Summary: Vermont Law School has stripped away tenure from 14 of their 19 tenured faculty members in order to cut costs.

Vermont Law School has taken extreme measures in order to put the school’s finances back on track. One of those measures involved getting rid of tenure from roughly 75 percent of its tenured faculty members. According to the ABA Journal, 14 of the 19 tenured faculty members at VLS lost their hard-earned status.

With the details of how many faculty members lost their tenure positions, the American Association of University Professors is concerned that the law school did not follow proper regulations. The AAUP sent a letter on June 19 to VLS’s tenure and retention committee chair, they explained that for “extraordinary circumstances because of financial exigencies,” a law school can terminate faculty positions for reasons beyond adequate cause. However, in that situation, the faculty, administration and governing board should work together to decide if financial exigencies exist with faculty having the “primary responsibility” to determine where the terminations occur and what criteria will be used for the terminations.

VLS has around 60 faculty members, according to VT Digger. Law school tenure and retention committee chair Peter Teachout responded to the AAUP in a letter stating that they had decided on “stripping 14 out of 19 tenured faculty members of tenure” in order to cut costs.

One Vermont Law professor that lost his tenure, Craig Pease, claims the law school has not stated that it is under financial exigencies. Pease did not sign a nondisclosure agreement with the school and has since sent a letter to VLS demanding his job back, with tenure.

Teachout told the ABA Journal that faculty was not directly involved in determining who would lose tenure. Senior program officer Anita Levy wrote in the letter, “Even if the faculty, administration, and governing board had together determined that a state of financial exigency … did exist, the process enacted for determining whose appointments have been terminated is still unacceptable under principles of academic freedom and tenure. Indefinite tenure carries with it the presumption of competence.”

Dean Thomas McHenry emphasized that any arrangements involving losing tenure were subject to confidential agreements. McHenry, a former Gibson Dunn & Crutcher partner, became the law school’s dean last year. He quickly enacted plans for a “programmatic restructuring to put us in a better financial situation.”

Vermont Law does not have a parent institution to help with expenses, leaving it all to the law school to handle its finances. The downturn in the economy and subsequent drop in law school enrollment numbers took a big punch out of Vermont. They laid off staff in 2013 and were found to have defaulted on a loan agreement with TD Bank in 2013. In 2017, the law school received a $17 million loan from the United States Department of Agriculture, which was used to lower the interest rate on existing debt.

McHenry explained, “Whenever you go through a restructuring process you want to make sure you preserve the absolute best and most important parts of the institution. I am very excited and my deans are very excited – we’re in much better financial position today than we were several months ago, and this gives up the flexibility to start planning going forward.” The law school has also had a big increase in the past couple years in enrollment numbers.

The AAUP encourages schools to give faculty members stripped of tenure at least one year of notice or severance pay. Teachout told the ABA Journal that the affected faculty members will receive their salary at a new scale for six months in the fiscal year 2019 and medical benefits up to December 31.

Do you think Vermont Law School is legally able to strip tenure from so many without cause? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

To learn more about tenure at other law schools, read these articles:

• Valparaiso University Law Offers Buyouts for Tenured Faculty
• Gonzaga Law Offers Buy-Outs to Tenured Professors
• Judge Stops Layoff of Tenured Professor at Charleston Law

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The post Nearly 75 Percent of Tenure Faculty at VLS Lose Status first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

Summary: Valparaiso Law School has been looking for other options after its enrollment dropped drastically last fall, considering Middle Tennessee State University as a strong option.

Valparaiso University previously announced it was no longer admitting students into its law school after enrolling only 29 new students last fall. Since then Valparaiso Law School has been looking to merge with another university. Middle Tennessee State University may just be what the university they have been looking for.

MTSU received a non-binding letter of intent from the law school, according to Inside Higher Ed. MTSU President Sidney McPhee made it clear that they will not be purchasing or merging with the law school. Instead, the law school would be more like a gift.

McPhee said, according to the Daily News Journal, “Our exploration of this proposal is in keeping with MTSU’s tradition and strategic priority of pursuing innovative partnerships that create meaningful opportunities for our students, our region and our state.”

A move must still be approved by each university’s governing board and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Valparaiso Law School, located in northwest Indiana at the main campus, would be transferring to Murfreesboro should the move go through. A potential location could be the Andrew Woodfin Miller Education Center.

Tennessee already has six law schools, three of which are in Nashville. Tennessee state senator Bill Ketron believes the law school would be a good addition for the state, providing a more affordable option compared to the private law schools at Belmont University and Vanderbilt. Ketron said, “I think it would serve us well. If we can work out the logistics at the state level with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, it would be a wonderful thing, and it would actually take Middle Tennessee State University to the next level by having the only public accredited law school in the mid-state area, including northern Alabama and southern Kentucky.”

