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University of La Verne

College of Law

2007

Strategic Planning for a Successful Future

Table of Contents

I. Introduction and planning process 2-3

II. Mission and Goals 3

III. Demographics 3-8

A. The Need for Lawyers and a Law School in the Inland Empire 4

IV. Student Recruitment and Enrollment (Including the Law Grant

Program) 9-14

A. Marketing 9

B. The Law Grant Program 9

C. Discount Rate 11

D. LSAT and Enrollment Projections 12

1. LSAT Projections 12

2. Enrollment Projections 14

V. Projections for Faculty and Staff Growth and Related Expenses 14-17

VI. Tuition Structure 17-18

VII. Bar Examinations 18

VIII. Information Resources 19-20

IX. Facilities 21

X. Financial Resources and Financial Models 21-30

XI. Conclusion and Summary Observations 30

Appendices 31-35

A. Map of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties (Inland Empire) 31

B. Distance Map for the State of California 32

C. Location of the College of Law Showing Freeway Access 33

D. Design Layout of the College of Law 34

Approval of the Strategic Plan by the Full-Time Faculty 36

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Strategic Planning for a Successful Future

I. Introduction and Planning Process

The University of La Verne College of Law has provided quality legal education in inland southern California since 1970. It is an established and a highly regarded institution. Almost 1000 alumni are spread throughout California, most in the Inland Empire. More than 35 of its graduates are bench officers; others are found in many of the leading law firms in inland southern California, as heads of corporations, and as community leaders.

Since beginning its quest for ABA approval, the College of Law has significantly increased the credentials of its entering class, dramatically expanded the size of its faculty and staff, implemented sound programs to foster faculty scholarship, acquired a debt-free state-of-the-art facility in one of the most rapidly growing locations in the nation, developed a quality law library, shown noteworthy improvement in its bar examination passage rate, maintained its commitment to cultural diversity, strengthened its ties to the region, and demonstrated sound financial management and leadership with strong University support.

In the years ahead, the College of Law will continue to take the steps necessary to expand its enrollment, improve overall student quality, and increase the size of its faculty, all consistent with educational demands. The College of Law recognizes that it is in a highly competitive market. It also recognizes that its location in the rapidly growing Inland Empire strategically positions it for success. California’s atypical legal education system consists of the following: 20 ABA-approved law schools; 18 California-accredited law schools; 15 unaccredited, California-based law schools; and numerous online or correspondence law schools. None of the ABA-approved or California-accredited law schools, other than the University of La Verne College of Law, is in the expansive Inland Empire of southern California. The University of La Verne is the area’s only American Bar Association-approved law school.

The University of La Verne and the College of Law share a common vision – to see the College of Law attain provisional and full approval from the American Bar Association and become a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Since the College of Law was granted provisional ABA approval in February of 2006, it has made significant progress towards bringing it into full compliance with the American Bar Association Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools and its Interpretations.

This document updates the College of Law’s existing strategic plan entitled Strategic Planning for a Successful Future submitted in anticipation of the September 2005 ABA site visit. The current strategic plan establishes appropriate timetables and financial projections that will enable the College of Law to make sustained progress towards full ABA approval.

The revision process of the strategic plan began on April 11, 2007 when Dr. Alden Reimonenq met with the faculty to assess the College of Law’s strengths and to identify those areas where improvement was desirable. On April 25th, Associate Dean Rubin facilitated a second faculty strategic planning session to continue with and expand upon the April 11th session. On May 9, 2007, a third strategic planning session, facilitated by Dr. Dave Samuelson, was held. On August 1st, 2007, Dean Dunn and Associate Dean Rubin facilitated an all-day strategic planning session at the Sheraton Fairplex in Pomona, California. Full-time faculty and College of Law administrators, including the Registrar, Assistant Dean of Students, Assistant Dean of Admissions, the Director of Development, the Assistant Dean of Career Services and Alumni Support, and the Bar Exam Coordinator, participated in the session. As a result of that session, programmatic areas where improvement was desirable were identified as well as programmatic strengths upon which to build. Dean Dunn assumed the responsibility of synthesizing the dialog resulting from the planning sessions into a revised Strategic Plan. Even though Dean Dunn was unable to work on the final draft of this Strategic Plan, his input was solicited throughout the strategic planning process.

