Law School Academic Support Blog

Now Is the Time for Kindness

We have four weeks of classes left in our semester. Midterm exams, quizzes, paper draft deadlines, presentations, group projects, and many other law school assignments have clustered in the last several weeks with more of the same to come. Grades on that myriad of items are now emerging - for many law students, not as high as they had hoped.

The level of stress and anxiety among the students has risen along with these events and deadlines. Many students are worried about how much they still need to do before the end of classes and start of exams. A number of students are focused on self-negatives: "I should have outlined sooner." "I didn't work hard enough over Spring Break." "I didn't complete enough practice questions." "I didn't study enough for the midterm." Some students are focused on other-negatives: "The prof didn't allow enough time for that quiz." "The midterm wasn't fair." "The multiple-choice questions were too picky." "The prof took off too many points for citation errors." In either version, the negativity abounds.

It is easy for stressed students to become totally self-focused and intense during this point in the semester. People irritate one another, become curt in conversations, and behave rudely perhaps without realizing it. Tempers flare. Hurt feelings increase. Anxiety and stress escalate. Before long, the environment becomes toxic.

Each student has the capacity to de-escalate the tension around the law school. Each individual can nurture a calmer law school environment through words and deeds. To do so, it requires focusing on community instead of self. It requires focusing on the positive instead of moaning. It requires kindness instead of conflict.

Small acts of kindness not only make the recipient feel better, but also make the actor feel better. Here are easy ways for an individual to impact the law school environment through random acts of kindness:

• Make eye contact and smile at others. Your smile may be the only one a person sees today.
• Say "please" and "thank you" more often than you might normally remember. You will acknowledge others' help, and notice your blessings more.
• Hold open the door, offer to carry a box, or help pick up dropped books for someone. Etiquette is never out of fashion.
• Compliment another student on the good answer given in class today. Everyone can use a boost after dealing with the Socratic Method.
• Offer a copy of your class notes to a fellow student just back to class after an illness. Or suggest you meet with them to go over missed material.
• Take time to say an encouraging word to a classmate who is obviously working hard, but struggling. Better yet, offer to chat about the current class topic.
• Tell your study group members that you appreciate them and why they are important to your law school success.
• Share your personal study aid copy with a fellow student who cannot afford one. It's not very hard to agree a sharing schedule.
• Refuse to participate in or pass on gossip about a fellow student. Gossip hurts.
• Buy a soda or a bag of chips for the person behind you in line at the law school canteen - whether or not you know them.
• Unexpectedly offer to share your law school pizza delivery with a fellow law student without dinner. Free food is always appreciated.
• Bake cookies on the weekend, and share your goodies with those who are studying nearby - even if you do not know them.
• Write a thank-you note (not an email or text) to a classmate who did something nice for you recently or who needs encouragement.

There are many other ways to show kindness. Most of them will cost you nothing - except your heartfelt gesture and a bit of time. (Amy Jarmon)

AALS Section on Teaching Methods Conference Call

The AALS Section on Teaching Methods is hosting a teaching discussion forum via conference call on Tuesday, April 23rd, from 1-2:15 pm ET. 

The forum will focus on innovative practices in online/hybrid law courses with a skills component.  The Section hopes to feature those who are doing ground-breaking work in this area, along with people seeking input for their own courses or simply interested in the topic.

During the call, a few presenters will present their ideas and experiences in a short format and then open the call up for discussion with the group.  The format is oral, no slides or papers necessary. 

We also welcome your participation in the call (if you would like to listen or discuss, but not present) but do ask that you RSVP via our short online form here.

Also, the section needs presenters who have ideas for, or currently teach, skills courses taught in an online or hybrid format for the April 23rd call.  The format is informal – all we ask is that you submit a short topic proposal in advance to allow us to coordinate and organize the call.  Each topic and discussion usually run about 15 minutes.  You can submit your proposal at the RSVP form mentioned above.  The deadline for proposals is Friday, April 12, 2019.

Thanks!

Dustin Benham & Reichi Lee

 

Visiting Assistant ASP Professor at Suffolk U

Additional information from email to the ASP listserv from Professor Herb Ramy:

Suffolk University Law School will be hiring a Visiting Assistant Professor of Academic Support for the coming year, and we hope to have our hire in place no later than July of 2019.

Our hope is to begin a search in September for a permanent ASP hire, and the visitor would be eligible to apply for that position.

The visitor will be working predominantly in the area of bar prep support.

 

SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL
VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ACADEMIC SUPPORT

SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL in Boston invites applications for a full-time position
as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Academic Support. The successful candidate will be required
to provide students with academic support, including support related to bar examination
preparation and the development of the study and analytical skills necessary for academic
success. Responsibilities include meeting individually with students, teaching academic support
classes, and teaching a second-year legal analysis class and/or an upper-level bar preparation
class. Academic Support Faculty must be available to work with both day and evening-division
students, including during the summer months. This is a one-year, non-tenure-track, visiting
position commencing no later than July 2019, with the possibility of an option for an earlier start
date.

