U. ARIZONA PROFESSOR, VICE DEAN JANE B. KORN
NAMED GONZAGA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW DEAN

Legal Scholar, Experienced Administrator Becomes GU Law School’s First Woman Dean

SPOKANE, Wash. – Jane B. Korn, vice dean and the John D. Lyons Professor at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, has been hired as dean of the Gonzaga University School of Law effective July 1, Gonzaga President Thayne M. McCulloh announced today. Korn becomes the Law School’s first female dean.

The announcement follows seven months of intense effort by a search committee chaired by Gonzaga Trustee and GU Law School alumnus Don Curran. Korn, who has received numerous teaching awards and has held several key administrative posts at University of Arizona since 1986, replaces Earl F. Martin, who became dean in July 2005 and stepped down to become Gonzaga’s executive vice president. Law Professor George Critchlow has served as acting dean during the 2009-10 and current academic year.

Curran described Korn as an outstanding and experienced professor and legal scholar, and an established administrator who is thoughtful, kind and fair. Korn earned a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and a law degree from the University of Colorado Law School in 1983. She interviewed on campus Nov. 9-12 (2010). 

“She is a person who speaks her mind very well, she is articulate and says want she means and means what she says,” Curran said. “She, by reputation, is a very balanced individual with a fair and even temperament; she is very intelligent and very courteous to people. She is a very warm and trusting individual. I think she is going to be a wonderful fit for Gonzaga.”

President McCulloh thanked Curran “for his excellent leadership, coordination and intense efforts in service to this important endeavor,” along with all members of the Search Committee, and Professor Critchlow for serving as acting dean. Korn has received widespread support from numerous constituencies, including the Law School faculty and Search Committee, President McCulloh added.

“We are pleased that Professor Korn has accepted this appointment, confident that she will work constructively with all members of the Law School community, and look forward to welcoming her to Gonzaga this coming summer,” Dr. McCulloh said.

Korn said she looks forward to becoming dean of the Gonzaga School of Law.

“Gonzaga is a school that stands for something, that attracts bright students with a passion for social justice, and I’m delighted to be joining the Gonzaga community,” Korn said. “The faculty is an incredibly committed group of talented teachers and scholars, dedicated to the profoundly important work of educating law students. The staff is equally dedicated and supportive of the mission of the Law School. The School has enjoyed excellent management and stewardship, so we will be able to build on this solid foundation. I look forward to becoming part of the larger Gonzaga family, both alumni and friends, and working together to continue the tradition of excellence.”

Korn is willing to do telephone interviews with media before arriving at Gonzaga in July. For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Peter Tormey at Gonzaga at (509) 313-6132 or via e-mail at Tormey@gonzaga.edu. To receive a photo of Korn, please send an e-mail request to Tormey@gonzaga.edu.

 

 

Professor Helen Donigan receives Myra Bradwell Award

Gonzaga University School of Law's Women's Law Caucus honored Professor Helen Donigan with its 18th annual Myra Bradwell Award.  The award is presented each year to a Gonzaga Law alumna who has furthered women's and children's issues through the law.  The award is named after Myra
Bradwell, who overcame many obstacles to become the first female attorney admitted to practice in the United States.

Prof. Donigan's life has been dedicated to service to the legal profession, the community and the law school. Her most significant contributions involve her advocacy on behalf of women's and children's issues and her work combating all forms of discrimination.

After graduating from Gonzaga Law, Prof. Donigan was a managing attorney at Spokane Legal Services, where she represented urban and reservation Indians in legal matters in tribal and federal courts.

After joining the Gonzaga law faculty in 1978, in addition to maintaining excellence in performance of her academic responsibilities, Prof. Donigan continued her public interest legal work as a volunteer in a number of capacities. She chaired the Washington State Child Support
Schedule Commission, which created a standardized approach for the establishment of child support and was in 1988 enacted into law as Chapter 26.19 of the Revised Code of Washington.

After her appointment by the Washington Supreme Court in 1997, Prof. Donigan served eight years on the Gender and Justice Commission. In 2007, she was appointed by Governor Gregoire to the Washington Supreme Court Task Force on Dissolution, where she made recommendations to
improve the dispute resolution proceedings and helped develop curricula for court evaluators in the areas of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Prof. Donigan was a founding member of the Spokane Task Force on Race Relations. From 1990-98, she served as a Commissioner on the Washington State Human Rights Commission, which works to prevent and eliminate discrimination by investigating civil rights complaints and providing
education and training opportunities throughout the state.

For more than a decade, she was a member of the Executive Board of the Family Law Section of the Washington State Bar and received the section's Professional of the Year award in 1989. Professor Donigan has served as an editor and author of the Washington Family Law Deskbook for more than 20 years.

Prof. Donigan has been a role model and mentor to women faculty, students, and alumnae.

 

 

Women’s Law Caucus awards first WLC Scholarship

The Women’s Law Caucus student organization, in conjunction with the Washington Women Lawyers Foundation, awarded its first WLC Scholarship this spring to incoming first year student Christine Hayes.   Ms. Hayes is a 2009 graduate of Western Washington University and has performed considerable advocacy on behalf of victims of domestic violence.  She has served the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office as an advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault for over a year and a half.  She also has volunteered with Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services for nearly two years.  The Women’s Law Caucus organized and raised money for the scholarship to support a student with a commitment to gender and women’s issues.  Plans are already underway to award the WLC Scholarship again next year to a qualified incoming first year student.