Some of the projections made in 2005 have been amended to reflect the realities of the past two years. Like all strategic plans, this document is a work-in-progress. This Strategic Plan addresses the numerous factors critical to a law school’s success, including its mission and goals, demographics, marketing, student quality, enrollment, faculty size, administrative and staff support, library, facilities, bar examination preparation, financial programs, and financial resources. It establishes tuitions, discount rates, and projects the amount of financial resources necessary for the College of Law to be financially viable. It assumes that the College of Law will make application for full approval in 2009 and be granted such approval in either February or August of 2010[1].

In order to bring the College of Law into full compliance with ABA Starndards, it has focused on improving in several areas, including the success rate of its graduates on the bar examination, improving the academic predictors of the entering class, ensuring the availability of sufficient financial resources to continue to provide a quality academic program, and maintaining a reliable plan to bring a law school into full compliance with ABA Standards. Significant progress has been made in each of those areas.[2]

II. MISSION AND GOALS

The Mission of the University of La Verne College of Law is to teach its students to be effective legal professionals who use their skills and talents for the benefit of their communities, to imbue these students with pride in the legal profession, and to promote diversity within the law school community, accomplished by providing full-time and part-time law programs with high academic standards.

In furtherance of its Mission, the College of Law has established these goals: (1) to merit recognition as one of southern California’s leading law schools and (2) to be known as the preeminent ABA-approved law school serving the regional needs of inland southern California. These goals will be achieved by providing our students with a quality legal education in which they gain an understanding of the practice of law, develop dedication to the needs of individual clients, and value the promotion of justice carried out with integrity and civility. A series of Tenets, developed by the faculty, provides principles that guide day-to-day life at the College of Law.[3]

III. DEMOGRAPHICS

Recent demographic data continues to confirm the need for a fully-approved ABA law school in the Inland Empire, and that it will be a continuing resource for law school-bound students in the future. When in the late 1990s the University of La Verne made the decision to seek ABA approval for its College of Law, numerous demographic studies were conducted. Those studies demonstrated the growing need for a law school in the vast Southern California inland area of greater Los Angeles know as the Inland Empire. Because of the time that has elapsed since those studies were prepared, the College of law compiled updated statistics. These data demonstrate that the College of Law’s location places it strategically in an area of rapid population growth and economic expansion, and that by offering a quality academic program that provides attorneys for the area and beyond, it fills an unmet need.

The University of La Verne College of Law is located in the city of Ontario (population 177,000), one of the largest cities in the Inland Empire.[4] The Inland Empire consists of San Bernardino County (the largest county in the United States in geographic terms – 20,121 square miles) and Riverside County (the third largest county in California – 7,177 square miles). [5] The combined population of these two counties now totals approximately 4.13 million, a growth rate of 2.78%.[6] These enormous and heavily populated areas are located just inland and adjacent to southern California’s coastal counties of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego and extend over 200 miles to the east to the Nevada and Arizona borders. The College of Law’s southern California location, approximately 40 miles from the dense traffic congestion of the greater Los Angeles area, provides a distinct geographic advantage and is an ideal location for a law school.[7]

As of July 1, 2004, Riverside County replaced Los Angeles County as the state’s top destination for new residents, according to a U.S. Census report released on April 14, 2005. Within one year, Riverside County added 89,128 people – more than twice the population of Palm Springs. Los Angeles County was second with 77,357 new residents; San Bernardino County was third with 58,938. Riverside County had the second-largest growth rate of any county in the nation in 2004. Anticipated population growth (which now seems conservative) by the U.S. Census for the region is estimated at 1.8 million by 2020 – greater than 47 of the 50 states and fourth only after California, Texas, and Florida. If the Inland Empire were a state, it would have a population greater than 24 states.[8] Its population is projected to surpass three more states within the next year.

