Professor James W. Houck retires after 14 years at Penn State Dickinson Law

August 2025—Vice Admiral, JAG Corps, U.S. Navy (Ret.) James W. Houck, a scholar in residence at Penn State Dickinson Law and the School of International Affairs (SIA), recently retired after 14 years on the faculty.

Houck joined Penn State Dickinson Law following more than three decades in the United States Navy. In 2013-2017, he served as interim dean of Penn State Dickinson Law and SIA. He then stepped into the same role in 2021-2022.

“Jim Houck has inspired not only students but faculty and staff as well with his ethos of service, his integrity, and his commitment to law and legal education,” said Professor of Law and Political Science Jud Mathews, who until recently served as associate dean for academic affairs at Penn State Dickinson Law. “He stewarded the law school—twice—as interim dean and pioneered a National Security Law sequence that became one of our most sought-after offerings. One measure of Jim’s impact on our students is that many followed his example to join the JAG Corps.”

The faculty at the Law School passed a resolution recognizing Houck’s distinguished career and his rapport with students, noting “from the very start of his teaching career, [he] attracted an ardent following among students who responded to his incomparable experience, sound judgment, devotion to teaching, humility, and decency.”

Houck is a State College native whose portrait still hangs in the State College Area High School’s Hall of Fame. He attended the United States Naval Academy and served as a surface warfare officer aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Caron following graduation. His naval career culminated in his appointment as the 41st Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Navy.

His military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, and the Navy Achievement Medal.

As the Judge Advocate General of the Navy, Admiral Houck was the principal military legal counsel to the Secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations and led the 2,300 attorneys, enlisted legal staff, and civilian employees of the worldwide Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

Houck taught classes focused on national security law, international law, law of the sea, law of armed conflict, and legal issues within the military. He pioneered an innovative, immersive, two-course National Security Law sequence, which cast students in roles as diplomats, elected officials, military leaders, and journalists.

The graduating classes of 2020 and 2023 selected Houck as the sole faculty recipient of the former Penn State Law J.D. Teaching Award, recognizing excellence in teaching.

The faculty’s continuing resolution notes that Houck’s “life and career embody the highest ideals of service to others.”