Dean Jane Korn Interview

Process and Consensus are Her Touchstones

Incoming Dean Jane Korn will assume the reins at Gonzaga School of Law on July 1, 2011.

Note: In January, 2011, Gonzaga President Thayne M. McCulloh announced the appointment of Jane B. Korn to the position of Dean of Gonzaga University School of Law. Dean Korn currently serves as vice dean and the John D. Lyons Professor at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. The law school's first female dean, Dean Korn will assume her new position July 1, 2011.

In your presentation to the law school community, you stressed the importance of - and the linkage between - process and consensus. What is the Dean’s role in assuring there’s both process and consensus?

The Dean’s role is to make sure that there is process and that all the various voices are heard. The Dean can also work hard to assure that there is as much consensus as possible. People do not have to agree on everything but in my experience, if you listen to all the constituents, and people feel respected and heard, you will have a good result.

You spoke at length about the “tension” between scholarship and teaching, and that process was key to its resolution. You said process might be more important than the decision. What did you mean?

Some people are beginning to feel a tension between scholarship and teaching. The model used to be that law professors were both teachers and scholars. I think that today, at some law schools, there is an increasing emphasis on scholarship and the perception is that, as a result, teaching is less important. In other schools, scholarship is not as valued. I would like to see the faculty at Gonzaga come to a conscious decision about the role of both teaching and scholarship. I believe that if the process to come to this decision is a good one, we will come to the right result for Gonzaga.

You talked about building a law-school community in which all participants - students, alumni, and the institution - benefit. What is your vision of that how that synthesis would work?

Gonzaga Law School is already a community. It appears that the faculty, staff, and students have a sense of belonging to this community. One of my goals is to reach out to alums and make sure that they feel that they are still a vital part of the Gonzaga community and that current students feel that they will remain a part of this community even after they graduate.

You grew up in New Jersey and have lived in Colorado - but are you sure you’re ready for a Northwest winter?

Clearly, after living in Arizona for 25 years, I am probably not ready for a Northwest winter. I am, however, avidly looking forward to having four seasons (instead of just hot and hotter in Tucson), the crispness of a fall morning, seeing the leaves turn color, sitting in front of a fireplace, and snow!

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