According to a marketing survey compiled by Wilkin Guge Marketing in 2007, the Inland Empire is the 14th largest MSA in the country in terms of population and now falls just behind Phoenix and ahead of Seattle, Minneapolis-St. Paul, San Diego, and St. Louis. The Inland Empire accounts for 11% of the state’s population and 1.3% of the nation’s total population.

The College of Law campus is what southern Californians call “freeway close” – just 1.5 miles from Interstate 10 (a major commuter freeway) and 3.5 miles from L.A.-Ontario International Airport. A few miles to the north of Interstate 10, the 210 Freeway connects with the Interstate 15 and Interstate 215, providing easy access to the College of Law campus in Ontario. State Highway 60, another lengthy commuter thoroughfare, is just two miles to the south.[9]

The San Gabriel Valley, another rapidly growing area located on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County and in close proximity to the College of Law, contains an additional 1.3 million people and lacks an ABA-approved law school. Full ABA approval will enhance the College of Law’s ability to recruit from and serve these regions.

The College of Law’s location also ideally positions it to recruit from the southwestern states of Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, states experiencing rapid population growth. Students from these states and numerous others are already represented in the student body.

The Inland Empire also has a highly diverse population, with approximately 41% Hispanic, 7% Black, and 45% White. This has allowed the College of Law to remain committed to providing opportunities for a legal education to the underserved. In the 2006-07 academic year, the College of Law had the highest percentage Hispanic enrollment of all the ABA approved law schools in California, according to the ABA/LSAC Official Guide to ABA Approved Law Schools, 2008 Edition. And a recent U.S. News & World Report survey ranked the University of La Verne as having the highest percentage of Hispanic students in the nation. The U.S. Department of Education has designated the University as a Hispanic and minority serving institution.

A. The Need for Lawyers and a Law School in the Inland Empire

The College of Law, as the only ABA approved law school in the Inland Empire, is filling a much needed void. Members of the faculty are active in the San Bernardino and Riverside County bar associations, the Eastern Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Western San Bernardino County Bar Association, and the Inland Empire Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Some faculty members serve as officers or on committees for these groups. Faculty members serve on panels and programs, contribute columns and opinion pieces to legal and non-legal newspapers, and offer legal commentary on public radio and for other media. The College of Law hosts programs and speakers of interest to the legal community, serves as a host site for the LSAT and bar review courses, and is active in the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

The College of Law faculty and the institution as a whole are reaching out to the legal community, in part by providing access to the Law Library, along with invitations to programs and events at the College of Law. The responses are positive ones, thus paving the way for many more public service contributions. The Riverside County Federal Bar Association has already “adopted” the College of Law as the law school it will support, and the Inland Empire Chapter of the Federal Bar Association provides book scholarships to two of our students each fall. The imprimatur of full ABA approval will enhance the College of Law’s reputation and further strengthen relationships with the legal and business communities. Establishing and building on these connections provides expanded employment opportunities for graduates. And, with the addition of two live-client clinics, the Disability Rights Legal Center and the Justice and Immigration Clinic, the College of Law is further poised to make a positive contribution to the community.

While the College of Law has already established itself as the legal community in the area, the Inland Empire’s 4.1 million residents remain underserved by the legal profession relative to all other southern California counties. The disparity is enormous. Two years ago, the Inland Empire was shown to have only one lawyer for every 840 people, which contrasted dramatically with the other four southern California counties. Since that time, the Inland Empire has grown by over 300,000 making the need for lawyers even greater. The following graph illustrates the disparity between counties.

Individuals Served Per Lawyer[10]

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IV. STUDENT RECRUITMENT AND ENROLLMENT

(INCLUDING THE LAW GRANT PROGRAM)

A. Marketing

A well-designed marketing and recruitment plan is crucial to the College of Law’s success. A plan already exists. In 2002, the College of Law retained a professional strategic marketing firm, Wilkin Guge Marketing,[11] based in Ontario, California, to assist the Office of Admissions in carrying out a strategic plan for enrollment by targeting prospective students from a wide geographic and demographic range.