Valparaiso Law School was founded in 1879. The American Bar Association accredited law school has roughly 235 students. The law school currently offers a juris doctorate program and seven dual degree programs emphasizing things like Chinese studies, sports management, and mental health counseling.

Do you think Tennessee has enough law schools? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

To learn about other law school changes, read these articles:

• Law Schools Want to See Summer Associate Arbitration Agreements
• Law Schools and Judges Move to Change Clerkship Application Timeline to after Second Year
• LSAT Will No Longer Be Required for ABA-Accredited Law Schools

Photo: murfreesboropost.com

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Summary: The University of Minnesota Law School is struggling financially due to low enrollment numbers so they are seeking additional support.

There is no doubt that the low law school enrollment numbers have affected every law school. The University of Minnesota Law School is feeling those effects in their finances. The law school is now seeking additional funding to help support them as they deal with low enrollment by keeping their admission standards up, according to Minnesota Daily.

The Board of Regents will vote in two days on University President Eric Kaler’s proposed funding increase for the law school. The increased funds will help balance their budget, offsetting their current deficit. The deficit is expected to be $4.1 million by the end of the fiscal year 2018, according to the school and the Office of Budget and Finance.

The proposed budget involves the University providing the law school with a one-time $1.9 million payment and annual operations funding for three years. Annual funding would start at $1.7 million, gradually decreasing to $1.3 million.

The repeated requests by the law school for additional funding has caused a debate over the law school’s high admission standards. Some are supportive of the additional funding requests, the latest request being in May during a presentation to the board.

Law student Robert Dube said, “Obviously, everyone wants to see a time when we can get back to the budgets we had before the recession, but … I’d much rather have a school that decides to keep its standards.”

The law school ranks No. 20 by U.S. News and World Report. The rankings are based on admitted student LSAT scores, GPA, and more factors. Lowering admission standards could affect their ranking, which is something that many employers use to hire new graduates. Applicants from higher-ranked law schools are often looked at more favorably than other applicants.

The law school’s enrollment has dropped 23.5 percent since the fall on 2012. In order to make up for the lost students’ money, in-state tuition has increased by 16 percent since the 2012-2013 academic year.

The law school received $40.4 million from the University for the 2018 fiscal year. The additional funds are not significant, according to University Regent Michael Hsu but he does question the need for additional funding. He said, “The questions are, ‘How much is enough for the law school?’ and ‘Are their expenses out of control?’” He explained that while it does not seem like a large amount, adding on to their budget every year adds up. Hsu estimates that if the trend continues, the University could be giving the law school $100 million by fiscal year 2023.

He further compares their budget to the University of Michigan Law School. U.S. News and World Report ranks Michigan as No. 8, significantly higher than Minnesota. Michigan held an approximate $42 million budget for 2017’s fiscal year and has 1.5 times more students than their law school.

Hsu’s concern is that the University is neglecting their other graduate schools in an effort to maintain the law school. The medical school is tied for 46^th in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Do you think the law school could be doing more to tighten its budget? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

To learn more about the University of Minnesota’s financial struggles, read these articles:

• University of Minnesota Law Professor Charged for Embezzling $4 Million
• University of Minnesota Law School Receives $2.2 Million Allocation to Fight Declining Enrollment
• University of Minnesota Law School considers private funding

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

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Summary: Thomas Jefferson School of Law is taking a big jump down from their impressive facility to a smaller space in an office building in order to save money.

Thomas Jefferson School of Law is downgrading from its fancy, custom-built facility to a simple office building. The $90 million state-of-the-art facility in downtown San Diego was finished in 2011, at the peak of law school enrollment numbers, according to Law.com.

Since 2011, law school enrollment has gone down. Less prestigious law schools were affected more than others, Thomas Jefferson being one of the ones hit hard. At the time the campus was built, they had around 1,000 students. Now they have about half that amount with 521 enrolled for fall, according to American Bar Association data.

The law school will now share a building with Bank of America and a number of law firms, such as Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, in a 24-story building downtown. Classes will be held in the new location this fall.

Thomas Jefferson Dean Joan Bullock explained in the press release earlier this week that the move is “an important investment in strategic planning for the law school, streamlining the educational experience for students and faculty alike.” The school states they can put money towards the students instead of rent by moving to the smaller office space. “Repositioning with smaller classes will afford students more one-on-one attention and support from faculty and administration, helping better prepare students for the practice of law from their first year through graduation.”

