Early Thursday, the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees voted in favor of a plan which would create the state’s first public law school.
By a vote of 14-4, the decision sets the table for Southern New England School of Law to become assimilated into the UMass-Dartmouth campus. The state’s Board of Higher Education will vote on the issue in February for final ratification.
The proposed plan, which for months has been hotly debated in Massachusetts, has received criticism from the state’s private law schools and citizens and legislators who believe that it is a bad time for the state to undertake such an acquisition, given the current economic climate. Southern New England School of Law, which is not an ABA-accredited institution, is willing to donate its campus, facilities and assets.
Despite the criticism, the proposal seemed to pick up ground last month, when Deval Patrick, the Massachusetts Governor, and UMass’ President, Jack Wilson, relayed support for the plan. As detailed in our previous post on the issue, Wilson indicated that, with the public law school, UMass would be “honoring its educational mission.”
According to the Boston Globe article, UMass-Dartmouth chancellor Jean MacCormack indicated that the school would operate free of taxpayer dollars and, upon increased enrollment, would be a financial boon to the state. The article also indicated that the proposed law school’s tuition and fees would total $23,565.
