Dean Troy McKenzie announces that he will step down in 2027
Dean Troy McKenzie ’00 announced today that he will step down from his post at the helm of NYU Law in 2027. Since becoming dean in 2022, McKenzie, Cecelia Goetz Professor of Law, has enhanced the Law School’s tradition of academic excellence with new faculty hires, a commitment to interdisciplinary learning, and strong student recruitment; reinvigorated NYU Law’s convening power and community in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic; and led the Law School through a challenging landscape of rapid change.
In a letter to the NYU Law community, McKenzie said that serving as dean has been “the most meaningful work of my professional life.” He added: “When I think about what we have built and sustained together, especially through a period that tested every institution in this country, I am proud and grateful. NYU Law is in an exceptionally strong position. Perhaps good manners would counsel against saying that so boldly, but it is the reason I feel good about this moment.”
“Since taking office in 2022, Troy’s deanship has been guided by the same qualities that defined his years as a faculty member and that are so widely admired across the legal community: sound judgment, intellectual seriousness, and a genuine, infectious warmth toward students and colleagues,” said NYU President Linda Mills, NYU Provost Georgina Dopico, and NYU Law Board of Trustees Chair David Tanner ’84. “Under Troy’s leadership, NYU Law strengthened its position as one of the foremost law schools anywhere in the world.”
McKenzie, whose scholarship focuses on bankruptcy, civil procedure, complex litigation, and the federal courts, said that he looks forward to returning to full-time teaching as a member of the Law School faculty. “The classroom has always been my first love, and it is where I will return. I look forward to doing the work that first drew me here,” he said.
During McKenzie’s tenure as dean, NYU Law has recruited 18 members to the full-time faculty in key areas, and leading experts from a range of government roles have joined the Law School as distinguished scholars. NYU Law has added six new research centers, labs, and initiatives and has increased support for others, in areas that include environmental law, international dispute resolution, constitutional law, and civil rights and equality. The Law School deepened its interdisciplinary collaborations with other NYU schools, strengthening existing partnerships with NYU Tandon School of Engineering in cybersecurity law and NYU Wagner School of Public Service in health law.
NYU Law received a record number of applications in the 2025-26 admissions cycle, reflecting the school’s strengths and reputation. As dean, McKenzie has continued the Law School’s long-term commitment to making legal education attainable. During the past two years, 11 new named scholarships have been added, while support from alumni has continued to grow. McKenzie presided over the second strongest fundraising year in the school’s history, and during his four years as dean, the Law School has raised over $300 million so far.
McKenzie joined the class of 2000 at NYU Law after earning his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at Princeton University. While pursuing his JD, he served as an executive editor of the NYU Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. After graduating, McKenzie clerked for Judge Pierre Leval of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for Justice John Paul Stevens of the US Supreme Court. He worked at Debevoise & Plimpton as a litigation associate before returning to the Law School as a Furman Fellow in 2006 and then as a member of the faculty in 2007.
After just a year on the faculty, McKenzie received the Distinguished Teaching Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in the classroom by NYU Law faculty. In 2015, he took a public service leave to join the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel as a deputy assistant attorney general, then returned to the Law School in 2017. He served as faculty co-director of the Institute of Judicial Administration, faculty director of the AnBryce Scholarship Program, and faculty co-director of the Center on Civil Justice, before becoming dean in 2022.
“NYU Law holds a special place in my life. Its future is bright, and I am grateful to have played a part in building it,” McKenzie wrote.