PROGRESS TOWARD OUR STRATEGIC GOALS The Dean’s Report Regarding Capital University Law School’s Strategic Plan

I am pleased to report that, thanks to the support of the Law School community, substantial progress has been made toward the implementation of the Law School strategic plan. The strategic plan sets one overriding objective - to become one of the premier private law schools in the Midwest. The plan was endorsed by the law faculty and Capital University Board of Trustees.

The goals of Capital University Law School's Strategic Plan are to:

. Become a more selective law school and admit students who are both well-qualified and committed to the values of the legal profession.
. Provide a high-quality, academically rigorous legal education that integrates theory with practice.
. Foster the Law School's centers of strength.
. Attract and retain a world-class faculty of teacher/scholars and retain Central Ohio's best lawyers as adjuncts.
. Develop a strong resource base and endowment to fund a higher-quality education and increase the value of a Capital University Law School degree.

The Law School already has made substantial progress in implementing the plan.

. We have received unqualified University support. No law school can advance without the strong support of its University. The strategic plan was unanimously endorsed by the University's Board of Trustees in spring 2002. I am grateful to the new administrative team consisting of President Theodore Fredrickson, Provost Cheryl Ney and Vice President of Resource Management Don Aungst, who have come to Capital University and are wholeheartedly supporting the Law School's strategic plan.

. We are implementing more selective admission policies. A linchpin in our strategic plan is to increase the entering credentials of law students. The fall 2002 entering class had the best credentials of any class in recent history. Applications were up substantially, with the Law School receiving nearly five applications for every available seat. The percentage of students choosing Capital who are admitted to both Capital and its competitors is steadily increasing. Law students are discovering the advantages of a Capital education.

. We are enhancing financial aid and improving the student/faculty ratio. The law faculty and university administration have supported the three-year budget plan to implement the strategic plan. Important elements of the three-year budget call for increasing financial aid by more than 40 percent for the incoming class and reducing the student/faculty ratio. The Law School will add five new faculty members in 2003. Incoming law students will benefit from more first-year courses taught in small sections and a richer array of course offerings.

. Faculty achievements continue. The 2002 year has been a highly productive year for faculty. Professors Robert Berry, Rachel Janutis and Mark Strasser published leading books in the areas of Entertainment Law, Remedies and Same-Sex Marriages, respectively. Professors Dan Kobil, Floyd Weatherspoon, Lance Tibbles and Kent Markus organized national conferences in the areas of clemency, alternative dispute resolution, bioethics and adoption. It is not uncommon to see faculty members quoted in national publications.

. We are implementing new program development. Law schools must periodically review and evaluate their academic programs, in order to serve students well. To enhance our professional skills program, the faculty added a third semester of required legal writing and plans are under way to be more systemic with improving professionalism. The law faculty also is exploring creating a Sports and Entertainment Law, and a Dispute Resolution concentration within our LL.M. in Business. Thanks to the Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence, the legal clinic expanded last year to represent victims of domestic violence in child custody cases.

. We are receiving national recognition. One of the goals of the strategic plan is to ensure Capital Law School is no longer legal education's best-kept secret. Our national adoption law Web site, hosted by The National Center for Adoption Law & Policy at Capital University Law School, is about to go live. Moot court teams have continued Capital's traditions of excellence in moot court competitions. Our students defeated Duke University Law School in the finals to win the National Sports Law Moot Court Competition, and Capital law students won the regional National Student Trial Advocacy Competition.

It is an exciting time to serve as dean of Capital University Law School. With the support of alumni, friends and the legal community, I have no doubt that the Law School will achieve its ambitious goal to become one of the Midwest's finest private law schools.

Sincerely,
Steven C. Bahls
Dean and Professor of Law  

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