Sent Monday, April 8

Dear UO School of Law community,

I am pleased to announce that Jennifer Reynolds, the Orlando John and Marian H. Hollis Professor of Law, has agreed to serve as interim dean of the University of Oregon School of Law starting April 15 as Dean Marcilynn Burke prepares to depart at the end of the academic year.

Professor Reynolds has been a professor at the School of Law since 2009, with a one-year leave to serve as a visiting professor at her alma mater, Harvard Law School. During her time at the UO School of Law, Reynolds has taken on several leadership roles, including interim university ombudsperson, associate dean for faculty research and programs, and most recently, associate dean of academic affairs. She also served as faculty director of the Appropriate Dispute Resolution Center and the Conflict and Dispute Resolution Master’s Program. 

Professor Reynolds 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 at Harvard Law School, and an editor of the Harvard Law Review.

I am grateful that Professor Reynolds and Dean Burke will have an opportunity to work together over the coming weeks to create continuity and a smooth transition. This work is supported by a strong leadership team at the law school, and I thank them in advance for their service.

As I announced in March, Dean Burke, who has served as the School of Law dean and the Dave Frohnmayer Chair in Leadership and Law for seven years, will be departing to become dean of the law school at Tulane University. I remain grateful for all that she accomplished at the School of Law, and I wish her all the best.

The university will launch a national search for a new law school dean after a permanent provost is named and arrives on campus.

Please join me in thanking Professor Reynolds for taking on this important responsibility.

Sincerely,

Karen Ford
Interim Provost and Senior Vice President