[Vision2020] Law school proposal

[Carl Westberg]

I think it's an idea whose time has come.  Considering that a private law school has been looking to open up in Boise, this would be a wise preemptive move on the part of the U of I.  Bad for Moscow?  Probably, but necessary to keep the law school under the aegis of the University of Idaho, even if eventually the whole thing ends up in Boise.........Carl Westberg Jr.
University of Idaho Asks Board of Regents to Approve Concept of Statewide Law School with Two Places of Opportunity.  The
University has submitted to the Board of Regents (State Board of
Education) a proposal to provide legal education at Moscow and Boise as
the College of Law prepares to enter its second century.  The Board
will consider the two-location concept during its meeting on April
17-18 in Moscow. If the Board approves the concept, an implementation
plan, including a business plan, will follow.  The concept document, to
be posted on the College of Law website (www.law.uidaho.edu) when the Board publishes its agenda and meeting materials on April 10, makes the following main points:     ·         The
University of Idaho is charged with a statewide mission in legal
education carried out by the College of Law, which will mark its
centennial in 2009.     ·         Idaho’s
population has doubled since the law school’s enrollment capacity was
determined, and the building on the Moscow campus was constructed, in
1972-73.  Boise has since grown into a greater metropolitan center of
population (over 600,000), commerce, and government.    ·         Idaho
has a growing need for legal expertise to support economic development,
administration of criminal and civil justice, and services needed by
Idaho families. At the same time, legal education is changing due to
globalization, specialization, rising demand for practice-ready
graduates, and increased use of law degrees in business and other
occupations.    ·         Affordable public
legal education enables graduates to take jobs in Idaho communities or
in the public sector; it keeps legal services and justice accessible
for people of ordinary means.    ·         Recognizing
these needs, the College of Law has conducted an open and thorough
strategic planning process, engaging the law school community (faculty,
staff, students), expert consultants, University leaders, distinguished
alumni on the Law Advisory Council, the Idaho State Bar (co-sponsor of
a conclave on Idaho legal education), district bar associations around
the state, and Idaho’s judiciary.  The State Board received a strategic
planning progress report in 2007, and there have been consultations
with individual members.    ·         The
process has revealed that maintaining the status quo is not an option
for the future; it would inadequately serve the state’s needs and the
University’s mission.  A wide range of alternatives has been examined
from academic, legal, and policy perspectives.    ·         Surveys
show that the College of Law would be more attractive to students if it
were located in Boise as well as Moscow. Faculty scholarship and
outreach also would be enhanced.    ·         The
strategic planning academic consultant has strongly recommended a
single statewide law school with efficient, unified administration and
curricular design, providing two places of opportunity: Moscow and
Boise.  The Law Advisory Council unanimously has made the same
recommendation.  The concept has been adopted by the law faculty and
endorsed by the University leadership, subject to State Board approval.
   ·         The
two-location law school would deliver the basic J.D. program at both
locations and would feature distinctive specialties at each location. 
See the summary of features below.    ·         In
Boise, collaboration with the Idaho Supreme Court on a multi-purpose
physical facility – the “Idaho Law Learning Center” -- offers a
once-in-a-generation opportunity.  Upgrades of the facility in Moscow
will keep it vital and attractive as well.  The Legislature has
appropriated funds for planning the Idaho Law Learning Center facility.
   ·         Upon
State Board approval of the two-location concept, the Boise location
would be developed as soon as possible. Operations in Boise would begin
as early as fall 2009 with either a full third-year program followed by
establishment of years one and two, or a first-year program followed by
years two and three.  The sequence will be based on academic quality,
depth of the qualified student applicant pool, accreditation standards,
and costs and revenues analyzed in a business plan.    Features of the Two-Location Concept     Moscow     ● Small (“quality over quantity”) residential law program; intimate teaching and learning      environment for approximately 250 students     ● Interdisciplinary connections to land grant research university in law, public policy, and science     ● Emphases in natural resources and environmental law, American Indian law, and public lands     ● Principal administrative offices of the College of Law, and service to academic community, continued on the     University’s main campus     Boise     ● Small (reinforcing “quality over quantity”) metropolitan program with variable-time curriculum     for an eventual population of approximately 250 students     ● Emphases in intellectual property and business law, including international business     transactions and trade     ● State law-related research and service to judiciary, legislature, and city/state/federal ag!
 encies     ● Enhanced access to readily available, high-quality affiliate faculty        Dynamic Connections at Both Locations     ● Delivery of core Juris Doctor degree education, including clinical programs, advocacy, and     dispute resolution, with curricular progressions and capstone experiences     ● Emphasis on development of professional identity, skills, values, and a sense of public calling,     concurrent with generating intellectual growth and a fund of knowledge, as recommended in     2007 by the Carnegie Report and Clinical Legal Education Association “Best Practices” Report     ● Differentiated and complementary upper-division offerings under integrated statewide      curricular plan     ● Linkages of people and places through distance education and related technologies     ● Outreach to the legal profession and judiciary, and to communities in Idaho and beyond     ● Unique and innovative approach to legal education – transcending distance and unify!
 ing Idaho     Readers
are invited to examine the full concept document when it appears on the
College website.  Further information may be obtained from Dean Burnett
(dburnett at uidaho.edu).  
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