The firm assists the College of Law in developing recruitment strategies for the forthcoming recruitment cycle. The annual strategic Marketing and Community Outreach Plan has been prepared and revised each August for the past five years. The plan is geared toward attracting students from a national market and Canada, as well as from California. It is also designed to give brand-name recognition to the College of Law. The firm prepares the College of Law’s publications, promotional and publicity pieces, advertising, and press releases, and designs and updates its website.

As part of this marketing and recruiting plan, the Admissions Office contacts LSAT takers in North America with a personalized approach that currently targets prospects with LSAT scores of 148 and higher. The target number for the minimum LSAT score will continue to be monitored and adjusted upward annually to meet quality and enrollment projections. Since the College of Law was granted provisional ABA approval, the applicant pool has increased dramatically, from 641 in fall 2006 to 1007 for fall 2007. This has allowed the College of Law to grow its enrollment in both size and quality.

The College of Law will continue to capitalize on its prime location by promoting the area’s assets through increased mailings, in- and out-of-state campus visits, and participation in national recruitment programs. (See the Self-Study, at .) The Office of Admissions will systematically and strategically upgrade the quality of its promotional materials, prepare additional ones, expand and enhance the College of Law website, and add to the admissions staff as needed.

B. The Law Grant Program

The College of Law’s aggressive merit-based Law Grant Program is the most successful aspect of its student recruitment program. Applicants who qualify for admission are automatically considered for a law grant. The Admissions Committee evaluates applicants for law grants based primarily on LSAT and UGPA factors. The eligibility requirements for these grants have been monitored and revised annually to meet enrollment projections. For the 2007 recruiting year, Dean Dunn worked closely with Assistant Dean Thompson and the Assistant to the Provost, a statistician, to revise the Law Grant Program to attract a higher quality of student. That revision proved to be successful as the College of Law enrolled a record number of students with greatly improved LSAT quartiles, especially at the 75th percentile (149/155.).

C. Discount Rate

Under the Law Grant Program as originally conceived, the discount rate was as high as 48%. In 2005-06, 48.1% was projected. However, the actual rate was 42.1%, and 29.7% in the 2006-07 academic year. In order to successfully attract a significantly better quality student body for the 2007-08 academic year, a discount rate of 31.2% was projected. (The actual rate has not yet been determined, but is may be slightly more than the 31.2% rate projected.) The College of Law will reduce its discount rate over time as applications increase, student quality continues to improve, and the fine reputation of the institution spreads. It is estimated that the discount rate will increase through at least the 2010-11 academic year. However, without full ABA approval, an aggressive Law Grant Program is an important part in advancing the quality of its student body. Careful adjustment and systematic restructuring of the College of Law’s financial aid model, together with full ABA approval, will serve to provide a solid financial structure for the institution as it plans its future. The discount rates below are used in developing the financial pro formas presented later in this document.[12]

2008-09 = 34.4%

2009-10 = 35.3%

2010-11 = 37.5%

D. LSAT and Enrollment Projections

The College of Law is committed to the improvement of the entering credentials of its student body and to strategically grow its enrollment consistent with sound planning. At the end of three years, the College of Law projects having a full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment of approximately 365. By 2010-11, the College of Law projects increasing its LSAT 25th and 75th percent quartiles from its current 149/155 to 150/156.

1. LSAT Projections

In 2003-04, the 25th percent LSAT quartile was 144. The faculty recognized that the 25th percent quartile of the class must improve. Through a combination of the Law Grant Program, aggressive marketing, and the granting of provisional ABA approval, the 25th/75th LSAT percentiles rose to 149/155 in fall of 2007. More importantly, the College of Law did not enroll any students in the fall of 2007, out of the 109 new matriculants, with LSATs below 147. The College of Law does not anticipate any dramatic increases in student quality until full ABA approval is attained. Below are the LSAT and UGPA statistics for recent entering classes.

