Get to know Washburn's School of Law dean Jeffrey Jackson, bowtie connoisseur and Topeka fan

Stacey Saldanha-Olson, Topeka Capital-Journal
·4 min read

Jeffrey Jackson is the newest dean for the Washburn University School of Law, a bowtie connoisseur and a man who hopes to do "pretty well."

"If you can say he did a pretty good job, ... that's actually high praise, especially in Kansas," Jackson said. "Right, where we tend to think that, you know we all tend to be a little modest about stuff. But if somebody said you did a pretty good job, that meant you probably did a really good job."

Jackson was named the permanent law school dean after serving as interim for two years. He said the experience of serving as interim was eye-opening.

Jeffrey Jackson, dean of the Washburn University School of Law, sits Tuesday afternoon in front of murals representing the Brown v. Board of Education case in which Washburn Law played a key role.
Jeffrey Jackson, dean of the Washburn University School of Law, sits Tuesday afternoon in front of murals representing the Brown v. Board of Education case in which Washburn Law played a key role.

New dean grateful for support during years as interim leader

When selected, Jackson was up against professionals across the country. Jackson said he appreciated the vote of support from university president JuliAnn Mazachek.

"It feels really good," Jackson said. "You know, you hope that if you're serving as an interim you cannot run the school into the ditch but hopefully do some good things and we had some early challenges during the time. I was an interim and dealing with those kinds of things and I think it helped me realize all of the things that the dean really has to do.

"And so it feels very good to have other people think that you did a good job as well."

Before Jackson joined the faculty at Washburn in 2005, he was a law clerk for Chief Justice Robert E. Davis on the Kansas Supreme Court and the Kansas Court of Appeals and clerked for Judge Mary Beck Briscoe on the U.S. 10th Court of Appeals. Jackson also served as the constitutional issues attorney for the Kansas Supreme Court.

Jeffrey Jackson, dean of the Washburn University School of Law, watches a clock to keep track of timing during a practice for his constitutional moot court team Tuesday afternoon.
Jeffrey Jackson, dean of the Washburn University School of Law, watches a clock to keep track of timing during a practice for his constitutional moot court team Tuesday afternoon.

"Intellectually, it's a neat experience, right," Jackson said. "It's fascinating, but you can never take out the thought that really it's a pretty profound endeavor that you're engaged in."

Jackson earned his bachelor in business administration from Washburn in 1989 and graduated with a juris doctor from the Washburn School of Law in 1992. He also has a master's in constitutional law from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Washburn law dean points to opportunities in capital city

What attracted Jackson to Washburn is now the same reason he loves teaching here — the endless opportunities the capital city has to offer.

"I think Topeka tends to get a bad rap sometimes from people," Jackson said. "There's so many cool things to do and there are so many opportunities."

He recalled growing up in Fairview and how he'd come to Topeka for the entertainment. Jackson said he remembered coming to town for the movie theater and that in the 1970s he saw "Star Wars" for the first time.

He said it was strange coming back to Topeka and Washburn for work. He once was a student and now he was a member of the faculty he used to look up to. His professors were now his colleagues.

Jeffrey Jackson, second from left, helps coach a constitutional moot court team Tuesday afternoon.
Jeffrey Jackson, second from left, helps coach a constitutional moot court team Tuesday afternoon.

"Just getting used to that difference and yeah, coming from this person's my professor to this person is my colleague was kind of interesting and it and it took a while," Jackson said. "I will say it was probably a year before I could start calling him (his former professor James Concannon) Jim in my head, but it was wonderful."

Jackson said teaching has been one of the greatest pleasures he's had in life. He said he'd like to continue teaching while he serves as dean.

Before he became dean, Jackson ran the Center for Excellence in Advocacy at the law school and said he was extremely proud to offer that advocacy experience to students and that they leave the university knowing how to practice law feasibly.

Washburn Law dean Jeffrey Jackson gathers his materials to coach his constitutional moot court team Tuesday afternoon from his office.
Washburn Law dean Jeffrey Jackson gathers his materials to coach his constitutional moot court team Tuesday afternoon from his office.

Koi pond is dean's favorite spot on campus, aside from law building

When asked where his favorite place on campus is aside from the law building, Jackson said the koi pond. Even in such a calm place, he said he is always thinking about the law.

"One, it's very peaceful," Jackson said. "It's a neat little oasis in the middle of campus and you can just kind of walk there and you can look in the koi pond and it's very serene. To that end, in my first-year legal analysis, research and writing case class, I teach a case based on an accident of somebody falling into a koi pond."

Jackson has learned many things as a student, faculty member and now dean of Washburn, but most importantly, he learned how to tie a bowtie from former university president Jerry Farley.

More: Washburn's School of Law has a new building. What's happening to its old home?

"Really the whole reason that I started wearing bowties, beyond the fact that I do think they're kind of cool, is that they're kind of distinctive," Jackson said. "You see somebody wearing a bow tie, it sticks in your head. President Farley's bow ties were kind of the unofficial symbol of Washburn, and I liked that."

For Jackson, life has come full circle, from a law student who thinks bowties are cool to a bowtie-wearing law dean who gets annoyed with the inaccuracies of the law in TV.

Stacey Saldanha-Olson is the enterprise reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. She can be reached at solson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @SSaldanhaO.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Get to know Washburn's School of Law dean Jeffrey Jackson