In about two months’ time, law schools across the country will be reopening their doors in some way, shape, or form, welcoming back students after the pandemic forced them to move to remote learning environments. But one school won’t be participating in this joyous reunion with students. In a surprise announcement yesterday afternoon, the administration told students and alumni that the school will never reopen its doors ever again.
Which law school is shuttering under the weight of “financial distress”?
Back in early February, before the pandemic truly took hold, we reported that Concordia University School of Law — one of the only law schools in the country with a perfect ultimate bar pass rate — intended to cease operations, effective at the end of the semester. Thankfully, Concordia was able to find a parent school that would have allowed the school to remain open, but according to Interim Dean Latonia Haney Keith, those plans fell apart. The Idaho Press has more information:
The eight-year-old Boise law school had hoped to stay open through a transfer the School of Law to Concordia St. Paul. The universities in February signed a letter of intent to transfer but were “unable to consummate the transaction,” according to a press release issued Thursday on behalf of the Boise law school.
Latonia Haney Keith, the Boise school’s interim dean, told the Idaho Press that due to pending litigation, she could not disclose many additional details about the reason for the closure. She said the process to transition to Concordia St. Paul was supposed to be complete by the end of the month, but due to “financial distress” at Concordia University-Portland, the process couldn’t continue. She said the closure was out of school officials’ control.
“It’s incredibly disheartening for us today,” Haney Keith said in an interview with the Idaho Statesman. “This was unforeseen and inexplicable in many respects. We were expecting to fully transition to St. Paul, but it unraveled in such a surprising way.”
Upon Concordia’s closure, more than 100 law students will be left without a school. Luckily, the University of Idaho is stepping in to help, and will reportedly admit 145 rising second- and third-year students. This is not the first time Idaho has given aid to Concordia. In 2014, when the school was having accreditation issues, Idaho accepted 53 of Concordia’s students. Now, Idaho hopes to do even more.
“At the time, that was the largest single transfer of law students in the history of education,” Jerry Long, dean at the University of Idaho College of Law, said by phone. “Here, we’re talking about 145 students.” …
“If we can step up and help them out, that’s really what I hope to do,” Long said. “We’ll do everything we can to make it happen, but it’s definitely going to be a challenge.”
Best of luck to everyone at Concordia Law who just found out that they won’t have a law school to go back to come summer’s end.
Boise’s Concordia law school to close [Idaho Press]
Concordia law school hoped to add new affiliate to stay open. That plan has now unraveled. [Idaho Statesman]
Earlier: Law School Left In The Lurch After University Unexpectedly Decides To Close Its Doors
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.