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STraTeGIc PLan ProGreSS and oUTcoMeS
NYLS students graduate with the legal skills, knowledge, and professional values
needed to advance justice, make meaningful contributions to society, and achieve
professional success.
ProGreSS
acadeMIc ProGraMS and InITIaTIveS
revamped our bar exam preparation initiatives and, as a result, had the largest jump in bar pass rate in New
n
York State for the July 2013 bar—up by nearly 14 percentage points to 83.4 percent.
reined our curricular offerings and programs to better align with student needs and interests and with the
n
goals of the Strategic Plan. this effort largely focused on increasing the availability of courses that have a
connection to the most common emerging market sectors: business and inancial services; government
and public interest; and intellectual property, media, technology, and applied sciences.
n introduced a two-Year J.d. honors Program that begins in January 2015, compressing three years of legal
education into an accelerated 24-month curriculum, including specialized tracks for business and inancial
law, and government and public interest. Because it is an honors program, each student receives at
least a $50,000 scholarship, reducing tuition by at least one-third, and each student is guaranteed a paid
postgraduate fellowship.
n restructured various centers, institutes, and programs with related missions under several broad
umbrellas to enhance the student experience, achieve greater synergies and community impacts, and
maximize the use of faculty, staff, and other resources. the irst consolidation is the new impact center
for Public interest law, followed by the center for law and technology innovation, coming in the 2014-15
academic year.
n created a new ofice of diversity and inclusion and appointed our irst chief diversity oficer. in fall 2014,
we will begin implementing a comprehensive diversity plan focused on recruitment, retention, and support
programs, along with strategies to aid student professional development and cultural competence.
continued the initiative for excellence in law teaching (ielt ), co-directed by Professors kris Franklin
n
and doni gewirtzman. in 2013-14, the ielt began a teaching mentor program for junior faculty, and now
publishes a monthly primer on a range of pedagogical issues including Socratic Questioning in the Law
School classroom, exam design, and Student learning. ielt also helps organize, along with Professors
Stephen ellmann and Anne goldstein, a monthly Pedagogical Discussion group for faculty featuring
speakers on topics such as education theory, practice, and innovation.
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neW York laW School