David Link
President Emeritus
Dean David T. Link is the Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame Law School and the President/Vice Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame Australia. He was the dean at Notre Dame for over 24 years. At the time he took emeritus status, he was the longest serving law dean in the nation.
Dave was a partner in the Chicago law firm of Winston & Strawn, but took a leave of absence in 1970 to return to his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, where he had received both his Bachelor of Science and Juris Doctor degrees. He has earned three honorary doctorate degrees from other universities.
Dave simultaneously serves as the founding Deputy Vice Chancellor and Provost of St. Augustine [University] College of South Africa and was also the founding Dean of the Law School and the Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.
He is a noted teacher, scholar, and lecturer, especially in the fields of professional ethics, professionalism, and tertiary education administration. Among numerous honors, Dave was awarded the Young Federal Lawyer and the Secretary of the Treasury Awards for outstanding service to the United States during the Kennedy Administration.