Entering Statistics for the Past Three Years

LSAT

Fall 2007 (25th / 75th) 149 / 155

     Fall 2006  (25th / 75th)  148 / 151         Spring 2007 25th / 75th)  147 / 151

     Fall 2005  (25th / 75th)  147 / 150         Spring 2006  (25th / 75th)  146 / 150

    

UGPA

     Fall 2007 (25th / 75th) 2.73 / 3.29 

Fall 2006  (25th / 75th)  2.81 / 3.32       Spring 2007  (25th / 75th)  2.63 / 3.36

     Fall 2005  (25th / 75th)  2.63 / 3.23       Spring 2006  (25th / 75th)  2.61 / 3.29

    

Over the next three years, the College of Law can reasonably project that its LSAT scores for entering students will improve as shown below.

First-Year LSAT Projections through 2010-11

Academic Year 25th percentile 75th percentile

2008-09 149 155

2009-10 150 155

2010-11 150 156

2. Enrollment Projections

The College of Law plans to have a full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment of approximately 365 by the fall of 2010. A full-time student is counted as one; a part-time student is counted as two-thirds.[13] The plan contemplates achievement of full ABA approval during 2010. While receipt of full ABA approval will likely result in an increase in the applicant pool in 2006-07 and beyond, this plan does not rely heavily on such an increase. Instead, it relies on its grant program, marketing and recruiting efforts, favorable geographic location, and academic program content.

Below are enrollment projections starting with the fall 2008 semester and carried through the fall 2010 semester. The numbers assume an overall attrition of approximately 13%. These projections are based upon the experience gained from the current year (the time when aggressive recruitment efforts came into play) and on the recent experience with the grade distribution system. These projections also continue with the spring admissions programs. The continuation of the spring admissions program may need to be reconsidered at some later point. While the spring 2007 entering class exceeded projections by 30% (8 students), it is not clear whether the College of Law can continue to attract students into the spring program. If the program is subsequently discontinued, applicants will be considered for the fall part-time programs.

First-Year Enrollment Projections through 2010-11

Full-Time Part-Time (Fall) Part-Time (Spring)

2008-09 95 20 20

2009-10 95 20 20

2010-11 105 20 20

V. PROJECTIONS FOR FACULTY AND STAFF GROWTH

AND RELATED EXPENSES

Planned growth in the full-time faculty over the past seven years has focused on recruiting individuals with excellent academic credentials and scholarly agendas, with a blend of teaching and practice experience, rather than on hiring individuals with particular teaching specialties. Ethnic and gender diversity are important factors in all hiring decisions.

As student enrollment continues to increase, so too must the size of the faculty and staff. At the end of the 2006-07 academic year, Professor Paul Egly retired. In the fall of 2007, Dean Donald Dunn, who held faculty rank, and Professor Irving Prager, both went out on medical leave. Dean Dunn will be replaced as a dean search gets underway, and it is anticipated that Professor Prager will most likely not be able to return to his teaching duties in the fall of 2008. The College of Law had already begun a search for an additional full-time faculty member to share Professor Prager’s teaching duties in Evidence and Criminal Procedure. It was not anticipated that Professor Prager would fall ill. A visiting professor, Edward Perez, will be taking over for Professor Prager in the spring of 2008. With the absence of Professor Prager, the current faculty numbers 18, including Dean Rubin and Ken Rudolf, Director of the Law Library. Of those 18, 9 are women and 9 are men, and include one Hispanic, one African-American, and one Asian-American.

For the 2008-09 academic year, an additional faculty member with expertise in the criminal procedure and evidence is being recruited. If Professor Prager cannot return in the fall of 2008, a visiting professor will be sought to take his place. In that event, two tenure track faculty members will be hired for the 2009-10 academic year. The optimum full-time faculty is projected to be 21.5, including faculty-administrators, augmented each semester by 8 to 10 adjunct faculty members. The goal is to never have a student-faculty ratio that exceeds 18:1. It is estimated that one additional faculty member will be added over the next four years.

In addition to the planned growth in the full-time faculty, the College of Law must also increase other areas of the academic program. The needs are identified below and are incorporated into the financial pro formas presented later in this Strategic Plan.

