Strategic Plan Introduction

Building on the Past and Shaping our Future:
Educating the Whole Lawyer

The Mission, Vision & Strategic Plan for the
University of Baltimore School of Law

Phillip J. Closius, Dean

Introduction | Mission Statement | Vision Statement  | Strategic Plan

Thank you for deciding to learn more about the University of Baltimore's School of Law. Our website contains a number of prospectives regarding our future. Please review our Mission Statement, Vision Statement and Strategic Plan for a discussion of our vision and our values. I include here my personal goals for the next five years. I hope all of this information provides you with an accurate picture of who we are and where we are going.

  1. ADMISSIONS
    1. Reduce target size of the full-time JD enrollment by expanding LL.M. U.S. and part-time enrollments.
    2. Increase JD applications by 45%.
    3. Increase full time day LSAT median by 5 points and UGPA by .4.
    4. Create enough full tuition scholarships to support an entering class with the credentials delineated in 3 above.
  2. CURRICULUM
    1. Ensure that School of Law graduates are fully prepared for the demands and responsibilities of a 21st century legal practice and for admission into the legal profession.
    2. Provide an extensive writing experience for every student prior to graduation.
    3. Enhance classroom teaching which emphasizes the personal, the practical, and the theoretical.
    4. Provide a learning experience integrated with modern technology.
    5. Invigorate a fully integrated academic support system for all students.
    6. Expand support for a clinical program involved in the community, centered on subject areas attractive to students and actively engaged in grant writing.
    7. Increase support for, and production by, centers and institutes.
  3. BAR PASSAGE
    1. Consistently above the state average in passage for first time takers in Maryland and every state to which our graduates seek admission.
    2. Consistently place in the top three schools in passage for first time takers in Maryland and every state to which our graduates seek admission.
  4. CAREER SERVICES
    1. Increase the number of employers who interview on campus by 50%.
    2. Increase the number of employers who participate in the group response program by 100%.
    3. Increase the percentage of student employed in legal positions at graduation by 50%.
  5. DEVELOPMENT AND PRIVATE GIVING
    1. Raise the money required for the private portion of the funding for a new law school.
    2. Increase the percentage of alumni contributing from 6% to 15%.
    3. Increase the dollar amount contributed in the annual fund from $200,000 to $300,000.
    4. Annually qualify for and receive significant funding from private and governmental grants and governmental earmarks.
  6. FACULTY AND STAFF
    1. Increase the amount and improve the placement of faculty publications.
    2. Have at least one course per year taught by a Distinguished Visitor from a high profile law school.
    3. Create more endowed chairs and professorships.
    4. Create a secretarial staff large enough to support the faculty’s academic workload.
    5. Ensure that the talents of staff are being properly utilized.
    6. Increase the compensation for faculty and staff to be competitive with quality law schools in the region.
  7. REPUTATION ENHANCEMENT
    1. Consistent ranking in the second tier of USNEWS AND WORLD REPORT.
    2. Maintenance of an annual lecture series featuring a number of high profile speakers.
    3. Regular faculty appearances on television and other high profile media.
    4. Regional and national publicity regarding the quantity and quality of activities at the School of Law.
  8. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS AND TECHNOLOGY
    1. Significant progress accomplished in the construction of a new building for the Law School (at minimum, site, blueprints, and funding completed).
    2. Renovations to the current building consistent with those detailed in already existing law faculty plans and memos.
    3. Have all classrooms, faculty offices, the moot court room, and the library periodically upgraded with state of the art technology.
  9. SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
    1. Create an administrative structure that is efficient, flexible, and responsive to student concerns
    2. Create an atmosphere of personalized service
  10. RESOURCES FROM THE UNIVERSITY
    1. Ensure that the Law School budget represents a high percentage of the revenue that the Law School generates

Please feel free to contact me by email at pclosius@ubalt.edu or phone at 410.837.4177 if I can answer any questions about our goals or UB's future.