Strategic Plan:
KRA5. Developing Our Programmatic Focus

DRAFT

2010 Key Results

1. The Law School has either adopted a specialty area and successfully launched it, or has decided that this would not be strategically useful to the School and that it should not be pursued.
2. Concentrations and other academic programs are deliberately chosen, aligned with institutional priorities, and organized in a way that allows clear and effective communication of their value to students and the larger community.

2006-2010 Strategic Work

1. Assessment of existing program offerings (Summer-Fall 2006): The Dean appoints a Program Assessment Committee that, in consultation with the Program Development Committee, conducts an audit of existing law school academic programs. It puts together a comprehensive inventory of: (1) existing programs (including concentrations); (2) the level of student and other participation in these programs; (3) the resources that the law school is currently putting into these programs and other costs associated with running them; and (4) the benefits that these programs bring to the school. It then assesses the extent to which these programs are serving institutional priorities and are organized in a way that promotes clear and effective communication of their value to students and the larger community. The Committee recommends to the faculty which of these programs should be retained, which modified and which, if any, should be discontinued.
2. Initial Assessment of Possible Specialty Areas (Summer-Fall 2006): Dean appoints a Program Development Committee. Committee hires a consultant with expertise in assessing the market for legal education and in developing funds to support a specialty. The Committee, working with the consultant, and in consultation with the Program Assessment Committee, completes an initial assessment of possible specialty areas. In evaluating possible specialties, the Committee should consider whether a given area: (1) is a staple of law practice; (2) is relevant to small/medium firm and/or government practice; (3) is related to economic trends; (4) is responsive to the market for legal education; (5) is not adequately covered by competitor schools; (6) provides opportunities for fundraising to support the specialty; and (7) exhibits other factors that the Committee deems relevant. The Committee should consider the following substantive areas: (1) Regulatory/Government law; (2) Business law (or Business/Tax law); (3) Insurance law; (4) Health law; (5) Family law (including Adoption law); (6) Other areas that the Committee deems worthy of consideration.
3. Recommendation and vote as to whether to pursue a specialty at all (Fall 2006): Program Development Committee evaluates whether resources exist to pursue the identified specialty area(s), and whether these resources are best spent on developing a specialty or on other means of enhancing reputation, student entering credentials and fundraising effectiveness. Committee forwards a recommendation on these points to the faculty. Faculty votes on recommendation.
4. Recommendation and vote on particular specialty to be pursued (Spring 2007): Assuming that faculty votes in favor of pursuing a specialty in some area, the Program Development Committee and Consultant complete their analysis and recommend a specialty area to the faculty. Faculty votes on whether to pursue the recommended specialty.
5. Essential components of specialty put into place (Fall 2007-Spring 2010): Assuming that the faculty votes in favor of establishing the recommended specialty, the Dean and Development office pursue funding for the specialty. The law school hires, or recruits internally, one nationally-recognized faculty member to direct the specialized program and one additional faculty member to work in the specialty area. The law school holds a kick-off event for the specialty, offers at least five courses in the specialty area every two years, and creates a web page for the specialty area. The Capital Law Review publishes at least one issue per year devoted to a topic in the specialty area. The law school holds an annual symposium on a topic in the specialty area. Faculty working in the specialty area publish at least one scholarly piece per year on a topic in the area. The faculty decides whether to create a L.L.M. in the specialty area and/or whether to launch a specialized journal in the area.
6. Success of specialty assessed (Spring 2010): The faculty develops measurable, objective criteria for assessing whether the addition of the specialty is enhancing the law school reputation, improving student entering credentials, and increasing fundraising effectiveness. The law school carries out an assessment of these outcomes and considers whether to establish an additional area of special

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