Applicants should submit a résumé or curriculum vitae, a list of references, and a cover letter
addressed to Professor Stephen McJohn and Professor Sabrina DeFabritiis, Co-Chairs of the
Academic Success Committee, Suffolk University Law School. All materials must be uploaded
to the Suffolk University job posting website, at http://jobs.jobvite.com/suffolkuniversity/job/ontI9fwr.

The Committee will begin reviewing submitted materials immediately and will continue until the
position is filled.

Suffolk Law is an equal opportunity employer and will give careful consideration to all qualified
applicants regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual
orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, veteran status, or any other
characteristic protected by law. Suffolk Law is committed to a diverse faculty and strongly
encourages applicants from historically under-represented groups. For more information on
Suffolk Law’s commitment to diversity, please see https://www.suffolk.edu/about/missionhistory/
diversity-inclusion.

1.  The position advertised:

_X__   a.   is a full-time appointment.
___     b.   is a part-time appointment.

Other, please specify:

2. The position advertised:
   ___     a.   is a tenure-track appointment.
   ___     b.   may lead to successive long-term contracts of five or more years.
   ___     c.   may lead to successive short-term contracts of one to four years.  (Full Time Position)
   ___     d. has an upper-limit on the number of years a teacher may be appointed.
   ___     e. is part of a fellowship program for one or two years.

___ f.  is an adjunct appointment.

___ g. is a year-to-year appointment.

_X__ h.          is a one-year visitorship.

___     i.          is for at will employment.

Other, please specify:

Additional information, question 2:

3.  The person hired:
   ___     a.  will be permitted to vote on all matters at faculty meetings.

___     b.         will be permitted to vote in faculty meetings on matters except those pertaining to hiring, tenure, and promotion.
__X_   c.  will not be permitted to vote in faculty meetings.

Other, please specify:

Additional information, question 3:

4. 
    The school anticipates paying an annual academic year base compensation in the range checked below.  (A base compensation does not include stipends for coaching moot court teams, teaching other courses, or teaching in summer school; a base compensation does not include conference travel or other professional development funds.)
   ___     a.         over $120,000
   ___     b.         $110,000 - $119,999
   ___     c.         $100,000 - $109,999
   ___     d.         $90,000 - $99,999
   ___     e.         $80,000 - $89,999
   _X__   f.          $70,000 - $79,999
   ___     g.         $60,000 - $69,999
   ___     h.         $50,000 - $59,999
   ___     i.          $40, 000-49,999
   ___     j.          $10,000 - $39,000.
   ___     k.         less than $10,000.
   
   Other, please specify:

Additional information, question 4:

5. The person hired will have the title of:

___     a.         Associate Dean (including Dean of Students).

___     b.         Assistant Dean.

___     c.         Director.

___     d.         Associate Director.

___     e.         Assistant Director.

___     f.          Professor – Full, Associate, or Assistant (tenure track).

___     g.         Professor – Full, Associate, or Assistant (clinical tenure track or its equivalent).

__X_   h.         Professor – Full, Associate, or Assistant (neither tenure track nor clinical tenure track).

___     i.          no title.

Other, please specify: The position will  be a Visiting Assistant professor of ASP

Additional information, question 5:

6. Job responsibilities include (please check all that apply):

_X__   a.         working with students whose predicators (LSAT and University GPA) suggest they will struggle to excel in law school.

_X__   b.         working with students who performed relatively poorly on their law school examinations or other assessments.

___     c.         working with diverse students.

___     d.         managing orientation.

___     e.         teaching ASP-related classes (case briefing, synthesis, analysis, etc.).

__X_   f.          teaching bar-exam related classes.

_X__   g.         working with students on an individual basis.

___     h.         teaching other law school courses.

Other, please specify:

Additional information, question 6:

7. The person hired will be present in the office:

___     a.         9-10 month appointment.

_X__   b. Year round appointment (works regularly in the summer months).

Additional information, question 7:

8. The person hired is required to publish, in some form, in order to maintain employment.

___     a.         Yes.

_X__   b.         No.

Additional information, question 8:

9. The person hired will report to:

___     a. the Dean of the Law School.

___     b. an Associate Dean.

__X_   c.         the Director of the Academic Support Department.

___     d.         a Faculty Committee.

Other, please specify:

 

The Connected Student & Success

Perhaps you are like me (or your students).  As I confessed to my own students in class today, I spent three years in law school never making eye contact with professors.  I was just too scared to be called on.  I didn't feel smart enough (and I certainly never really understand the professors' questions.).  So, I hid...for three years.  

That experience left me feeling lonely and isolated, as not part of the profession. Looking back, I realize now that most of my fellow students felt the same.  Oh how I wish that I had opened up, just been a bit human instead of machine-like, and shared from the heart.  But, to be honest, I wasn't willing to reveal my deep-felt fears.  Consequently, I now try to share with my students about my own experiences as a law student and what I've learned in order to better help them.

