Sunday, July 31, 2011

Strategic Plan

Hastings is currently considering its first strategic plan, as this blog has mentioned before. Their website is here: http://www.uchastings.edu/strategic-planning/
They have not released more than a preliminary draft, which is here: http://www.uchastings.edu/strategic-planning/docs/SP_draft_vision_Faculty_SubCommittee.pdf

This draft includes many fantastic innovations, including focusing more on the practical side of education lawyers, putting student welfare as a top priority, and an explicit statement for the need for a shift away from the old paradigm of legal education. A new emphasis on different kinds of skills beyond the analytical and logical skills is a welcome change.

But it clearly comes from the faculty's point of view. There is only one page concerning student welfare, and very little discussion of the culture of law school and its serious negative impact on students. Changes to the curriculum will be immensely impacted by the culture and will flop if the plan does not incorporate cultural change.
I highly suggest you give it a look over and post your thoughts on the subject.

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