VALPARAISO – Valparaiso University is closing its law school.
In an Oct. 30 statement, the college said it will follow through with its plan to “teach-out the current law school students in a timely manner and cease operations.” The university’s law school was established in 1879 and accredited by the American Bar Association in 1929.
“This has been an extremely difficult decision and is the result of several years of careful discernment,” Frederick Kraegel, chairman of Valparaiso University’s board of directors, said in a statement. “We have explored a number of strategic alternatives. Despite these efforts, we have not been able to achieve a more positive outcome.”
There are approximately 100 second- and third-year law students enrolled in the college’s law school. The college said it will work closely with its relevant accreditors, the Higher Learning Commission and the American Bar Association, to continue with its plan to teach-out the remaining law students.
Valparaiso administration pursued a number of alternative strategies to transition the law school including an educational collaboration with Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission denied MTSU’s permit to create a juris doctor program, which meant the option for Valparaiso to transfer its law school to MTSU was no longer available.
That led to Valparaiso University’s decision to close its law school.
In November 2017, the college announced it no longer would accept first-year law school students beginning in fall 2018, and its intention to pursue alternatives regarding the financial viability of the law school. The university said declining law school enrollment, especially in the Great Lakes region, and a lessening demand for those entering the legal profession impacted the sustainability of the law school.
