The certainty of being qualified for prospective jobs became a vital question for Spencer Lay as he entered his third year of law school in 2014.
Lay, along with the entirety of Concordia University School of Law student body in Boise, were faced with making the decision of whether or not to remain at Concordia when the school’s accreditation faced an uncertain future.
“Once the accreditation became questionable and wasn’t looking like it was going to come through in August, I just wanted to make sure that I had a clear path ahead of me,” Lay said. “I wanted to be able to focus on school, getting a job and things that are important.”
Placed in a unique position due to the precariousness of Concordia’s accreditation, the University of Idaho College of Law experienced a significant increase in enrollment this year.
While UI usually welcomes one or two transfer students per year, 55 transfer students enrolled for the fall semester at UI. The UI law school received 170 total new students for the fall 2014 semester, a 52.8 percent increase from fall 2013. UI College of Law Associate Dean of Students Jeffrey Dodge said 110 of those students are brand new and three are returning students who were once enrolled before.
Dodge attributes this growth to several factors, but said the uncertainty of accreditation at Concordia — Idaho’s only other law school — led a flush of transfer students to UI.
“They were investing time and money and needed to apply to transfer, because perhaps they wanted the assurance that they would actually be able to sit for the bar,” Dodge said. “We ended up with this transfer population, which isn’t something we created. But I was very proud that we helped these students, literally three weeks before school started, apply, get accepted, get classes, get advised, all very, very quickly.”
Ingrid Batey, a second-year law student, transferred to UI after completing her first year at Concordia. After discovering UI offered a year two program in Boise, Batey made the decision to transfer in mid-July. After weighing the pros and cons of moving out of state, Batey and her husband, who have three sons, decided to stay in Idaho. Although the timing was hectic, Batey said the transition from Concordia to the Boise UI campus was much smoother than she anticipated.
“I had a great experience at Concordia, but I love UI,” Batey said. “Something that surprised me was that the Boise program is a small group of students who have all experienced Moscow together. So I expected people to be annoyed when so many transfer students just rolled in, but everyone has been really welcoming, and we were assimilated pretty fast.”
For Batey and Lay, the risk of not becoming accredited for future jobs was the main driving force in switching from Concordia to UI.
After becoming a newlywed in June, Lay said attaining a secure job became even more of a priority, as well as having the option to remain in Boise. After learning UI was interested in accepting transfer students and a program was available to him on the Boise campus, Lay said he turned in an application.
The Idaho Supreme Court denied a waiver from Concordia that would have allowed its first class of law students to sit in on the Idaho State Bar. In August, the ABA withheld provisional accreditation from Concordia and opted to re-evaluate the program.
Yet, without accreditation by the ABA, law school graduates would not able to take the Idaho bar exam. Though initially inconvenient, Dodge said this is almost perfect timing for transfer students — in light of the UI law school starting the second-year program on its Boise campus this year. Through this program, Dodge said UI offers a second and third year of full classes and opportunities to students in Boise.
Previously, students were required to attend school in Moscow for their first and second year, and then could elect to remain in Moscow or go to the Boise campus.
The second-year program, Dodge said, allows students to choose to attend law school on the campus that offers the most opportunities applicable to students’ academic future careers.
After completing their first year, UI law students apply for their second and third years, along with creating an academic plan. He said this allows students with a focus like natural resources and environmental law to remain in Moscow with faculty that teach and work in that area. On the other hand, Dodge said students from the Boise area or who are interested in business law and entrepreneurship may find more opportunity in a larger city.
Batey said she valued the option to stay in Boise and has received the same welcome from the faculty on the Boise UI campus as she received from the students.
“I’ve appreciated the community of UI, both within the school and the alumni community,” she said. “It is definitely a huge advantage.”
Batey said she is scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2016 and is earning a general degree.
Lay, who is also earning a general degree, said he is simply excited for his future in law. While enjoying his time with UI, Lay said the experience of earning a degree is similar no matter where you are.
“Law school is law school, and I’ve encountered the same trials and tribulations at both schools,” Lay said.
Against the trend
Law schools across the country are experiencing similar trials and tribulations, as well. The ABA Journal reported law school applicants nationwide have dropped 37 percent since 2010, going from a class of 52,488 students entering their first year of law school in 2010 to 38,000 this year. Additionally, total student enrollment at UI fell nearly 2.9 percent from the fall 2013 semester, declining from 11,884 students to 11,534.
Despite these national and institutional declines, the growth of the UI College of Law is expected to stabilize and sustain itself — even while expecting less transfer students in coming years, Dodge said.
After experiencing a considerable decline two years ago, the UI law school developed a recruiting plan for the institution, spearheaded by Dodge upon his arrival in 2012. Regardless of the influx of transfer students, enrollment of new and returning law students has increased from 110 to 113 students compared to last year. A small but noteworthy increase when compared to law schools across the country, Dodge said.
According to Dodge, UI attracts students for its affordable tuition, flexible academic plans, prestigious pro-bono program and valuable experiential learning. Additionally, Dodge said UI sells itself as a small school with personal and professional support and valuable connections.
“I’m very proud of the fact that we have the ability to be efficient, we have the ability to be strategic and thoughtful in what we do around our recruiting efforts,” Dodge said. “We’re here to help students, potential and current, when you show you care, that goes a long way.”