September 2010
Valerie Jenness is the new dean of the School of Social Ecology, effective September 1st.
Professor Jenness served as the School’s interim dean beginning in July 1, 2009, having first come to UCI in 1997 as Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society. She served as director of the graduate program for three years, and later chaired the department from 2001-2006. She has a joint appointment with the Department of Sociology.
Professor Jenness's research focuses on the links between deviance and social control, the politics of crime control and criminalization, social movements and social change, and corrections and public policy. She has authored three books and numerous articles and chapters, is a frequent presenter at professional conferences, has served in editorial capacities for several leading journals in her field, and has received research funding from a wide variety of federal and state agencies. Her research has been recognized with numerous awards, most recently from the American Sociological Association and the Society for the Study of Social Problems. She is a past co-editor of Contemporary Sociology and past president of the Society for the Study of Social Problems.
In her role as interim dean, Professor Jenness has shown tremendous aptitude in the areas of strategic planning and fundraising and community-building initiatives, and has been a consistent and vigorous advocate on behalf of the School's faculty, staff and students. These efforts together with her inspirational leadership have laid the groundwork for the School's continued success.