2008-09 Academic Year

Identified Needs: One additional full-time faculty member, a Communications and Events Coordinator, an additional support person for the Registrar and Admissions staff, a full-time Bar Exam Coordinator, a contracted writing instructor, percentage increases in most budget expenditure line items, and various furnishings and equipment.

2009-10 Academic Year

Identified Needs: One additional full-time faculty member, an overall increase in professional development funds, percentage increases in most budget expenditure line items, and various furnishings and equipment.

2010-2011 Academic Year

Identified Needs: One additional full-time faculty member, an additional faculty secretary, percentage increase in most budget expenditure line items, and various furnishings and equipment.

VI. TUITION STRUCTURE

The College of Law’s current tuition structure has stayed below all California ABA approved law schools except Western State University College of Law. In the 2007-08 academic year the tuition rate was $31,590 per year for full-time students. In 2008-09, annual tuition will rise approximately 6% to $33,490. It is projected that tuition at the College of Law will still be below that of all other ABA-approved law schools in California with the exception of Western State. When full ABA approval is achieved, the College of Law anticipates an adjustment of its tuition structure to bring it more closely in line with other ABA-approved law schools in California.

Since obtaining ABA provisional approval, the College of Law established a two-tier tuition structure, with one tuition of $31,590 for entering students and $27,530 for students who enrolled prior to such approval.[14] It is projected that annual full-time tuition will rise at the rate of 6% per year over the next three years. The current tuition structure, along with appropriate tuition increases, will enable the College of Law to become self-supporting and reduce over reliance on the Law Grant Program.

Tuition Rates[15]

2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

$31,590 FT $33,490 $35,500 $37,630

$23,690 PT $25,120 $26,630 $28,228

VII. BAR EXAMINATIONS

The first class to graduate after the College of Law received provisional ABA approval sat for the July 2006 California bar exam. 28 of 48 takers from the College of Law passed on their first attempt (58.3%), eight more having passed on their second or third attempt for an overall pass rate of 75% (36/48.) Only 12 graduates sat for the February 2007 bar exam, five of whom passed on their first attempt (45.5%), while three passed on the second attempt for a total pass rate of 66.6% thus far. On the July 2007 bar exam, 29 out of 51 passed on their first attempt (56.8%.) While the College of Law is encouraged by the overall pass rate of its graduates, it will continue to build on that solid foundation by instituting measures to further increase the pass rate on future bar examinations. Those measures have more fully been described in the Self-Study at .

In the past, emphasis was given on first-time pass rates. Planning is underway to improve the pass rates of multiple takers as well. While over the past five years, the College of Law has had great success with total pass rates, exceeding 75% of all takers in 2003, 2004, and 2005, additional strategies will need to be deployed to assure continued success. In the past, the Associate Dean and faculty have made themselves available to review the bar essays of those graduates who failed the bar exam. Panel discussions on strategies for multiple takers were conducted. But it had been the experience of many members of the faculty, that those graduates who did not pass the bar exam, were reluctant to avail themselves of those services. So initially the College of Law will need to develop a strategy that encourages graduates who have not passed the bar exam, to come back to the College of Law for additional guidance. After the results were released for the July 2007 bar exam in late November, the Bar Exam Coordinator attempted to contact all unsuccessful takers to offer assistance via Saturday bar exam preparation workshops. Other strategies will need to be developed as well.

The College of Law is committed to raising the bar pass rate of its graduates. A good pass rate starts with a quality entering class and the College of Law has been steadily increasing the quality of the entering class over the past few years and was able to do so quite dramatically in the fall of 2007. The enhanced quality of the entering class coupled with the strategies set forth in the Self-Study will result in even higher bar pass rates within the next three years.

VIII. INFORMATION RESOURCES

The College of Law Library has grown dramatically since the University became committed to obtaining ABA approval. Professional and support staff have been added consistent with the increase in the size of the student body and the faculty. Additional staff will be added as warranted. Since 2000, when the Law Library collection totaled 130,465 in volume and volume equivalents, the collection has more than doubled in five years to 306,064 as of June 30, 2007. The Law Library collection is expected to exceed 320,000 volumes and volume equivalents within three years, as shown in the detailed in the chart that follows.

