Provost Scott Coltrane announced Marcilynn Burke as the next of the University of Oregon School of Law. The announcement was made in an email to UO student email accounts.
Burke is replacing Michael Moffitt, who announced he will step down from the position on July 1, 2017. Burke will join the university the same day.
Burke was the top candidate for the job, according to the announcement. UO’s highly touted environmental law program helped to attract Burke according to statements she made to the university.
Burke received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and her law degree from Yale Law School. She joined the University of Houston in 2002. She will remain an associate dean and associate professor at UH until she comes to UO in July, according to the announcement.
Burke’s work outside the classroom has involved working as the deputy director for programs and policy at the Bureau of Land Management and acting assistant secretary for land and minerals management. Her professional experience has informed her scholarly work; she currently teaches courses in property law, land-use law and natural resources law according to the announcement.