Detailed Biography (PDF)

Michael Sant’Ambrogio was appointed Dean of the College of Law and Red Cedar Distinguished Professor on October 25, 2024, after having served  for ten months as Interim Dean. Dean Sant’Ambrogio has been on the faculty of the College of Law since 2011 and previously served as Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs and as Associate Dean for Research.

Dean Sant’Ambrogio is committed to student success. Under his leadership, the College has created small 1-L sections with early individualized assessments and greater student-teacher interactions. Additionally, the College of Law expanded its experiential learning opportunities. A first-of-its kind new Public Defender Clinic will serve clients across Michigan. He also recruited a new assistant dean of admissions and secured additional resources to enhance academic success and bar preparation programs.

In his previous role as Senior Associate Dean, Sant’Ambrogio led the law college’s American Bar Association’s (ABA) successful re-accreditation process in 2022. He guided efforts to diversify the ranks of the law college’s adjunct faculty, helped increase the curricular offerings on the cutting edge of technology and the law, and introduced more effective bar exam preparation programs for students.

Prior to that, Dean Sant’Ambrogio served five years as Associate Dean for Research at the College of Law, reviving the Faculty Workshop Series and increasing institutional support for junior faculty.

Since joining MSU College of Law as a Professor in 2011, Dean Sant’Ambrogio continued his passion for teaching and writing in the areas of Administrative and Regulatory Law, Civil Procedure, Federal Courts, and Constitutional Law.

His recent scholarship 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, including Columbia Law Review, The Georgetown Law Journal, Iowa Law Review, The George Washington Law Review, Vanderbilt Law Review, Washington University Law Review, William & Mary Law Review, and Yale Law Journal.

Dean Sant’Ambrogio has served as a consultant for the Administrative Conference of the United States on projects studying public engagement with federal agency rulemaking, the use of class actions, and other aggregate procedures in agency adjudication, and public participation in agency adjudication (currently in progress).

In 2018, the Administrative Conference adopted (PDF) his recommendations on enhancing public engagement with federal agency agenda setting and rule development, which were recently cited by the White House (PDF) in guidance to all Executive Branch departments and agencies.

In 2016, the Administrative Conference adopted (PDF) his recommendations based on the findings described in his Yale Law Journal article, Inside the Agency Class Action.

Dean Sant’Ambrogio is a 2001 graduate of New York University School of Law, where he was a Root-Tilden-Kern Scholar. He received his B.A. in History from Columbia University and an M.A. in American History from New York University. Before coming to MSU, he practiced law in New York City and taught at New York University School of Law.

Download Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

J.D. New York University School of Law
M.A. New York University
B.A. Columbia University