Volume Count

| |Volumes |Volume Equivalents |Totals |

|2000 |65,763 |64,702 |130,465 |

|2001 |78,984 |118,070 |197,054 |

|2002 |86,221 |167,641 |253,862 |

|2003 |82,598 |197,796 |280,394 |

|2004 |83,713 |200,242 |283,955 |

|2005 |85,937 |202,771 |288,708 |

|2006 |91,270 |205,771 |297,041 |

|2007 |97,223 |208,841 |306,064 |

|2008 |102,500 |211,000 |313,500 |

|2009 |106,500 |212,500 |319,000 |

|2010 |110,000 |214,000 |324,000 |

The Law Library is housed in approximately 27,000 square feet of space with seating for 293 patrons. The facility is furnished with spacious tables, study carrels, casual seating, one conference room, nine study rooms, a large computer lab, and ample offices and work areas for the staff. It was originally contemplated that compact shelving would be installed to accommodate growth of the collection. However, since most of the anticipated growth will be in volume equivalents, adding compact shelving will not be necessary over the next three years. With its existing 21,000 linear feet of shelving together with the growth in on-line sources, the library can accommodate growth in the collection for at least ten years.

The size of a law library’s collection and the quality of its facilities are but two measures of its success. Technology, access to information, and service are additional tests of a library’s ability to serve the needs of its patrons. The Law Library has a strong service orientation – providing faculty liaison services, interlibrary loan, and outreach through pathfinders and other in-house publications (both print and electronic), as well as other traditional library programs. The 30 student computers in the lab have been upgraded with the latest in hardware and to complement the building-wide wireless network. That hardware is on a regular three-year replacement cycle. The electronic catalog contains links to hundreds of full-text sources. The budget is carefully planned to assure that the financial resources to sustain systematic development are available.

The chart that follows illustrates library expenditures since the 2001-02 fiscal year projected through the 2010-11 fiscal year. It reflects the increased emphasis placed on online resources.

Expenditures

| |Serials |Other |Online |Total |

|2001-02 |387,667 |172,689 |17,446 |577,802 |

|2002-03 |416,598 |241,357 |27,710 |685,665 |

|2003-04 |514,302 |96,213 |33,291 |643,806 |

|2004-05 |452,829 |96,233 |133,749 |697,676 |

|2005-06 |503,054 |96,126 |149,929 |749,109 |

|2006-07 |507,331 |64,675 |241,069 |813,075 |

|2007-08 |532,500 |85,000 |280,000 |897,500 |

|2008-09 |572,438 |91,375 |299,600 |963,413 |

|2009-10 |615,370 |98,228 |320,572 |1,034,170 |

|2010-11 |661,523 |105,595 |343,0121 |1,110,130 |

IX. FACILITIES

As described in the Self-Study, the College of Law occupies a 64,000 square foot facility on seven acres of land in the heart of the city of Ontario, which is owned by the University debt free. The facility is situated in the Civic Center Complex consisting of City Hall, a recently constructed Senior Center, and a new $19 million public library, in what can best be described as a campus-like setting.

While the building has served the needs of the College of Law, and the seven acres provide room to expand, there is some minor remodeling that needs to take place internally to accommodate the program over the next three years. Construction of two offices to house the Disability Rights Legal Center and the Justice and Immigration Clinic are scheduled to take place during the summer of 2008. That construction, which will take place on the north side of the library, will also include the addition of a study room. Space has been identified on the second floor for the construction of a small interview room for Career Services. The maps attached as Appendix D illustrate the arrangement of the various spaces in the building.

X. FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND FINANCIAL MODELS

As of June 30, 2007, the University of La Verne as provided more than $15 million in financial support to the College of Law. Though budget projections forecast the College of Law to be self-sufficient beginning with the 2009-10 fiscal year, the University is committed to providing whatever level of financial support is necessary to achieve full ABA approval and attain AALS membership.

