Jenia I. Turner appointed to endowed Centennial Professorship at SMU Dedman School of Law

DALLAS (SMU) – Professor Jenia Iontcheva Turner has been appointed Amy Abboud Ware Centennial Professor in Criminal Law for her outstanding contributions as a teacher and scholar in the field of criminal justice. Professor Turner is a prolific scholar, a distinguished teacher, and a sought-after expert, both nationally and internationally, on criminal justice issues.

Professor Turner joined SMU Dedman School of Law in 2004. Before joining SMU, Professor Turner served as a Bigelow Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School. She attended law school at Yale, where she was a Coker Fellow and articles editor for the Yale Law Journal ;and the Yale Journal of International Law.

“I am deeply honored with the professorship and grateful for the Wares’ extraordinarily generous contribution to the law school,” said Professor Jenia Turner. “It is inspiring to see alumni who have achieved success in the legal world decide to give back to SMU. Amy Abboud Ware’s many accomplishments in the field of criminal law make this professorship in her name all the more fitting. Personally, receiving this honor further motivates me to continue doing the work I love—teaching and researching about criminal justice issues, both in the United States and abroad. I will do my best to see that the Wares’ generosity pays dividends in the form of a more vibrant intellectual community for our faculty and students.”

The professorship was endowed by Amy Abboud Ware ’90 and Les Ware ’92 as a gift to the law school and the city of Dallas.

“Great cities need great universities, and great universities need great professors,” said Amy Ware. “Great professors don’t just make the school a better place. They make the city a better place and are a resource to our larger community.” Both Amy and Les were undergrads at SMU before earning their law degrees from Dedman Law, and their bond with SMU is deep. “SMU has given us so much – our education, our livelihood, our friends, “says Amy. “SMU specializes in relationships.”

“Amy and Les Ware understand that support for faculty positions ensures that SMU Dedman Law will be able to attract and retain the very best scholars and teachers to our law faculty,” said Jennifer Collins, Judge James Noel Dean, SMU Dedman School of Law. “I am so delighted that their generosity has enabled us to recognize Professor Turner’s truly outstanding contributions, both to the law school and to the larger national and international conversations surrounding criminal justice. The Wares’ gift is indeed inspirational, and we are deeply grateful for their ongoing support.”

###

Southern Methodist University is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today, SMU enrolls approximately 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools.

The School of Law at SMU was founded in 1925. It was named Dedman School of Law in 2001 in honor of Dallas benefactors Nancy and Robert H. Dedman, Sr., and their family. SMU Dedman Law enjoys a national and international reputation of distinction. It is among the most competitive law schools in the country for admission, as well as one of the most successful in the placement of its graduates.