SBA Update - U.S. News Rankings

[SBA President]

Dear USF Law,

I write to provide you with an update on the Student Bar Association's efforts regarding the U.S. News & World Report Rankings. 

First, Dr. Jennifer Turpin, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, has accepted my invitation to join us for a town hall meeting.  Like many of you, I wish her message to the community had been more specific, inwardly focused and solutions-oriented.  While we all understand that external factors may, in fact, play a role in the rankings, we must not overlook the fact that a serious assessment of the internal workings of the law school is needed to determine how we arrived at this point and how we should move forward.  Still, I look forward to welcoming the Provost to hear our concerns as she is the Chief Academic Officer of the University, oversees the University's schools and colleges, including the School of Law, and will select our new Dean in consultation with the Dean Search Committee.  The Provost has also asked Dean Brand to join her at the town hall meeting.  I will communicate the date of the Provost's visit when it has been finalized.  

Second, prior to the town hall meeting with the Provost, the Student Bar Association will host a students-only town hall meeting on Monday, March 18, 2013 (5:30 pm; Kendrick 100) to provide an opportunity for us to gather as a community, openly and candidly share our thoughts about the challenges we face, and most importantly, discuss the best course of action moving forward to ensure that our concerns are heard and addressed in a timely and transparent manner.  The meeting is open to all students, full-and part-time, and food will be provided.

Finally, in recognition of the fact that our efforts to improve the rankings will require a community-wide, strategic and long-term effort, I have decided to create a student-led U.S. News & World Report Committee to a) analyze the rankings data; b) provide a specific set of recommendations to the Provost and the law school's administration regarding student concerns relative to the rankings (e.g. job placement, rising tuition costs, faculty scholarship, etc.); and c) identify ways, if any, that students can proactively play a role in improving the rankings.  Many of you have expressed an interest in helping in some way, and if you are interested in joining the committee, please e-mail me at sbapre...@usfca.edu and join us at the meeting on Monday.

I will provide additional updates as I have them.  Until then, please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.

All the best,

Jamal

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Jamal H. Anderson

President, Student Bar Association

University of San Francisco School of Law

usflawp...@gmail.com