Spring Break
College of Law on schedule
By: Chirag Desai
Issue date: 7/22/05 Section: News
Originally published: 7/22/05 at 2:03 AM EST
Last update: 7/23/05 at 2:02 PM EST
Originally published: 7/22/05 at 2:03 AM EST
Last update: 7/23/05 at 2:02 PM EST
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At a university such as Drexel, apathy has always been a problem. To see such a strong and vocal response to the announcement is indeed something to be proud about - for students and staff alike.
The 19-member Law School Development Committee, assembled to determine the feasibility of adding a College of Law, passed a resolution confirming its feasibility 17-2. This was followed by unanimous approvals at the Faculty Senate and the University Board of Trustees on May 10 and May 18 respectively.
The Development Committee has set up an online survey to help gauge what students and faculty expect from the College of Law. They are anticipating that both parties will take the survey.
The Law School is currently in its faculty hiring stage. An eight-member search committee, which will be assisted by law school Dean Emeritus Arthur Frankt, was formed recently. Frankt has served as Dean or Associate Dean at the law schools at Rutgers-Camden, Loyola and Widener. So far, the response has been very good.
"We were amazed by the number and quality of the resumes that we have received, without our having even begun a search," Senior Vice President and General Counsel Carl Oxholm said. "[We] are confident without question that we will have an excellent faculty ready to teach our first-year class when they arrive in August 2006."
The committee hopes to hire the first faculty members by the end of September, to coincide with a possible provisional approval.
The application is a three-step process. The written application was completed and submitted to the PA Department of Education. This is to be followed with a site visit, scheduled for the end of the month. This three-day visit will comprise a full inspection of the faculty and all aspects of the application itself. The inspection team will comprise a Department of Education team leader, two prominent attorneys, one law school professor and one law school dean, who has been involved in ABA accreditations. The team then submits an evaluative report within 30 days which, if positive, will result in the application being turned over to the Secretary of Education.
Following the faculty hiring and the drafting of a curriculum, the development of CoL will be subject to another review by the Board's Executive Committee, tentatively set for early September. Assuming the approval is granted to proceed further, provisional approval is anticipated by the end of September.
Oxholm, who has served as coordinator for the Development Committee, believes the set-up of the College to be on schedule. "...[W]hile we have lots to do and many more steps to climb, opening a law school remains a real possibility for the fall of 2006," he added.
