Spring 2018 Gavel Final Spring 2018 Gavel | Page 21

These were not easy comments to read. Not
that we disagree–the report confirmed our
own perceptions of our accomplishments and
our recent challenges, but it’s hard to see in
writing that hard-won, long-term strategic
successes have been “eroded” so quickly.
The consultants’ report falls in the “good
news/bad news” category: it affirms what we
are doing well, and it affirms what we need to
fix. Given the significant funding challenges
facing higher education, we can’t simply
turn back the clock to 2016. The consultants’
report also included a list of possible new
programs and initiatives to enhance student
recruitment and retention and to raise
revenue. It was affirming to see that almost
without exception, every idea in the report
is something the law school already is doing,
developing, or considering. In other words,
we may have a new set of challenges, but we
are still on the right track.
Some areas that require attention also
deserve innovative and forward-thinking
solutions, such as adding online courses
to our curriculum (starting in 2018-2019,
we will add as many as six online courses),
developing new academic programs through
partnerships (with UND’s graduate and
undergraduate programs, with the University
of Manitoba, and with other law schools),
and seeking approval for a new tuition
model that will maintain affordability and
value while better aligning with actual
costs of instruction. Other areas, though,
require immediate repairs to stave off further
erosion. We need to invest in our faculty, in
experiential learning, and in legal writing
(especially as it relates to academic success
and bar passage).
I know UND School of Law is up to this
challenge. We are very appreciative of the
continuing support of our state, including
recognition that reasonable tuition increases
are a necessity. Since I started as dean in
2009, our faculty, staff, and students–in
partnership with the state legislature, the
bench and bar, and our alumni and friends–
have accomplished even more than anyone
thought we could in a relatively short time.
We look forward to working with you to
strengthen North Dakota’s law school.
SPRING 2018
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