Sent March 17 

Dear Academic and Administrative Leaders,
 
I am delighted to announce that Jennifer W. Reynolds will be the new permanent Dean of the University of Oregon School of Law, following a national search.

Jen has demonstrated an excellent solutions-oriented and values-enacted approach to leadership since she became interim dean last April, with a clear focus on community building, collaboration, and transparency.

The feedback we received during the extensive search process repeatedly returned to the idea that Jen will bring a deep and nuanced understanding of Oregon Law — its strengths, culture, and community — to her role as Dean. She provides a compelling and clear vision that will shape the law school’s new strategic plan in alignment with our Oregon Rising goals.          

Jen has been a professor at Oregon Law since 2009, with a one-year leave to serve as a visiting professor at her alma mater, Harvard Law School. She is a prominent and accomplished scholar in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) who has published numerous articles and casebooks, and she is the co-editor of the popular Star Wars and Conflict Resolution series. Jen is also a beloved teacher who has won both university and law school teaching awards, including being elected by law students multiple times to serve as faculty marshal at Commencement.   

During her time at Oregon Law, Jen has served in several leadership roles, including interim dean, interim university ombudsperson, associate dean for faculty research and programs, and associate dean of academic affairs. She also served as faculty director of the nationally-recognized, award-winning Oregon ADR Center and the Conflict and Dispute Resolution Master’s Program. Jen was named the Orlando John and Marian H. Hollis Professor of Law in 2023.  

Jen graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, serving as a researcher for Wright & Miller’s Federal Practice and Procedure, a research fellow and teaching assistant at the Program on Negotiation, and an editor of the Harvard Law Review. She has a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and an AB from the University of Chicago.  

I want to thank co-chairs Dean Sabrina Madison-Cannon and Professor Stuart Chinn and the other members of the search committee for their work in evaluating a stellar pool of candidates.  

Please join me in congratulating Jen on her new role.  

Sincerely,  

Christopher P. Long 

Provost and Senior Vice President