Donna Young, founding dean of Ryerson’s Faculty of Law, talks moving home and what’s next

Donna Young joined Ryerson in January 2020 as the founding dean of the Faculty of Law, which opens its doors September 2020. She came to Ryerson from Albany Law School in New York, the oldest independent law school in the United States, where she was the President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy. At Albany, Young’s teaching concentrated on criminal law, federal civil procedure, employment regulation and gender and race discrimination. Young has been particularly interested in how, historically, policies and procedures have made access to justice a challenge for marginalized communities.

After nearly three decades abroad, she has returned to her hometown of Toronto to accept the deanship position with the faculty. Ryerson Today caught up with Young to chat about what makes Toronto home for her, what she’s determined to do this year, and whether she’d pick a night out at the theatre or a night in with Netflix.

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