Law schools like Thomas Jefferson that do not have a larger university to fall back on have had to manage the effects lower enrollment numbers have on a school’s finances on their own. Thomas Jefferson was placed on probation in November by the ABA for a number of violations to the accrediting standards. Those violations included admitting students that do not “appear capable” of graduating and passing the bar, keeping a “rigorous academic program,” and lacking “financial resources” to operate. The law school was required to give a detailed explanation of their “efforts to reduce its space costs and the impact of any reduction of space on the academic program.”

When enrollment numbers dropped, Thomas Jefferson lowered its admission standards to keep the numbers up. In 2011 their median LSAT score was 151 but it is now around 144. Their bar passage rate shows a similar trend. Only 30 percent of their first-time bar takers passed the July 2017 exam, the lowest rate of California’s 21 ABA-accredited law schools.

Thomas Jefferson took out $127 million in bonds in 2008 to pay for the new building. By 2013, the debt from the bonds was too much for the school. They were able to enter into an agreement with the bondholders to turn over ownership in exchange for $87 million removed from their debt. The school then leased the building back from the holders. This allowed Thomas Jefferson to be paying $6 million each year for rent and interest on the remaining debt when they had been paying $12 million a year for principal and interest. They had hoped the deal would put the school into a “solid financial footing” but it was not enough. The new location will be a “debt-free” option.

As part of their probation, Thomas Jefferson must inform each applicant of the law school’s first-time bar pass rate.

Do you think this is a wise move for Thomas Jefferson? Who do you think will move into the fancy building they left behind? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

To learn more about Thomas Jefferson, read these articles:

• New Financial Agreement Gives Hope to Thomas Jefferson School of Law
• Thomas Jefferson School of Law Sued by 12 Former Students
• Thomas Jefferson School of Law Alumna Loses Lawsuit

Photo: timesofsandiego.com

The post Thomas Jefferson School of Law Downgrades first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

Summary: Even the ABA is considering removing the requirement of LSAT scores for law school admission.

The University of Arizona School of Law made a move that many criticized and questioned by accepting Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) test scores instead of the standard Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Since then, numerous other law schools have followed suit by adopting their own policies of accepting the alternative exam. Now the American Bar Association is considering dropping the requirement for all law school students to take a standardized test for admission, according to Arizona Public Media.

UA law school dean Marc Miller made the move two years ago to admit students with top scores on the GRE. Implementing this new policy allowed James E. Rogers College of Law to recruit and admit students from other disciplines that had not considered the law as a career and thus had not taken the LSAT. Miller explained, “We can now send out notices to mathematicians, engineers, language specialists, people with bilingual and cultural competency, and say, based on your undergraduate record, which is in the GRE system, based on your scores, we want to encourage you to think about a legal career.”

Should the ABA remove the requirement for a standardized admissions test for law school, all schools would then be individually responsible for admitting students with a good chance of getting through law school and passing the bar exam. The ABA’s Standards Review Committee endorsed the proposal, so a final decision could come shortly.

Miller added, “In other words, put it on us to admit wisely for the outcomes of education. Don’t unduly weight the inputs of education.”

Getting rid of the rule would not abolish the LSAT as many law schools would still use it as a requirement.

Do you think law schools should be able to make their own enrollment rules? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

To learn more about law schools that have started accepting GRE scores, read these articles:

• Columbia Law School Will Accept GRE in Fall 2018
• Washington University in St. Louis Law School Accepting GRE Scores
• Brooklyn Law School To Accept GRE for Fall 2018

Photo: flickr.com

The post Acceptance of GRE Scores Instead of LSAT Catch On first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

Summary: Overall enrollment numbers at ABA-accredited law schools increased by a total of 36 students, the first increase in 6 years.

Law schools can breathe a sigh of relief. For the first time in six years the number of law school students increased ever-so-slightly. At American Bar Association-accredited schools there were an additional 36 students bringing the grand total to 37,107.

While an additional 36 students is nothing to rave about, it’s at least a step in the right direction. First year enrollment has dropped 29 percent over the past six years. Law schools have been forced to take drastic measures to make it by with the falling enrollment numbers. Staff have been cut, class sizes shrunk, and admission standards lowered in an effort to keep their programs afloat.

Professor Derek Muller at Pepperdine University School of Law has been tracking enrollment trends. His data suggests that a “flat” enrollment will likely be the new norm for law schools. He explained, “I think it’s bad for a lot of law schools that were hoping for growth, both in terms of quantity and quality. For schools that had been bracing for a short-term decline, with this bottoming out, I think they’re going to have to expect that this is the new normal.”

