South Orange native becomes next dean of U. of Minnesota Law School

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — An experienced, collaborative leader, Garry W. Jenkins will be the next dean of the University of Minnesota Law School, effective July 31. Jenkins grew up in South Orange, matriculating through the South Orange-Maplewood school system through South Orange Middle School, at which point he went to Delbarton School in Morristown, graduating in 1988. His parents still live in the village.

Jenkins comes to Minnesota from The Ohio State University where he served as associate dean for academic affairs and the John C. Elam/Vorys Sater Professor of Law at the Moritz College of Law.

“Garry brings to the law school extensive experience as a scholar of law and philanthropy, administrator at a public law school, and a foundation executive,” Karen Hanson, University of Minnesota executive vice president and provost, said in a press release. “His breadth of experience, strategic acumen, and collaborative leadership style will position the law school well for the future.”

As dean, Jenkins 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. Jenkins will also collaborate with other deans to advance the broader educational mission of the university.

“I am honored and thrilled to have been chosen by Provost Hanson to serve as dean,” Jenkins said in the release. “I have long admired the law school, and am eagerly looking forward to working with its extraordinary faculty, staff, students and alumni. For over 128 years, the University of Minnesota Law School has provided a superior legal education with a rigorous blend of theory and practice, and has a proven track record of producing outstanding lawyers and leaders. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and I am excited to see what we can achieve together.”

A specialist in law and philanthropy, corporate governance, and leadership studies, Jenkins co-founded 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, Jenkins was chief operating officer and general counsel of the Goldman Sachs Foundation, where he was responsible for domestic and international grant-making programs, communications, finance, legal affairs, and investment management. 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.

Jenkins 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 a B.A. 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.

  South Orange Middle School, South Orange–Maplewood School District