UK Rosenberg Law Professor Zachary Bray Receives 2024 Duncan Teaching Award
Professor Zachary Bray, James and Mary Lassiter Professor of Law, has been named the recipient of the 2024 Duncan Teaching Award at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law.
This annual award is presented to a UK Rosenberg Law faculty member who has distinguished themselves through excellence in the classroom. This award is provided by the Robert M. and Joanne K. Duncan Faculty Improvement Fund, founded in 1982, which was established to promote outstanding teaching performance. The recipient of this award, selected by the dean of the college, with an emphasis on student evaluations, receives a one-time award of $5,000.
Former Dean Mary J. Davis believes it is Bray’s ability to engage his students that has created an excellent learning environment.
“Zack is widely known for his fabulous teaching. He is intellectually challenging while also being accessible. His students have only praise for his teaching style, his sense of humor, and his support and dedication to their learning,” Davis said.
Bray joined UK Rosenberg Law’s faculty in 2016, after teaching at the University of Houston Law Center for several years. As a Kentucky native, Bray began his academic career in Houston in 2010. Throughout his career, Bray has conducted impactful research on monument law, religious land use, low-income housing, the Endangered Species Act, and many other areas of study. Many of his findings have been displayed in legal publications, including the William & Mary Law Review, the Brigham Young University Law Review, and the Harvard Environmental Law Review. Bray was also the recipient of the UK Alumni Association’s Great Teacher Award in 2022.
Bray completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame in Philosophy and History. After graduation, Bray earned his J.D. at Yale Law school. Before beginning his academic career, Bray worked with several renowned judges including the Honorable Jennifer B. Coffman, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. He also worked for Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP in Los Angeles.
Bray is also known for his work in establishing The Monument Workshop at UK in collaboration with former UK Rosenberg Law Professor Melynda Price, who now serves as the director of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender and professor of Women and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan. The Monument Workshop will aim to provide interdisciplinary experts, outside artists, and local community leaders with legal support and assistance necessary to exhibit stories that show what the Commonwealth is and can be. Price and Bray, who will serve as co-directors, were awarded a $2 million grant by the Mellon Foundation to support their work.
Bray teaches several courses at UK Rosenberg College of Law including land use planning, payment systems, trusts and estates, property law, and resource law. His academic and professional interests include property, real estate transactions, water law, and administrative law.