Professor Alfred Brophy at the University of North Carolina School of Law added, “I think it’s good that we’re not losing students. But I think there’s probably still too many law schools for this many students. My guess is some places will have to shut down or merge.”

For this year, 110 of the 205 ABA-accredited law schools are showing an increase in their first-year classes with 94 schools reporting a decrease compared to last year. Arizona Summit Law School reports the largest decline at 46 percent. The University of South Dakota School of Law is next with a 39 percent decrease.

Indiana Tech Law School has seen the largest increase this year with 41 new students enrolled. They only had 13 last year. They were unaccredited last year so they struggled to recruit students. They have since achieved ABA provisional accreditation but had still announced that they plan to close the school at the end of the academic year because of the low enrollment.

Do you think that conditions for law schools have improved? Tell us your predictions in the comments below.

To learn more about law school enrollments, read these articles:

• Top 10 Law Schools with Highest Enrollment Percentages from Accepted Students
• Charleston School of Law Predicts Double Enrollment
• How the Law School Enrollment Crisis Affects Harvard

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

The post Law School Enrollment Increases by 36 first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

Summary: One expert explains that struggling law schools would serve better to work together and become one in the damaged legal education industry.

The market has turned around slightly for law schools compared to a few years ago. The lack of enrollment numbers and increasing cost of tuition has bottomed out so there is no place to go but up. This trend is showing in application numbers but the numbers are not good enough to support a strong legal education industry.

Law schools at all levels are resorting to accepting students with lesser LSAT scores in order to meet their enrollment numbers and keep the money coming in to pay for the programs. Professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania, Robert Zemksy, doesn’t think schools or the industry will last at this rate. Based on his research, he predicts that several schools will be forced to close.

Zemsky looked at 171 law schools to find that enrollment numbers have dropped 21 percent at private law schools in the past five years and 18 percent at public law schools. He also looked at the market price per student in relation to scholarships and grants to learn the costs that each student represents. As he explains, “You’d think the least attractive school would charge the lowest price. What they’re doing is admitting students with relatively low LSAT scores, and charging them a high price for gambling on them.”

His prediction that 10 to 15 law schools will close is based on the fact that schools put themselves in a risky situation by admitting students with lesser test scores that have very little chance of success in the school and in the career. Many law schools are already losing money, turning to staff cuts as a way to counter the loss.

Zemsky wants to see the ABA set up and help law schools consolidate even though no other industry accreditor has become involved like that. He said, “The ABA could be helpful, but at the moment it’s not. It’s a scorekeeper rather than a helper, and I think the market needs some help.”

Do you think that the struggling law schools should look into consolidating with others in order to share resources? Tell us in the comments below.

To learn more about law school enrollment trends, read these articles:

• Law School Enrollment Continues to Shrink
• Law School Enrollment at 27-Year Low
• How the Law School Enrollment Crisis Affects Harvard

Photo:  publicdomainpictures.net

The post Higher-Ed Market Analyst Suggests Consolidating Law Schools first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

Summary: Steps continue forward to officially allow the GRE to be accepted as an alternative to the LSAT in law school applications.

Perhaps the LSAT is not the only test that will accepted by law schools in the future. The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law has accepted and enrolled 12 students that used GRE test scores as an alternate to the traditional Law School Admission Test.

The American Bar Association gave permission for alternatives to the LSAT to be allowed across the country. Arizona is the first school to successfully try out the new option. They pushed for the option, claiming that allowing alternatives will increase the amount and quality in law school applicants in an industry that has been suffering for years.

Four law schools have conducted research of their own into how accurate alternative tests like the GRE will be in the success of students in law school. GRE administrator Educational Testing Service has also reached out to 10 to 15 schools to conduct a nationwide study.

The University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law is one of the four schools that conducted their study. Dean Avi Soifer said, “We’re interested in getting more applicants. A lot of people take the GRE not quite sure about what they want to do. Our hope is it would increase our applicant pool.”

Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the ETS David Payne suggests that the LSAT will remain the primary test for some time for students that know what they want to do. He continued, “Over time, I think what’s likely to happen is that more and more students will become familiar with the GRE and they might say, ‘I actually prefer this test.’”

The Law School Admission Council is not excited about the change, even threatening to remove Arizona’s membership. They withdrew their intentions when 149 law school deans objected.

Business schools have already undergone the transition in 2009 from only accepting General Management Admission Test scores to also accepting GRE test scores.

Do you think there is any downside to law schools accepting GRE test scores in place of LSAT scores? Tell us in the comments below.

