The FAMU College of Law’s detractors got some more bad news this week: a committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar just recommended full accreditation for the school.The full section is expected to meet and vote on the recommendation by the end of the month.
Since confirming the news, school officials have been swamped with congratulatory phone calls. “There's a great deal of elation across the board,” Dean LeRoy Pernell said. "Accreditation is a tough process — as it should be. I'm proud of what we've done so far."
In 2007, newly-installed President James Ammons made the law school a top academic priority and immediately began repairing the damage inflicted by former Interim President Castell Bryant. During his first months in office, he quickly restored $5 million dollars that Castell had withheld from the college’s 2006-2007 legislative appropriation.
Through offering top-dollar for talent, Ammons lured Pernell, who had served as Northern Illinois University’s College of Law dean for 10 years, to head FAMU’s law school. Pernell, in turn, assembled a high-caliber administrative and faculty team of his own.
With the influx of state money, FAMU’s law professors were able to beef up their bar exam prep courses. Soon, students began performing better on the test.
Despite misleading news coverage, the ABA committee did its job to look at the facts about FAMU’s bar passage rates. The truth is that the overwhelming majority of FAMU law students pass the test. According to Pernell, the school’s overall passage rate is 80 percent.
Not everyone is excited about this important development. Check out the one-sentence blog post published by the St. Petersburg Times’ Gradebook. Then, compare it with the length of all the negative stories the blog has written about FAMU law.
Guess reporter Ron Matus isn’t happy that FAMU law isn’t giving him a bunch of bad news to talk about anymore.
Congratulation Dean Pernell and staff. This is truly great news!
ReplyDeleteRN, you're always on it!! Thank you for providing us with this good news.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Dean Pernell, staff, and students.
Congrats to the law school!! If we can get SBI accredited by the AACSB as soon as possible, FAMU will be moving in a great direction. Hope Ammons finds a dean worthy and fully capable of leading SBI
ReplyDeleteCogratulations College of Law!!
ReplyDeleteHubba Dean Pernell and everyone at the COL!
ReplyDeleteSBI is already accredited. Its quest to get further letters has been foolhardy. 6 years of craziness.
ReplyDeleteThanks for clearing that SBI rumor up.
ReplyDeleteGood Job. Go Rattlers
ReplyDelete2:31 SBI is NOT accredited by any business professional organization (i.e. AACSB, ACBSP)!
ReplyDeleteSBI is seeking accreditation by AACSB much like the Law school was seeking accreditation from ABA. The difference being there is no provisional accreditation granted at the onset of the process!!!
Great Job RN on covering this great news. Good Job College of Law!!
ReplyDeleteProud 2L
L.Jackson
Thanks for the assist, 8:53. SBI (and the entire university) is accredited by SACS but the business school NEEDS accreditation from the AACSB. There's too many b-school competitors that have it.
ReplyDelete-9:39AM (SBI Alum and Corporate Recruiter)
And we're not them, respectfully. If re need it, fine. If not lets move beyond it and be a model again.
ReplyDeleteSBI (at least the 5-year) does not need AACBS. The implementation of its standards have so far watered down the program, made it less unique/competitiveness, and made it less intense.
ReplyDeleteSo far, the drive for AACBS certification has diluted the shine of the school and made the students less desireable to the corporate world and less able to succeed on their own.
They have become the dumb asses associated with other run of the mill schools (even including the Ivy League).
Thanks for highlighting exactly what we thought would happen. It's definitely a balancing act to be a trailblazer and continue to be accepted by the powers that be. Whatever needs to happen, respect to what we have been able to produce should be paramount. Say no to run of the mill, WE can not afford to be common.
ReplyDeleteI truly hope that the law school gets accredited, but folks we have to move beyond just struggling to exist. Getting accredited is a just a basic step. It is not rocket science--you just copy what other law schools are doing (period). As Black folks, we have to raise the bar. Pernell deserves credit for cleaning up a mess that should have not been there in the first place. Same for Ammons. They should not be treated as superstars for doing a BASIC job. We really have to raise the bar or we'll forever be stuck in a rut. I am not hating--just trying to tell the truth.
ReplyDeleteSo, the ABA wants to give accreditation saying that a lot of stuff has been fixed. Then WHY are good decent faculty still resigning by the droves? Two have done so this summer alone!
ReplyDeleteIs being a good law school mean bringing in all your buddies to work here and make life miserable for thos there from the start to force them to resign? I thought nepotism was against the law3?
It appears to be going on....
FAMU COL will receive accreditation and will be a top Fl. law school. We are asking the students to compete with experienced programs who have deep networks,resources, and many years of experience. The bar passage rate gap is closing and when FAMU is on top what will be UF, UM, and FSU's excuse. They are already whining and making excuses as to why their bar passage rates fell significantly (30%) in Feb.2009. Give it some time and realize that the school is already performing miracles given the history of inner turmoil, lack of bar prep resources/courses, and demeaning and derogatory comments from the Orlando law community.
ReplyDelete