Michelle D. Mason, J.D.
Senior Associate Dean, Clinical Education, Experiential Learning & Engagement and Associate Dean for Enrollment, Florida International University College of Law (Miami, Florida)
Senior Associate Dean Mason joined FIU Law as founding Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Services in 2001. Mason’s responsibilities have included the supervision of enrollment management operations (admissions, financial aid and registration), the student development areas (student affairs, career planning and placement) as well as oversight for the law school’s various student outreach programming and pipeline initiatives.
Prior to joining the FIU Law, Mason worked as Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment at Phillips Exeter Academy, Associate Director of Admissions at Seton Hall Law School and Director/Assistant Dean for Admissions at Vermont Law.
In 2010, Mason was tapped to serve as founding director for the FIU Law Center for Professionalism and Ethics. The Center is dedicated to advancing research in the domain of ethics and to training individuals to embrace professionalism through accountability and a spirit of service to the community.
In the 2014 – 2015 academic year, Mason changed administrative roles at the law school and was appointed as Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Education, Experiential Learning and Engagement and Director for the Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic.
Mason has served on numerous committees including the Florida Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Committee, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Ethics Advisory Committee (Vice-Chair) and the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) Section on Student Services (Chair), the FIU Fostering Panther Pride Initiative (Co-Chair), a college success program for former foster care students and the Algebra Project/Miami Council, an advisory board dedicated to assuring that Miami students have the ability and opportunity to fully access quality educational programs. Currently, Mason serves as Board of Trustee Member for the Seed of School of Miami.
The strategic leveraging of civic engagement opportunities is a common thread to Mason’s work. As principal investigator, she secured a national grant and directed the 2010 Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) Summer Institute. In 2013, Mason founded the Math and Civics Summer Institute which provides instruction for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders from the Liberty City community.
Mason has received recognition and awards for her work, including being named as a National Institute for Teaching Ethics and Professionalism Fellow (2011), one of South Florida’s Top 50 Most Powerful Black Professionals (2012), selection to attend the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education “Art and Practice of Leadership Development” Program (2012), designation as the Florida Bar Association’s 2013 Law Faculty Professionalism Award recipient and received recognition from the Daily Business Review as one of the 2014 Top 20 Women in Law.
Dean Mason earned both her B.A. in English Literature and J.D. from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.