Applications roll in for JU's new law school, plus dean and faculty roles - Jacksonville Business Journal - The Business Journals
Just over a month after Jacksonville University announced it will open a law school downtown in the fall, the forthcoming entity has received 226 applications for the initial cohort of 20 to 30 students.
About three quarters of the applicants are from Florida — including about 140 from Northeast Florida, said Laura Phelps, senior director of communications at Jacksonville University.
According to Margaret Dees, senior vice president of economic development and external engagement at Jacksonville University, the university’s ability to garner applications for a law school that does not yet exist depends upon the historic success of JU, which is 88 years old.
“JU grads are in high demand across all industries, across Jacksonville and the state, and those students are the foundations upon which prospective students can project that we’ll be a successful law school as well,” Dees said.
About 15 applicants have also come in so far for the role of founding dean, almost all of whom are qualified to fill the position, said Courtney Barclay, associate professor of communication. For the school’s first four faculty members, about 65 applications have been received.
In both positions, Barclay said, the university is looking for applicants with a deep understanding of the accreditation process. For the founding dean in particular, she added, the ability “to take a vision and bring it to life” is crucial.
Dees said the law school is on track to have a student body of about 400 — roughly 130 per class — by the 2027-2028 academic year.
In addition to what Dees described as the “overwhelming support” from the local legal community — including the Jacksonville Bar Association and judiciary — Dees pointed to the declining number of lawyers per capita in Florida as the backdrop against which demand for another law school in the state is only growing.
Compared to the state as a whole, however, population growth in Jacksonville is even more extreme, growing 15.6% from a population of 822,000 in 2010 to 950,000 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — and all this in the nation’s largest city without a law school.
Barclay added that for every six new law school graduates, there are 10 open jobs that require the degree in the state of Florida.
Beyond just reacting to the need for legal services, however, Dees said she expects the anticipated growth of the downtown law school over the coming years to lead students to want to live downtown, thus adding to the residential growth of the area and its economy.
Private contributions are still ongoing to help fund applicants, all of whom are being considered for scholarships of up to $14,400 a year, representing 40% of the law school’s $36,000-per-year tuition. This is slightly lower than the tuition of the for-profit Florida Coastal School of Law, which closed nine months ago after 25 years of operation. Full-time annual tuition at Florida Coastal was $39,790.
For comparison, in-state tuition at the University of Florida Levin College of Law is $21,804, while its out-of-state tuition is $38,040.
source: https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2022/04/20/ju-law-applications.html
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