May 12, 2016: Law School Dean Announcement

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Garry W. Jenkins as dean of the University of Minnesota Law School, effective July 31, 2016, and pending approval by the Board of Regents in June.

As dean, Garry will be chief executive officer and chief academic officer of the Law School, which is ranked as one of the top public law schools in the country. He will provide strategic and intellectual leadership and administrative oversight for the school and work to maintain and enhance the school’s stature. Garry will also collaborate with other deans to advance the broader educational mission of the University.

Garry brings to the Law School extensive experience as an administrator at a public law school, a scholar of law and philanthropy, and a foundation executive. He has most recently been associate dean for academic affairs and the John C. Elam/Vorys Sater Professor of Law at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

A specialist in law and philanthropy, corporate governance, and leadership studies, he cofounded the Program on Law and Leadership, a multifaceted education and development initiative to advance the theory and practice of leadership among lawyers. Prior to joining the Ohio State faculty in 2004, Garry was chief operating officer and general counsel of the Goldman Sachs Foundation--responsible for domestic and international grant-making programs, communications, finance, legal affairs, and investment management for one of the country’s largest corporate foundations. Earlier, he was an attorney with the New York law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where he counseled public charities and private foundations as well as private investment funds.

As associate dean of the Ohio State law school, he had primary oversight of academic programs and policy, curriculum, communications, and other key areas and collaborated to help shape and implement a strategic plan, advance fundraising, and support diversity and inclusion. An energetic, creative, and collaborative leader and consensus builder, Garry worked as part of an entrepreneurial team to advance the school in the increasingly challenging environment for law schools and public higher education. He also led the law school’s efforts to implement significant curricular reforms and innovations, develop new co-curricular programs, and revitalize branding.

Garry earned his J.D. from Harvard University Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, and he went on to clerk for Judge Timothy Lewis on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He also earned an M.P.P. from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and his B.A. is in political science, from Haverford College. He currently sits on the governing boards of Haverford College and the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio as well as the advisory board of the National Center on Philanthropy and Law at New York University School of Law.

Please join me in welcoming Garry to the University of Minnesota. I am confident that his breadth of experience, strategic acumen, and collaborative leadership style will position the Law School well for the future. I extend my sincere appreciation to Professor Joan Howland and Dean Eric Schwartz for co-chairing the search and to all the members of the search committee for their hard work and dedication. I also want to thank the faculty, staff, and students who took time to provide invaluable feedback on the dean candidates.

Sincerely,
Karen Hanson
Executive Vice President and Provost

Email sent to all faculty and the administrative mail on May 12, 2016.