Michael Sant’Ambrogio has been recommended to serve as dean of Michigan State University’s College of Law, effective Oct. 25, 2024.
Since Jan. 9 of this year, Sant’Ambrogio has provided leadership as interim dean of the College of Law, where he is a professor. He also has served as senior associate dean for faculty and academic affairs in the College of Law and, before that, as associate dean for research.
“I’m very pleased to support this recommendation for the dean of the College of Law,” said MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D. “When I visited the college and met with Interim Dean Sant’Ambrogio and his leadership team last spring, I was highly impressed by their focus on student success, including the expansion of experiential learning opportunities. I look forward to working with him into the future.”
Since stepping into the College of Law leadership role early this year, Sant’Ambrogio has helped advance student success in the College of Law by improving the student-faculty ratio, which has enabled more tailored student-teacher interactions and focused learning. Additionally, the college has expanded its experiential learning opportunities by launching a new Public Defender Clinic, which will open in January 2025 and serve clients across Michigan. The college has also successfully recruited a new assistant dean of admissions and secured additional resources to enhance academic success and bar preparation and programs.
“Interim Dean Sant’Ambrogio’s swift and steady advocacy in supporting student success; enhancing faculty scholarship; increasing alum and stakeholder engagement; and fostering a positive, collaborative, and communicative culture in the College of Law are all evidence of his leadership strengths,” said MSU Interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko. “A thorough and inclusive evaluative process that included a presentation, feedback survey and constituency group meetings confirm these strengths — as well as my confidence in Michael’s leadership capabilities and potential.”
Additionally, Sant’Ambrogio has overseen the recruitment of nine new full-time faculty members and developed a program of increased engagement with College of Law alums, allies, emeriti trustees and additional stakeholders. He is advancing a positive culture within the College of Law that supports student success and faculty research while creating an organizational structure designed to increase communication and collaboration among the senior leadership team and facilitate the execution of the College of Law’s 2030 strategic plan. Under his guidance, the college has established a Staff Advisory Council to advise college leadership on issues of staff concern and improve workplace climate.
A teacher and scholar of administrative and constitutional law, Sant’Ambrogio’s recent work focuses on the institutional structures, practices and procedures facilitating public participation in the federal regulatory process. His scholarship has been published in numerous national law reviews, and he has served as a consultant to the Administrative Conference of the United States on several projects studying public engagement with federal agency rulemaking and the use of class actions and other aggregate procedures in agency adjudication.
A graduate of New York University School of Law, where he was a Root-Tilden-Kern Scholar, Sant’Ambrogio earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Columbia University and his master’s in American history from New York University.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished and excited for the opportunities ahead,” said Sant’Ambrogio. “Improving our student-to-faculty ratio enables more personalized learning, and the launch of the Public Defender Clinic in 2025 will provide invaluable experiential learning while serving communities across Michigan. We’re building a collaborative, innovative community focused on student success and faculty scholarship with terrific new faculty, enhanced academic resources and stronger alumni and stakeholder engagement. Together, we’re shaping the future of MSU Law with a shared vision of inclusive excellence.”