FINDING SILVER LININGS

INTERIM DEAN MELANIE B. JACOBS LEADS MSU LAW THROUGH CHALLENGING TIMES

Dean Jacobs is a strong advocate for MSU Law alumni and her dedication to MSU Law’s core values during these challenging times has been monumental. On behalf of all alumni, I want to say thank you for your leadership and, most importantly, friendship to our community.

– Christopher Jackson, ’13 President, MSU College of Law Alumni Association

Melanie B. Jacobs started her tenure as interim dean of Michigan State University College of Law by hosting a coffee station for students in the lobby of the Law College on January 8, 2020.

As students, fresh from the holiday break and ready to start their new classes, poured in the glass doors, Dean Jacobs and Associate Dean Jennifer Carter-Johnson greeted them with caffeine, muffins, fresh fruit, and warm words of encouragement for the semester ahead. She knew some of them from her classes (Trusts and Estates and her Assisted Reproductive Technologies seminar); others were meeting their new dean for the first time as they crowded in to grab a snack and head to class.

The easy camaraderie of that morning feels like a decade ago. Two short months later, the COVID-19 pandemic would empty the Law College building as Michigan State University announced its immediate move to fully remote instruction. Weeks turned into a semester, then another, then a full academic year.

Events were canceled, and Dean Jacobs’ priorities abruptly shifted to coordinating online finals, distributing CARES Act funding to students overwhelmed with unexpected financial crises, hosting SBA town hall meetings on Zoom, and advocating on behalf of recent law grads for fair treatment on the summer 2020 nationwide bar examinations.

Dean Jacobs’ leadership has seen the College of Law through dark, even unprecedented, days. Students, faculty, and staff members have fallen ill with COVID-19 and navigated the challenges of learning and working remotely. The MSU Law community grappled with waves of social unrest: the death of George Floyd and subsequent summer of protests; the deepening of partisan political divides; the Capitol riots in January that fizzled into a state of conflict and anxiety. Dean Jacobs addressed each crisis with characteristic empathy while navigating the year’s impact on her own life, from managing her cancer diagnosis and treatment to supporting her son, Jacob, through distanced learning.

It also fell to Dean Jacobs to complete the process of full integration with Michigan State University initiated by her predecessor, Dean Lawrence Ponoroff. When that process concluded on August 17, 2020, it was the culmination of months – and years – of meeting with cross-campus stakeholders, working closely with accrediting and governing bodies, attending to administrative minutiae, and overseeing endless processes of due diligence.

Even so, Dean Jacobs dedicated time and energy to advancing the College of Law, making headway in critical areas by re-framing the strengths of the curriculum and faculty, elevating MSU Law’s status within the MSU community, and promoting the accomplishments of her faculty colleagues within the legal academy.

In keeping with her optimistic outlook, Dean Jacobs’ decanal tenure has contained bright spots and silver linings: celebrating MSU Law’s first number one national ranking in Moot Court competitions, welcoming the incoming Class of 2023, seeing four of her MSU Law colleagues singled out with highly selective University faculty awards, and singing a well-received duet version of “Islands in the Stream” with Associate Dean Daniel Barnhizer to boost the spirits of her followers on social media.

Dean Jacobs will clear her calendar of back-to-back Zoom meetings by taking a long-deferred sabbatical in 2021-22, and she plans to pursue her research interests, spend time with her family, and – hopefully! – do some safe traveling.

Wherever she goes in this next year, she will take with her the good wishes and deep gratitude of the whole MSU College of Law community.

HIGHLIGHTS OF DEAN JACOBS’ DECANAL TERM INCLUDE:

– Advancing critical diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives

– Identifying and promoting MSU Law’s core institutional strengths

– Publication in Feminist Judgments: Family Law Opinions Rewritten

– Elevating the profile of MSU Law scholars within legal academia

– Overseeing three successful nominations for prestigious MSU faculty awards

– Celebrating MSU’s first #1 ranking for Moot Court

– Welcoming the first remote incoming class in August

MSU Law Recognizes Dean Jacobs’ Leadership

As interim dean, Melanie Jacobs became the definition of 'stepping up to the plate,' personified the concept of 'there’s a silver lining,' and demonstrated the epitome of 'true grit.' Her positive attitude, leadership, vision, and concern for the Law College as both an institution and a community have been inspiring.

– Daniel Barnhizer, Associate Dean for Graduate and International Programs

As MSU Law’s interim dean, Melanie bravely and boldly moved the Law College, legal academy, and legal profession pendulum towards a more balanced scales of justice for silenced and marginalized human beings. Without reservation, Melanie is a champion change-agent and a conduit for light, hope, and healing in our world.

– Mary Ann Ferguson, ’02, Esq., Assistant Dean for Diversity and Equity Services

Dean Jacobs was an exceptional leader long before becoming interim dean. From my 2018 orientation to my 2021 graduation, Dean Jacobs has been there every step of the way to comfort, support, and empower MSU Law students. Her unwavering active listening skills, empathy-first outlook, and her plethora of legal knowledge helped mold my classmates and me into the Spartan lawyers we will soon be.

– Jousef Shkoukani, ’21, 2021 Class President

When I was in law school, I always found Dean Jacobs to be not only a great professor but also inspiring and eager to engage with the students. Little did I know that she would be the exact leader needed during a most trying time for our students and law school. Her care, engagement, and inspiration were the exact characteristics needed at the right time! Well done and thank you, Dean Jacobs.

– James Liggins, ’03

The Law College has been so fortunate to have Melanie's leadership throughout MSU integration and the COVID pandemic. Her optimism and hard work have been an inspiration. Her mentorship has been invaluable to me personally. But it is her drive to make the Law College community a better place for everyone – from students and staff to faculty – that we should all work to emulate.

– Jennifer Carter-Johnson, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Melanie Jacobs took the helm of the College at a critical juncture, as we were bringing to closure the integration with the University, and was almost immediately faced with crisis of the pandemic. She managed these extraordinary times with grace and grit, and her attention to all of the constituencies of the College was a tribute to her commitment to inclusion and transparency.

– Charles Ten Brink, Professor of Law

Dean Melanie Jacobs is the real McCoy. I am convinced she is one of those lucky people that bleeds green and white. I was one of her first students back in 2002 and was so impressed by her straightforward teaching style that invited in-depth conversations in her students. As an alum, I have reached out to Melanie for assistance with alumni events, and she has jumped at the opportunity. She is fully committed, giving every inch of her being to her students – both present and past.

– Katherine R. Catanese, ’04

Dean Jacobs has been instrumental in the positive trajectory of MSU Law. Despite the challenges of the past many months, Dean Jacobs has led the Law College – and its alumni engagement – to new heights.

– Jill Walters, ’07