Update on U. of La Verne Accreditation; ABA Recommends Denial

So as it turns out, one of the most popular entries on this blog recently has been my entry from January on the University of La Verne, where I discussed their provisional accreditation status. As far as google keywords go, "La Verne" is up near the top, somehow topping the lost porno searchers (seriously, if you're googling "pornography" and you wind up here, you epically failed; also, my hits for this entry will skyrocket as a result of using the word "pornography" multiple times. go me).

As it turns out, the ABA's accreditation committee is recommending a denial of full accreditation to La Verne. According to this article, a final decision will come June 11, after the ABA Council issues its finding on whether it accepts the recommendation or denies it, and whether La Verne will continue to have provisional accreditation if denied. La Verne will have a chance to present its argument for accreditation, but it seems they're not overly optimistic:

"There's a pretty good chance that we won't get full approval because the odds are stacked against us right now," said Allen K. Easley, the college's dean and professor.
...

During [a meeting last Wednesday with 150 concerned students], Easley said college officials were discussing the denial with their lawyers.

Meanwhile, officials said, the university is applying for state bar accreditation to ensure every current student will be able to take the exam after they graduate.

I would hope so, although I think "the" exam is faulty wording; it should be "a" bar exam. Rightfully, students are pissed.

"Even looking at this with the most likely and optimistic view of the school is that we're probably going to lose our accreditation in June," said Rachael Alcorn, 24.

"When I graduate in (May) 2012, I'm only going to have the California bar (and not ABA backing). That's not what I came to this school for."
...

Student Ali Kazmi, 25, of Rancho Cucamonga said he was trying to determine what his next move would be.

"It catches you off guard ... I'm worried about the school's reputation now," Kazmi said.

Well, it's not like the school had a stellar reputation to begin with, but I completely understand where these students come from. The ABA's course of action during the entire law school bubble was to "Always Be Accreditin'." It was a logical assumption to make that all provisionally-accredited would be fully-accredited in due time. The students couldn't have predicted the ABA would wake up and enforce standards, and so I think they have a right to be angry at the situation.

For example, here is what the 2010-2011 Course Catalog says about accreditation:

The University of La Verne College of Law has been provisionally approved by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association since February 13, 2006. The Section of Legal Education may be contacted at 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60610 or by phone at (312) 988-6738.

Provisional approval precedes full ABA approval. ABA policy states that students enrolled in a provisionally-approved school are entitled to all the rights and privileges as students at fully approved schools. A law school must remain in provisional status for a minimum of two years before becoming eligible for consideration for full approval.

Do you see that? It "precedes full approval" as if it's a given, a guarantee, an inevitable turn-of-the-page consequence. No mention of the chance that the ABA will say "no." No mention of the 5-year provisional expiration or the school's previous issue with low bar passage rates. That seems like misrepresentation of a material fact, and that's not right, La Verne.

Unfortunately, the students are the ones really getting screwed here. The school will go on, possibly as a state accredited institution, but that model seems to work in California and they'll have a better reputation than the other California-only schools. The students, however, are stuck with a J.D. from a non-ABA school, which means they can't practice in most states. Even though they'll be denied the benefit of an ABA-approved education, they'll still be paying the massive costs (I think it's around 36k a year). If La Verne loses 2012 accreditation, the Class of 2012 will be truly and royally screwed. Most law students severely overpay for a product. La Verne's 2Ls and possibly 3Ls will be overpaying for a product they can't even fully use.

So here are my pithy, but completely serious suggestions for all involved:

-If you're the ABA, make a rule or exception that allows students who enrolled at a provisionally accredited school to finish as if they'd gone to a provisionally-accredited school.

-If you're a 1L at La Verne in the top 1/3 or so of the class, transfer. For the love of all that's holy, get out of Dodge. If you're in the bottom 2/3, find something else to do with your life unless you have a warm seat waiting for you on the other side.

-If you're a 2L or 3L at La Verne, complain, protest, and spread awareness about the massive screwjob that the school and the ABA seem to be performing.

-If you're the La Verne administration or faculty, ask yourself why you're running an institution that charges around $36,000 a year for an education where students aren't even equipped to pass the bar, may not have a chance to even take the bar, and, even if they pass, are thrown into a saturated legal market that has almost no use for them.

Also, ask yourself why your school has been less-than-upfront about the possibility that the school would lose accreditation (see my previous entry, or the course catalog entry above) and why I'm not able to find up-front tuition and costs on the school's website. Are you hiding this information from prospective applicants? Are these the operational values that you want to be associated with?

Also, I honestly think the La Verne administration should seriously consider some type of rebates to students for the school's failure.

Overall, it's hard to not see La Verne as the epitome of the law school bubble. From the first article linked:

The college has 420 students, up from about 250 or so prior to it gaining provisional accreditation from the ABA, he said.

A 68% jump. Think students don't factor in accreditation? Think the school didn't advertise it to the max?

I have no connection to La Verne, and I know no one who's ever talked about the place, but it's hard to not blame the school in this situation. Hopefully, the school can retain provisional status, only to prevent a large amount of students from being doubly screwed. If the ABA leaves the school with no accreditation, I really hope they find a way to except the current 2Ls and 3Ls, because it's really not right leaving them as the hot potato victims of this mess.