Executive Director of Law Advancement
Seton Hall University

Ronald H. Weich
Incoming Dean of Seton Hall School of Law, effective July 1, 2024

Ronald H. Weich will begin his term as the Dean of Seton Hall School of Law in July 2024. Weich comes to Seton Hall from the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he served as dean from 2012 to 2024. While at Baltimore Law School, he led a faculty of 45 tenured and tenure-track professors, as well as many adjunct faculty members, teaching fellows, and professors of practice. In addition, Dean Weich managed the school’s annual budget of roughly $22 million and led the development of a strategic plan that emphasizes admission standards, academic excellence, faculty scholarship, and career development.

His deanship at Baltimore spans a period of upheaval in American legal education. Declining enrollment nationwide and the coronavirus pandemic created extraordinary stressors that Baltimore Law successfully navigated under his leadership. He employed an approach that relied on preserving academic standards, prudent fiscal management, open and transparent communication, and increasing external fundraising.

To that end, Baltimore School of Law obtained government and philanthropic funding for its human trafficking and pretrial justice clinics, as well as the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts. Most recently, Dean Weich helped secure a $3 million gift to establish the Center for Criminal Justice Reform and a criminal defense and advocacy clinic.

Dean Weich’s qualifications, leadership experience and legal acumen are of the highest caliber. He embodies the tradition of excellence at Seton Hall Law that has propelled their alumni to the highest levels of the bench and bar for over 70 years.

Prior to his time in academia, Weich was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs in the Department of Justice, a post he held from 2009 to 2012. His work in Washington, D.C., included several other prominent positions, including Chief Counsel to U.S. Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Harry Reid. Weich also served as a partner in the firm of Zuckerman Spaeder LLP. 

Dean Weich began his career in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney. He is a graduate of Yale Law School, which he attended after undergraduate studies at Columbia University and the London School of Economics.

Jon Paparsenos
Vice President for University Advancement

Jon Paparsenos, an international leader in higher education philanthropy, has served as Seton Hall's Vice President for University Advancement since November 2020. Paparsenos came to Seton Hall from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, where he had served as Vice President, Philanthropy and CEO of the UNSW Foundation since 2016.

A former student-athlete, Paparsenos brings an impressive track record of developing the philanthropic culture of institutions while surpassing benchmarks for giving. Throughout his career, he has led high-performing teams that exceeded financial goals and amplified engagement with key stakeholders.
He leads the Advancement Division in integrating development, alumni engagement and advancement services more fully into the life of the Seton Hall community, in preparation for the public launch of  University's comprehensive fundraising campaign, scheduled for Fall 2025.

At UNSW, he was charged with bringing U.S.-based fundraising methods and strategies to Sydney. With a mandate to effect large-scale change, he developed an ambitious plan to build a centralized philanthropy operation and commence UNSW's inaugural fundraising campaign.

Under his leadership, fundraising at UNSW increased from $30 million in 2015 to $101 million in 2019. As the UNSW campaign was entering its public phase, Paparsenos' team achieved fundraising that was 10 percent above the benchmark, and grew alumni engagement by 500 percent.

"As a Seton Hall alumnus, former student-athlete, volunteer and donor, I am excited to have the opportunity to work for — and give back to — the University that provided me with training and opportunities, and inspired me to be where I am today," Paparsenos said.

His further experience in higher education philanthropy and campaign management includes such roles as Executive Director, Development at the California Institute of Technology from 2013 to 2016, and Senior Director, Development at Marquette University from 2007 to 2013.

A former Marine Corps sergeant, he coordinated and maintained combat readiness for 11 units, and is the recipient of the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.