University of Utah law school names its first female dean

For the first time since it was founded more than a century ago, the University of Utah law school has named a woman as its dean.

Elizabeth Kronk Warner has accepted an offer to be the next dean of the S.J. Quinney College of Law, which opened its doors 106 years ago.

“I am impressed with the S.J. Quinney College of Law’s strong reputation for scholarly excellence, commitment to students and record of community engagement,” said Kronk Warner, who is currently associate dean of academic affairs, a professor and director of the Tribal Law and Government Center at the University of Kansas School of Law.

In a prepared statement, she lauded the U. law school for doing “an exceptional job of balancing a commitment to excellent educational opportunities for students at an appropriate cost while also promoting outstanding scholarly work. I look forward to leading the college to even greater success in the coming years.”

Kronk Warner will begin work at the U. on July 1, pending the completion of the appointment approval process. She will fill the position formerly held by Robert Adler, who was named dean in 2014 after serving as interim dean for a year.

At Kansas, Kronk Warner chairs the faculty and staff diversity and inclusion committee, and is president of the university’s Native Faculty and Staff Council. A citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, she serves as an appellate judge for the tribe and as a district judge for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe.

She received her undergraduate degree in communication from Cornell University and her juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School. Before she was at Kansas, she had been a law professor at the University of Montana and Texas Tech.

Also at the University of Utah, the College of Humanities has named Erika George as the new director of the Obert C. and Grace A. Tanner Humanities Center. She’s also set to begin her new position on July 1.

George, who is currently the Samuel D. Thurman Professor of Law at the U., will succeed professor of history Robert Goldberg, who has held the position for 13 years.

Correction: An earlier version of this story quoted a university spokeswoman, who said George is the first person of color to be the director of the Tanner Humanities Center. Vincent E. Cheng held that position from 2003-2007.