Barbara Ayars

About this Speaker

Barbara Ayars is the Associate Dean for Admissions at Widener University Delaware Law School (“Delaware Law”). She attended Rutgers University where she achieved her B.A. in 1986 and Delaware Law where she received her J.D in 1990. After law school she practiced at the Atlantic City, New Jersey law firm of Horn, Goldberg, Gorny & Daniels primarily in commercial litigation, specializing in insurance coverage issues. Barbara is admitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She is also a member of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the United States Supreme Court Bars. She is a member of the American Bar Association.

She joined Delaware Law in 1995 as the Associate Director for Admissions and was promoted to the Assistant Dean for Admissions in 1997. During her twenty-seven years at Delaware Law Barbara has developed and implemented innovative strategies to optimize enrollment. She has been a leader in the use of innovative technologies in the admissions process, converting the admissions process to a completely paperless format. Her creative and strategic thinking has resulted in significant cost savings for Delaware Law. Barbara implements a comprehensive communication plan utilizing both traditional and nontraditional recruitment technologies including email, online chats, social media, text messaging, digital advertising, and search engine optimization. She has presented at colleges and universities across the country and for various pre-law organizations.

She is extremely student-centered, shaping the profile of the student body and striving for an inclusive and welcoming experience for all members of the Delaware Law Community. In 2009, she advocated for and developed the job description for the Multicultural Affairs Officer position. She added a Director of Admissions and Diversity Recruitment Initiatives to her team in 2016.  She was steadfast in her efforts to obtain Safe Space Training at Delaware Law resulting in administrative staff and faculty members completing the training necessary to be Safe Space Allies. Through Barbara and her staff’s efforts during the recent pandemic, Delaware Law enrolled the most diverse class in the law school’s history, recruiting and enrolling a 2021 entering class that is 31% racially diverse. Barbara was instrumental in the successful re-structuring of Widener University School of Law into two separate ABA approved law schools. She shared her marketing expertise and played an integral role in the creation of a new web site, brand and image messaging, marketing materials, and business processes.  

Barbara enjoys her work promoting Delaware Law to potential new students. The work comes easy and naturally as she lived what she speaks. She is especially proud of her alma mater’s “Practice Ready” approach and curriculum. With robust clinical, externship and experiential learning offerings, Delaware Law graduates are skilled and tested, completely ready to be the best advocates for their clients. When she entered the practice of law in 1990 she was ready to hit the ground running, making her first court appearance very shortly after being admitted to the bar. She knows that Delaware Law graduates are practice ready and are, indeed, a force to be reckoned with. 

She has participated in numerous law school and university committees. Most notably, she has actively participated in multiple law school and university strategic planning initiatives and was a member of the University Marketing Advisory Board for nearly a decade. In 2014 she was selected to serve as a member of the Law School Admission Council Information Services Division Advisory Group. She has most recently served on the American Council of Education, Delaware Women’s Network Executive Committee.