A Quarter of a Century: Professor Ann Murphy's Lasting Impact
For more than 25 years, Professor Ann Murphy has treated her classroom somewhat like a stage, taking her students through complex material like an actress might. She holds their attention with her tremendous energy, insight, and compassion, making topics like tax law and civil procedure come alive for them in a way that shouldn’t be possible. And like all the best roles, it’ll be hard to give up after retiring from full-time teaching.
“It’s not an act, but I am performing,” she says. “After a good day of class, you’re walking on clouds.”
Professor Murphy grew up in Chicago, the youngest of four siblings. She calls her younger self a dedicated goof-off, more interested in being liked than doing well in school. It wasn’t until college that she discovered the passion for research and academic achievement that she’s nurtured for more than 40 years.
“I realized you can get as much attention by being a good student as being a goof,” she half-jokes.
After realizing that, she never looked back. She got all A’s and developed the work ethic that has served her throughout her career. As she neared graduation from college, she thought she wanted to become a paralegal, because she didn’t think she could handle law school. But one of her professors challenged her to try it, reassuring her she could. She surprised only herself by doing so well.
During law school, she completed an externship with the Internal Revenue Service that turned into 14 years as a trial attorney, with stints in San Francisco and Portland. She loved the courtroom, the pace of it, the pleasure of a well-prepared case coming together under pressure. But a prolonged tax fraud case eventually tested her loyalty to the work, and she started looking for another way to challenge her abilities.
Teaching had always been the destination she’d been circling. She taught college economics for 18 months before law school and caught the teaching bug. She loved training IRS revenue agents, breaking down complex evidentiary rules, and watching understanding click into place. When the opportunity came to join Gonzaga’s faculty, she took it without hesitation.
“I can remember back to exactly how I felt when I started law school,” she says. “I actually hated every moment of it, because I was so stressed. I remember clearly not comprehending an ancient case in my textbooks, just not getting it, so I can relate to the students.”
These relationships, both in and out of the classroom, made her time at Gonzaga feel like she’s been part of a family. But she pushes back against the idea that she’s done the lion’s share of the work in these relationships.
“To the extent that I’ve helped the students, I’m really happy,” she says. “But they’ve helped me just as much. That was something I didn’t expect. A real gift.”
After a remarkable career, Professor Murphy will assume emerita status in the fall of 2026.