preLaw Magazine - Spring 2008 - (Page 26)

for Great law schools Some law schools have been able to improve their diversity numbers through a mix of special programs and creative recruitment efforts, despite an overall decline in minority enrollment. Find out who these great law schools are, and how they’ve been able to buck the trend. s a new dean in 2006, Melissa Essary set tough goals for her school. Among them was to boost the number of minority students at the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University. She hired a new assistant dean of admissions to focus on the issue, had her staff travel to more urban areas to recruit students, offered fee waivers to students at traditionally black colleges, and hosted receptions for minorities. And her desire to increase diversity was one of the reasons she chose to move the school from rural Buies Creek to Raleigh in 2009. But even before that move, the effort has already paid off, as minority enrollment increased from 3 to 14 percent for the class that entered this past fall. “That’s more than a huge jump,” Essary said. “That’s a quantum leap. We’re feeling [the positive impact of that] all over campus and in the classroom.” Campbell’s turnaround is not the only inspiring story in minority recruitment. Despite an overall struggle over the past 15 years, several law schools are bucking the overall trend and improving their diversity. From 1993 to 2005, the number of black law graduates dropped by 8.5 percent, and the number of Mexican 26 American graduates dropped by 9.2 percent. Over the same time period, the number of law school graduates overall has increased by more than 6.5 percent. “Most law schools are turning away some very talented students of color,” said Beth Kransberger, assistant dean of Thomas Jefferson School of Law. “The house is truly on fire, and we really have to hold each other accountable and deal with these situations.” Thomas Jefferson is doing their part. The San Diego law school increased minority enrollment from 12 percent to 43 percent in three years. “Even if you don’t embrace these issues on an ethical level, we won’t be able to compete on a global level if we don’t compete on a diverse level with lawyers, leaders and professionals,” she said. “It’s really about us being able to be successful as a country on so many levels.” The decline in minority enrollment started in the early 1990s, when the backlash against affirmative action policies took center stage in the U.S. At that time, many law schools used different LSAT and GPA standards for black applicants versus white. The Washington Legal Foundation and other conservative groups began fighting affirmative action in the minorities preLaw

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of preLaw Magazine - Spring 2008

preLaw Magazine - Spring 2008 Contents From the Editor For the Record Large Gender Gap Remains Among Political Hopefuls Man Charged in LSAT Scam Barry Dean Recognized New Report Examines Legal Ed Drexel Receives Accredidation New Mexico No. 1 for Hispanics A Film Journey in Law A Law Student at Last Debt Salvation Great Law Schools for Minorities Grad Opts Out of Big Firm Job Specialties Helpful Advice

preLaw Magazine - Spring 2008

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