How To Get A Law School Accredited, Part I

Last month, The Legal Dollar did a great post pointing out the apparent conflict of interest in the ABA's Standards Review and the law schools it regulates, as 11 out of 14 members of the committee are professors or deans.

With that in mind, I'd like to direct your attention to Binghamton University. Binghamton is looking for a new President. And although it sits in a state flush with law schools, Binghamton has officially stated its desire to open a law school as its next "logical step:"

With only two public law schools in New York State, at the University at Buffalo and CUNY-Queens, estimates show a law school at Binghamton would be in high demand, both by Binghamton University students and others.
...
In addition, standard economic projections indicate new expenditures would reach $10 million annually within five years, with an estimated annual impact of $26.4 million on the region and $33.7 on the state.

Why is this important now? Well, with BU's Presidency open, you'll just never guess who's on their shortlist:

He might not have taken the traditional path to a presidency, but that doesn't mean attorney Jonathan Alger shouldn't be Binghamton University's next leader, he told an audience Wednesday during a campus forum.
...
Perhaps the most direct question from a faculty member: "When would you start building a law school?"

Alger, who sits on the American Bar Association's Accreditation Committee, which oversees the accreditation of the nation's law schools, didn't give a date but said he could certainly help facilitate the conversation. The conversation, he said, wouldn't be easy.

Like heck it won't.

Alger currently serves as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Rutgers, where he's been since 2004. Rutgers is not only the place involving the video taping suicide scandal from earlier this fall, but also is a Big East football school whose program has been caught in embezzlement scandals. I mention this because just last season Binghampton had a major scandal where six of its players were suddenly booted from the team (and its AD resigned) after the University's effort to spend its way to basketball glory went awry.

You would think they would be looking for someone to reshape their image after that debacle, and that a candidate who was compliance officer at a university during a financial scandal.

But, hey, Binghamton wants its law school, and we'll see if they elect this current ABA Accreditation Committee member the leader to do it. The fact that they're considering him in their top five speaks volumes to me.