In preparing the financial pro formas that follow, the numbers associated with the commentary and analysis provided in this Strategic Plan were incorporated into the projections. Each line item of the budget was compared with prior budget years and budgetary projections were made for expenditures and revenues through fiscal year 2010-11. These projections, purposely conservative, include, among others items, student enrollments, growth in faculty and staff, inflationary increases, Law Library development, furnishings and equipment, programmatic improvements, tuition rates, discount rates, and contingencies..

The complete College of Law budget consists of seven separate accounts: Administration (11601001); Instruction (11610001); Admissions (11601501); Law Library (11620001); Moot Court (11630001); Immigration Clinic (11640001; and Career Services (11690001). The financial pro formas consist of a summary sheet representing total projected expenditures and revenues through 2010-11. This summary sheet is followed by similar, but substantially more detailed projections for each account. Collectively, these pro formas demonstrate a continuing University commitment to the College of Law while simultaneously showing that the College of Law will become self-sufficient in fiscal year 2009-10, and that it should be able to provide the University with a modest overhead return in fiscal year 2010-11.

XI. CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY OBSERVATIONS

This document, Strategic Planning for a Successful Future, together with the most recent Self-Study, present the University of La Verne College of Law as an institution that is progressing towards full ABA approval. Collectively, these documents demonstrate that it has taken all actions to bring it into compliance with the American Bar Association Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools and its Interpretations within three years.

The College of Law has significantly increased the credentials of its entering class, expanded the size of its faculty and staff, implemented sound programs to foster faculty scholarship, acquired a debt-free facility in one of the most rapidly growing locations in the nation, developed a quality law library, had a respectable bar pass rate, a solid record of career placement, maintained its commitment to cultural diversity, strengthened its ties to the region, and demonstrated sound financial management and leadership with strong University support. The College of Law, with the full support of the University of La Verne, is committed to ongoing advancements in all aspects of its operations and looks forward to joining the circle of fully approved ABA law schools.

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[1] On January 5, 2008, Dean Dunn passed away. A Dean search will take place during the spring of 2008.

[2] In the Action Letter dated May 18, 2007, the Committee also wanted to see progress towards the establishment of a live-client clinic. That, too, has been addressed by the opening of two live-client clinics in the spring of 2008, The Disability Rights Legal Center and the Justice and Immigration Clinic, more fully described in the Self-Study.

[3] The Tenets are provided in the 2008 Self-Study, at 10.

[4] Ontario is frequently referred to as the “Gateway to the Inland Empire.”

[5] See Appendix A for a map of the Inland Empire.

[6] The population of the Inland Empire in 1980 was 1.6 million; in 1990 it was 2.6 million. The U.S. Census estimated population of the Inland Empire as of 2004 was 3,793,081.

[7] See Appendix B for a mileage Distance Map for the state of California.

[8] The state of California added 430,000 residents between 2003 and 2004, with its population now totaling 36 million. Its economy is the fifth largest in the world.

[9] See Appendix C for the College of Law’s proximity to various California freeways.

[10] Compiled from data provided by the State Bar of California and from U.S. Census data.

[11] Wilkin Guge clients include the L.A.-Ontario International Airport (recently rated by Forbes magazine as one of the top airports in the nation), the Ontario Convention Center and Visitors’ Bureau, and Best, Best & Krieger, LLP, in Riverside (the oldest and largest law firm in the Inland Empire).

[12] If these discount rates do not result in attracting the student body quality anticipated, they will be readjusted to be more aggressive.

[13] Predicting the mix of full-time and part-time students is as difficult as predicting the future of the economy. In difficult economies where employment opportunities are down, a greater number of students attend law school on a full-time basis; in good economies a greater number of students attend law school on a part-time basis while working full-time. Thus, the FTE number, not an actual head count, is the proper way to measure enrollment.

[14] The College of Law believed it was inappropriate to make a substantial increase in tuition that would affect students enrolled when ABA approval was attained in February 2006.

[15] The percentage increase for current students is projected to be 6% each year. This has been the norm for private schools for the past several years.

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