Seven years ago, with a joyous heart and a sense of our shared mission, I joined the welcoming and warm community at Minnesota Law. And so, it is bittersweet to write my final magazine column as dean and prepare to assume the presidency of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, later this summer. 

When I started as dean in 2016, Minnesota Law and legal education faced a challenging environment. Still reeling from a tight job market, persistent media critiques that questioned the value of a legal education, and unprecedented student application and enrollment declines, the Law School was left to grapple with significant fiscal issues. In fact, the New York Times had just published a piece portraying Minnesota Law as an example of law schools’ post-recession struggles. 

Today, I am thrilled to share that Minnesota Law is stronger than ever on the occasion of the Law School’s 135th anniversary. Our entering class this year was our most diverse and most academically accomplished class ever, and we are consistently meeting our enrollment goals. We have increased dramatically our support for student wellness and well-being and added more resources to support diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We have eliminated the structural deficit that the Law School faced in 2016, and we have nearly doubled the Law School’s endowment. And we completed the largest fundraising campaign in the history of the Law School, the Driven to Lead campaign, raising $106 million (32.5% more than the goal). 

We have also increased support for student outcomes. With that, I am thrilled to report that our Class of 2022, our most recent grading class, has achieved record employment rates, with 97% of graduates working in full-time, long-term JD-required/JD-advantage jobs or enrolled in graduate programs. Additionally, our bar passage rate is among the highest in the nation, at 97% for first-time bar takers (Minnesota, July 2022 exam). 

To be clear, these are shared accomplishments due to our collective hard work, collaboration, and commitment to this great Law School. Our extraordinary faculty, dedicated staff, engaged students, and all of you, our amazing alumni, are integral to our continued progress and accomplishments. While my term at the helm of the University of Minnesota Law School is coming to a close, the strong 135-year story that is Minnesota Law continues. We have made great strides and generated unstoppable momentum on several fronts, but the journey is far from over. In fact, as with all vital institutions, this just means that we will have fresh starts and new beginnings. 

In closing, I am filled with gratitude to the faculty, staff, alumni, and, most important, our students for the incredible support of Minnesota Law over these past seven years. I am a lifetime supporter of the Minnesota Law community and will be cheering you on from Maine. 

Onward and upward!

Garry W. Jenkins
Dean and William S. Pattee Professor of Law