Jacob H. Rooksby, J.D., Ph.D.
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Profile
Dean Jacob H. Rooksby is an experienced academic, administrator, and attorney with a proven track record of leadership and innovation in higher education. His scholarship focuses on intellectual property law and higher education law, addressing challenges central to universities’ missions in an evolving landscape. He is author of The Branding of the American Mind: How Universities Capture, Manage, and Monetize Intellectual Property and Why It Matters (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), co-author of the 6th edition of The Law of Higher Education, and editor of the Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer (Edward Elgar, 2020). Prior to joining Richmond Law as Dean in 2026, he served as Dean of Gonzaga University School of Law.Expand All
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Awards
Stetson University College of Law’s Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy William A. Kaplin Award (2023)
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Memberships
Fellow, American Bar Foundation (2024 - present)
Member, American Law Institute (2020 - present)
Editorial Board Member, National Association of College and University Attorneys (2016 - present)
Deans Steering Committee Member, Association of American Law Schools (2022 - 2025)
Member, Q. Todd Dickinson Intellectual Property American Inn of Court (2014 - 2018)
President (2016-2017) and Vice President (2015-2016), Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association (2012 - 2018)
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Professional Experience
Smithmoore P. Myers Dean (2022 - 2026)
Gonzaga University School of LawPresident (2018 - 2026)
Gonzaga Law School FoundationProfessor of Law (2018 - 2026)
Gonzaga University School of LawDean (2018 - 2022)
Gonzaga University School of LawAssociate Dean of Administration (2016 - 2018)
Duquesne University School of Law
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Awards
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Publications
Books
Research Handbook on Law and Higher Education (ed.) (Edward Elgar) (2027).
Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer (ed.) (Edward Elgar) (2020).
The Law of Higher Education, Student Edition (co-author of the 6th edition with William A. Kaplin, Barbara A. Lee, & Neal H. Hutchens) (Jossey-Bass) (2020).
The Law of Higher Education (co-author of the 6th edition of the treatise with William A. Kaplin, Barbara A. Lee, & Neal H. Hutchens) (Jossey-Bass) (2019).
The Branding of the American Mind: How Universities Capture, Manage, and Monetize Intellectual Property and Why It Matters (Johns Hopkins University Press) (2016).
Journal Articles“Academic Leadership Is a Full-Contact Sport: Reflections from a Law School Dean”, 62 Santa Clara Law Review 101 (2022).
“COVID-19 and Corporate Social Responsibility: Business Responses to the Pandemic in the Inland Northwest”, 82 Montana Law Review 143 (2021).
“Beyond Formal University Technology Transfer: Innovative Pathways for Knowledge Exchange”, The Journal of Technology Transfer (with Christopher Hayter et al.) (2018).
“Copyrights in Higher Education: Motivating a Research Agenda", The Journal of Technology Transfer (with Christopher Hayter) (2017).
“A Fresh Look at Copyright on Campus", 81 Missouri Law Review 769 (2016).
“A Legal Perspective on University Technology Transfer", The Journal of Technology Transfer (with Christopher Hayter) (2016).
“Copyright in Higher Education: A Review of Modern Scholarship", 54 Duquesne Law Review 197 (2016).
“Intellectual Property and the University: An Introduction", 54 Duquesne Law Review (2016).
“Trademark Trends and Brand Activity in Higher Education", Review of Higher Education (with Christopher Collins) (2016).
“Defining Domain: Higher Education’s Battles for Cyberspace", 80 Brooklyn Law Review 857 (2015).
“UniversityTM: Trademark Rights Accretion in Higher Education", 27 Harvard Journal of Law and Technology 349 (2014).
“Innovation and Litigation: Tensions Between Universities and Patents and How to Fix Them", 15 Yale Journal of Law and Technology 314 (2013).
“Myriad Choices: University Patents Under the Sun", Journal of Law and Education 313 (2013).
“Sharing Life’s Work", 63 Journal of Legal Education 1 (2013).
“When Tigers Bare Teeth: A Qualitative Study of University Patent Enforcement", Akron Law Review 169 (2013).
“University Involvement in Patent Infringement Litigation", les Nouvelles 8 (2012).
“University Initiation of Patent Infringement Litigation", 10 The John Marshall Review of Intellectual Property Law (2011).
“Ethics Education in Medical Schools: Problems, Practices, Possibilities.”, Quinnipiac Health Law Journal 181 (2007).
“Rethinking Student Press in the ‘Marketplace of Ideas’ After Hosty: The Argument for Encouraging Professional Journalistic Practices.”, Journal of College and University Law (2007).
Book Chapters“Policy Advocacy and Organizational Change at the Association of University Technology Managers”, in Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer (Edward Elgar) (with Christopher Hayter) (2020).
“Protecting University Patents while Pursuing the Public Good”, in Concise Guide to Entrepreneurship, Technology and Innovation (Edward Elgar) (2015).
“Learning to Litigate: University Patents in the Knowledge Economy", in Academic Capitalism in the Age of Globalization (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press) (2014).
“Universities As Patent Enforcers: Challenges and Opportunities”, in Technology Transfer Law Handbook (Chicago: American Bar Association, Section of Intellectual Property Law) (2014).
Magazines/Trade PublicationsRecurring bi-monthly column on legal issues in higher education from 2018-2020, Campus Legal Advisor (2020).
“Digital Cocoons and the Raw Abroad”, (Inside Higher Ed) (with George Greenia) (April 2016).
"Academic Integrity in the Digital World", (Leadership Exchange) (2015).
“Colleges Need Free Speech More Than Trademarks", (Chronicle of Higher Education) (February 2014).
“Sue U", 24 (Academe) (2012).
“When Your Institution Sues for Patent Infringement", (Trusteeship) (2012).
“Beyond the Press: Collegiate Journalism’s Uncertain Future", (Chronicle of Higher Education) (June 2011).
“Colleges As Collectors: Questions to Ask When Buying and Selling Artworks", (Chronicle of Higher Education) (with Gilbert Schill, Jr.) (September 2008).