School of Criminology and Criminal Justice names 1st Distinguished Visiting Professor

Valerie Jenness, president-elect of the American Society of Criminology, says she plans to learn much from her time at ASU


January 30, 2023

A national leader in criminology is in residence at Arizona State University during the spring semester as the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice’s first ever Distinguished Visiting Professor.

Valerie Jenness, a distinguished professor of criminology, law and society at the University of California, Irvine, is president-elect of the American Society of Criminology. Jenness isn’t new to engaging with faculty and students at other institutions. In 2021–22, she spent a semester in a similar role at the law school at the University of California, Los Angeles, and before that she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2016, and at the University of Michigan in 2015. Portrait of Valerie Jenness, Distinguished Visiting Professor at ASU's Criminology and Criminal Justice. Valerie Jenness is the spring 2023 Distinguished Visiting Professor at the ASU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Photo courtesy the School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine Download Full Image

“I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from being at ASU,” she said, noting that the university recently opened its California Center in her home state. “There’s a reason ASU gets positive press attention as it serves more students in more ways.”

Jenness said her time on the academic road has been good for her as a scholar and teacher, and she anticipates it will be helpful to those she engages with at ASU.

“My hope,” she said, “is to benefit from a fresh point of view and to bring a new point of view to ASU. Hopefully, my visit is good on the synergy front.”

Leaving one’s environment occasionally to experience a new one is a positive experience, she said.

“It’s good to see how people outside of my campus learn and to share things with my ASU colleagues,” Jenness said. “It’s good to get out of one bubble and get into another bubble.”

In November, Jenness will begin a one-year term as president of the American Society of Criminology, an international organization of scholars, teachers and practitioners in criminology who exchange knowledge about the field.

Besides a typical schedule for many visiting professors — giving talks, sharing research, engaging with faculty and students — Jenness said she also will meet with colleagues outside of the criminal justice school, elsewhere within the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions.

She said she is particularly interested in being part of discussions about criminal justice reform, especially in Arizona.

Reform is always a big issue, she said, although it waxes and wanes in the minds of the public and among criminal justice professionals. It’s a major concern because the criminal justice system is a major institution in any society, here in Arizona as well as in California.

“We’re always reforming it. The question is where and why,” Jenness said. “I collect data to see what these systems are doing and ask, 'Are they doing what we want them to do?' And that takes you into a dialogue with the public. From my point of view, public universities are — and should be — in dialogue with the public and addressing issues of concern to various publics.”

She is currently working on a couple of major projects, including a study of the implementation of a new California law passed in 2021 enabling transgender, nonbinary and intersex people to be incarcerated according to their gender identity rather than their birth designation.

Jenness is also working on “Policing the Rainbow: Sexual and Gender Minority Experiences and Perceptions of Law Enforcement,” a study funded by a $654,000 grant from the National Institute of Justice. The research examines LGBTQ people’s experiences with, and views of, the police, with an eye toward discerning the similarity and dissimilarity within the LGBTQ community and others in what they think about law enforcement. She said she hopes to give a public lecture at ASU on the topic this semester.

Beth Huebner, Watts Endowed Professor of Public Safety and the school’s director, said Jenness’ position in the American Society of Criminology leadership is evidence she is one of the top authorities in the criminal justice field.

“Her work is important to the academy, and she has been able to translate her work into policy,” Huebner said. “For example, she is doing groundbreaking research on experiences that LGBTQIA+ persons have with law enforcement that will help the field and the profession better understand and respond to members of this group. We are thrilled to welcome her to ASU.”

Jenness earned her PhD and Master of Arts degree in sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her Bachelor of Science degree in sociology is from Central Washington University.

Mark J. Scarp

Media Relations Officer, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions

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Faculty member to chair Sports Law and Business program advisory board

Glenn Wong will become the 1st chairman of the board in June


January 30, 2023

One of the most prestigious faculty members at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University is set to mark the start of a new chapter in his long and storied career.

Glenn Wong, Distinguished Professor of Practice and executive director of the Allan “Bud” Selig Sports Law and Business program, will soon move into a new role as chairman of the program’s 48-member advisory board. The move will become official on June 1. Portrait of ASU Distinguished Professor of Practice Glenn Wong. Glenn Wong will step into a new role as chairman of the Sports Law and Business Program at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law on June 1. Download Full Image

"In his time leading (Sports Law and Business), Glenn elevated the program and the whole college by extension," said Zachary Kramer, interim dean of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. "He brought his experience, passion and enthusiasm for sports and was integral in crafting a vision for the program that we will continue to execute.”

In this new position, Wong will assist with overseeing the program he helped to launch. 

“We are honored that Glenn will continue his important work at ASU Law in this new advisory role,” said Stacy Leeds, dean designate and Regents Professor of law. “His students, fellow faculty members and the entire sports law community are lucky to have continued access to his extensive knowledge and connections in the field.”

Wong, an attorney who has worked with organizations such as the National Football League, Major League Baseball and the PGA of America, joined ASU in 2015. Under his leadership, the Sports Law and Business program has strengthened its reputation and developed an innovative curriculum surrounding the legal and business aspects of the sports industry. A unique concurrent Juris Doctor/Master of Sports Law and Business degree program was launched under Wong’s leadership in 2019.

“As a professor, mentor and friend, no one has had a greater influence on my career than Glenn,” noted Jeff Price, chief commercial officer with the PGA of America. “As he transitions into a new role, it is important we recognize how he has helped to elevate the ASU Sports Law and Business program to national prominence.”

Prior to his time at ASU, Wong served as a distinguished professor at the University of Massachusetts and led the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management within the university’s Isenberg School of Management, in addition to a number of other roles during his long tenure there. He received the John Francis Kennedy Maroon Leadership Award from the university in 2021. Wong was also a visiting professor at Stanford Law School in 2015 and 2016. 

Additionally, Wong is a past president of the Sports Lawyers Association and has been a board member of the organization since 1998.

“I, as well as many professionals, have excelled and advanced in our careers because of Glenn and continue to be inspired by his strategic educational program development,” said Bernadette McGlade, commissioner of the Atlantic 10 Conference. “As the architect of one of the first prestigious sports administration degree programs at the University of Massachusetts, to NACDA professional development graduate seminars, to the ASU Sports Law and Business degree program, Glenn Wong is an icon in sports, law, business and the educational industry. I have no doubt the next chapter as chairman of the advisory board will elevate all.”

Wong will take over his new position on June 1, and also continue as professor of practice. Aaron Hernandez will become assistant dean and executive director of the Sports Law and Business program.

Lindsay Walker

Communications Manager, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law