Dean's Letter

After last week's heated town hall meeting where MU law students expressed their pointed concerns with the significant plummet of the University of Missouri Law School in the U.S. News Report Law School Rankings, some MU law students have discussed transferring to another university. In response to student dissatisfaction, the Dean sent out this letter.

Dear Students,

Last week was quite extraordinary for alumni, students, and faculty of the Law School. Governor Jay Nixon appointed three new judges: Richelle Christensen as Associate Circuit Judge in Camden County, David Chadwick as Circuit Judge of the 43rd Judicial Circuit, and Bill Francis as the newest judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals. All three judges–and Governor Nixon–are graduates of our Law School.

Here at the Law School, the oral advocacy of our first-year students shone, and some of the best-of-the-best student advocates will argue in the fall before judges of the Missouri Supreme Court in the Supreme Court Chamber in Jefferson City. We also honored student excellence at this year’s Edna Nelson Banquet. The most recent honors for our faculty came with the announcement that both Professors Richard Reuben and Thom Lambert were on faculty teams that made exciting interdisciplinary proposals that will be funded by the University’s Mizzou Advantage Program. First- and second-year students also have recently registered for next year’s courses, including some new practice electives and our ever-popular legal clinics.

Last week we also received very disappointing news concerning this spring’s ranking by U. S. News, and each of you are facing the most serious challenges in the legal marketplace within the lifetime of any of us. Thursday’s meeting produced some good conversation and specific suggestions on which we will build going forward. Concerning the employment statistics that have concerned us all, you may want to check out Professor Brian Leiter’s most recent post on his Law School Reports at http://leiterlawschool.typepad.com/. After wondering how several schools report higher employment percentages than Stanford, Yale, and other Ivy League law schools, Leiter suggests “perhaps the time has also come to eliminate the self-reported employment data.”

Especially for those who put great stock in U. S. News rankings, it is significant that we continue to be ranked in the top 25 to 30 percent of law schools in the country by judges and lawyers (50th in the nation) and deans and law professors (59th in the nation). These are the numbers from U. S. News’ national surveys – and our rankings would be significantly higher from those here in Missouri and the Midwest who know us well.

I was therefore surprised when I heard that some students were thinking about transferring to another law school. Even if our national reputation had suffered a hit, I’m unsure why anyone would leave the group of students and faculty with whom they have bonded here at the Law School. This is the network that is so very effective for our alumni over the years–here in Missouri and nationally. Especially when all schools are facing significant employment challenges, I’m not sure why anyone would want to be the “new student” among a group of students who already have bonded at another law school (or lose touch with faculty and classmates – and a powerful network – at Mizzou). Transfer students also traditionally miss out on full opportunities for law journals, boards of advocates, and leadership in co-curricular activities that employers value and that build leadership skills.

There are very good reasons why a small number of students seek to transfer every year, such as family situations, the transfer of a spouse or partner, or medical needs.

If you know a student who may be thinking about transfer, though, I’d ask that student whether he or she was dissatisfied with his or her courses, faculty, or classmates last Monday. And if you know or see Judges Christensen, Chadwick, or Francis, be sure to congratulate them on becoming the most recent Mizzou Lawyers to be appointed to the bench.

Many of the most productive conversations that I and other faculty and staff have had with students over the last few days have been with individual and smaller groups of students. After the main meeting on Thursday, I appreciated the group of students who stayed and continued our discussions for another hour and one-half, and I know that faculty and staff alike have appreciated similar conversations with and emails from you. Dean Gonzalez has or will ask our first-, second-, and third-year student ambassadors to meet next week concerning Career Services, and it is important that our dialogue continue in such constructive ways as we work to plan for next fall and beyond. I, myself, would like to meet with the leaders of our student groups, and I know that all faculty and deans appreciate your sharing your thoughts, ideas, and perspectives.

I recently received an email from a student admitted to next year’s class, who states: “Since I'm still several months from setting my first foot on campus, I can't reasonably speculate on the merits of US News' perceived weaknesses of MU; that said, I researched many schools extensively before choosing MU and was so confident in the program you have built that I chose to early admit. I don't regret that decision for a minute.”

With this new student, and each of you, we’ll build an even better law school going forward.

R. Lawrence Dessem
Dean
University of Missouri
School of Law