To learn more about Arizona’s big jump forward to accept the GRE, read these articles:

• Law School Admissions Council May Kick Arizona Law Out for Accepting GRE Scores
• Arizona Law Defends GRE Test Acceptance Policy
• Kaplan Test Prep Finds Out What Law Schools Really Think in GRE vs. LSAT Debate

Photo: wikipedia.org

The post GRE Test Continues Progress to Be LSAT Alternative first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

Summary: Kaplan Test Prep surveyed admission officers at law schools across the U.S. to find out how many might follow Arizona’s lead and start accepting the GRE.

Kaplan Test Prep, a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company, surveyed admissions officers at 125 law schools across the country and found that 56 percent have no plans to start accepting GRE scores instead of the traditional LSAT scores for admissions. The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law is the first school to adopt a new policy that allows students to apply for the law program with only GRE scores. The survey found that 14 percent of the schools plan to adopt the new policy. The remainders of the schools are not yet sure what they will do.

The Arizona law school conducted research with the Educational Testing Service, the GRE’s administrator, to determine how valid the test would be at determining success of students. The American Bar Association is now evaluating how valid the research done is to decide if the school will remain an accredited institution.

Read Law School Admissions Council May Kick Arizona Law Out for Accepting GRE Scores.

Jeff Thomas, the executive director of pre-law programs at Kaplan Test Prep said, “Right now, there doesn’t seem to be any great enthusiasm by law schools to adopt the GRE as an alternative to the LSAT, which isn’t too surprising considering that law schools tend to be judicious, wanting to see all the evidence and research before making an important decision like this. What’s particularly interesting it that nearly a third of law schools say they are unsure of they will accept the GRE, as opposed to simply being against it, which suggests that the pro-GRE movement has room to grow.”

The University of Arizona credits the reason for changing their policy was to attract a “greater number of high-quality applicants with the widest range of life, educational, and professional backgrounds.” Eighty percent of admissions officers agree that law schools that accept that GRE might do so to get a more diverse applicant pool.

See UA Law First to Allow GRE Test Scores.

Other reasons for accepting the GRE could be to fill spots in their wavering enrollment numbers at some law schools and because the U.S. News & World Report doesn’t count GRE scores so less qualified students being accepted won’t hurt their rankings immediately.

The most interesting note of Kaplan’s survey may be that a majority of the law schools are opposed to the ABA prohibiting law schools for accepting the GRE scores. Thomas explained, “[This] implies that they are in favor of letting law schools experiment in new ways to help revitalize the legal education landscape.”

Do you think that law schools should be able to accept the GRE if they want? Tell us what you think in the comments.

To learn more about the University of Arizona’s plan, read Arizona Law Defends GRE Test Acceptance Policy.

Photo: wsj.com

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Summary: After some major changes in the past few years at St. Louis University’s Law School, the school is staying competitive with the struggling legal education market.

Just three years after a dramatic few months, St. Louis University’s law school is feeling better than ever. The school went through a major relocation, administrative changes, and more during the same time that all law schools were struggling to keep their enrollment numbers up.

The University President at the time, Lawrence Biondi, and Dean Annette Clark were publicly fighting over Clark being left out of important decisions relating to the law school, such as its relocation. She didn’t hesitate in quitting a month before the move to a new location downtown.

Read Top 10 Law Schools with Highest Enrollment Percentages from Accepted Students.

The school planned to place personal injury attorney Tom Keefe as the dean on an interim basis but he only lasted six months before also quitting. Keefe had made a series of comments that even he described as “politically incorrect.”

Moving the school was a big financial undertaking that happened when other law schools were struggling financially due to low enrollment numbers. Now three years later, the law school is located downtown and still going strong. Some even say the school is different than it used to be and in a good way.

See How the Law School Enrollment Crisis Affects Harvard.

The law school has kept its financial undertakings quiet. There have been a number of faculty members that were bought out and an overall reduction in staff to maintain their lower enrollment rates. The number of students since 2010 has dropped by 452. As law school dean Michael Wolff explained, “We won’t ever be as big as were 10 years ago but I think we’re in a good position. We’re poised for growth.”

Wolff is also set to leave the school after being with them for 30 years. In order to be prepared for his departure, SLU hired consulting firm Alix Partners to help with potential changes in their operations.

Do you think SLU made the right choice of moving locations when they did? Tell us you thoughts in the comments below.

To learn more about the enrollment crisis, read Law Schools Hopeful that Enrollment Will Increase.

Photo: wikipedia.org

The post St. Louis University Law School Headed in the Right Direction first appeared on JDJournal Blog.