On Monday, August 24, 2020, the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association (“The Council”) announced that Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law (the “Law School”) remains an approved law school, after declaring the school in full compliance with Standard 501(a), a key admissions standard requiring law schools “adopt, publish and adhere to sound admission policies and practices.” The Council’s decision followed a meeting held on August 13-14, 2020 to consider the status of the Law School regarding its noncompliance with Standard 501(a), per the May 2020 ABA Council finding. In the wake of an ongoing investigation of the Law School’s admissions process which largely contributed to the Law School’s admissions controversy, the Law School took proactive steps to ensure sound admissions policies and procedures were understood and embraced by administration and staff as a critical step in enrolling and admitting a strong cadre of incoming students for AY 2020-21.
“I believe in the law school's mission. I am excited about the future of the law school now that this challenge has been overcome,” said Joan R.M. Bullock, dean and professor at Thurgood Marshall School of Law. “TMSL is now positioned to focus its collective efforts on training the new generation of lawyers to navigate in an environment that requires more than a working knowledge of the cold letter of the law. The pandemic and the current racial unrest highlight the importance of training legal problem solvers who are also empathic, inclusive, and grounded in equity and justice. The multifaceted approach necessary to solve legal problems require the experience, grit, and determination that I have full confidence that TMSL students demonstrate.”
“This compliance demonstrated by Thurgood Marshall School of Law is part of our University-wide effort to fortify our practices in order to continue our rich historical and academic significance,” said Kenneth Huewitt, interim president of Texas Southern University. “I’d like to thank the ABA, Dean Bullock and the entire Texas Southern University team who worked tirelessly to ensure this milestone in our journey for TMSL.”
ABOUT TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
Texas Southern University (TSU) honors our designation as a special-purpose institution for urban programming and research. TSU is a comprehensive university providing higher education access to the nation’s underserved communities. TSU’s academic and research programs address critical urban issues, and prepares its diverse student population to become a force for positive change in a global society. TSU offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs and concentrations – bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional degrees – organized into 10 colleges and schools on a 150-acre campus nestled in the heart of Houston’s historic Third Ward. The University’s enrollment has a population of more than 9,700 undergraduate and graduate-school academic candidates. Texas Southern has been a distinguished educational pioneer since 1927, and the University has become one of the most diverse and respected institutions in Texas. TSU has positioned itself as a proactive leader in educating underserved students and many who are the first in their family to attend college.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Thursday, August 27th 2020 at 6:26PM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
