2020: Hernandez Stroud
2020-2022: Nate Romano
2021-2023: Nicole Langston
2023-2025: Lucien Ferguson
2024-2026: Rebecca Horwitz-Willis
2025-2027: Akshat Agarwall
2026-2028: Kenni Zellner