That brings me to a thought.  In my early days as an academic support professional (ASP), I spent much of my time focused on teaching skills (reading, case briefing, preparing for class, taking notes, time management skills, synthesizing course materials into outlines or study tools, and exam writing, etc.).  I still teach those skills, but my focus is much broader now because the skills by themselves do not make for learning.  Rather, it seems to me that there is a social/emotional component to learned that is equally important.  And, the research seems to back up my hypothesis.  

In particular, as recently reported by Dr. Denise Pope, a researcher and cofounder of Challenge Success at Stanford University, it seems that student engagement is the most important factor correlated to academic success, future job satisfaction, and overall well-being. Saturday Essay, Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2019.  According to Dr. Pope:  "The students who benefit most from college, including first-generation and traditionally underserved students, are those who are most engaged in academic life and their campus communities, taking full advantage of the college’s opportunities and resources. Numerous studies attest to the benefits of engaged learning, including better course grades and higher levels of subject-matter competence, curiosity and initiative." Id. 

So, what is student engagement? In short, according to studies by Gallup-Purdue as reported by Dr. Pope, there are several key experiences of engagement that can make a lifetime of difference for our students.  Here's the list, as published in Dr. Pope's essay:

"• Taking a course with a professor who makes learning exciting

• Working with professors who care about students personally

• Finding a mentor who encourages students to pursue personal goals

• Working on a project across several semesters

• Participating in an internship that applies classroom learning

• Being active in extracurricular activities". Id.

Nevertheless, as Dr. Pope relates, few students report experiencing that sort of engagement with only 27 percent of students experiencing strong support from professors who cared about them and only 22 percent having a mentor to encourage them.  In other words, most college students, in my own words, feel disconnected and disembodied from school.  That was certainly me throughout much of law school. Nevertheless, there was one professor, later in my law school studies, who took an interest in me.  That professor ended up writing my letter of recommendation for my first job as a lawyer - a law clerk in court.  In other words, looking back, I made it through law school because someone believed in me...even when I didn't believe in myself.  

That gets me thinking about our roles as academic support professionals.  Much of learning can seem mechanical (case briefing, memorization, IRAC, etc.), but the stuff that sticks only sticks when it's socially experienced in an emotionally-positive and engaged academic community.  So, as we build our programs, I try to remember my purpose is not to create an award winning program but rather to help people believe in themselves as learners and experience the wonderful thrill of being part of something that is greater than themselves.  At least, that's my ambition, one student at a time.  (Scott Johns).

The Outside Expert

Several years back, our school's Career Development Office brought in Kimm Walton (of Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams fame) as a guest speaker.  I vividly remember the reaction after her talk. As students filed out, they were buzzing excitedly. "It's nice to know I can get a job even though I'm nowhere near the top of the class." "I'm going to try talking with people I meet like she suggests." "I think I'll join a section of the bar after all: it seems a good way to connect with lawyers." "I'm not going to worry about on-campus interviews: it seems like I can find a firm that's more in line with what I want to do." Walton's presentation could be boiled down to a simple message: law students could create their own employment opportunities by figuring out their own interests, looking for positions to fulfill their interests, and talking to people. That was it -- know yourself, do your homework, and connect (dare I say "network"?). It will come as no surprise that our career development office constantly conveyed the same message through presentations, written materials, career counseling meetings, and informal interactions. But it took bringing in an outside expert to make that message convincing and compelling.

While informally chatting in the hallway with some 3Ls last week, I inadvertently became an outside expert for our school's bar prep course. One student fretted, "I wish I had known the doctrinal law subjects we would cover in advance so I could have reviewed them during winter break. I did really poorly on the first few tests because I didn't understand Sales well enough." "How well do you understand it now?" I asked. "I've got it nailed. After I got those questions wrong, I went back and worked my way through the outlines and did more problems, and now I'm on top of it." When I explained the concept of using testing as a mechanism that increases engagement and learning, the student "got it" and felt more positive about the course. I knew the instructors explained this repeatedly to the bar prep class but somehow their explanations washed over the student without making an impression. My position as an "outsider" made it easier for the student to understand s/he was learning through the process of writing and reviewing exam answers.

More often than I care to think, students will happily report that they have changed their approach to law school based on something they learned by visiting a web site or talking with a lawyer. When we're lucky, what they have discovered is a differently-worded repeat of messages we work hard to convey throughout law school -- typically practices such as starting to outline early in the semester, reviewing notes after class, talking with their professors after class, getting regular exercise, or setting aside personal time each week for rejuvenation. When we're unlucky, the outside expert will transform their law school experience for the worse by suggesting they stop briefing, stop reading cases, or study "efficiently" by limiting their review of each subject to a three-day clump before the final exam (yes, I've heard a very vocal, passionate speaker espouse this approach to 1Ls). 

It's a constant challenge to figure out how to manage the "outside expert" phenomenon to our students' advantage, especially since the outside experts with the greatest influence seem to be those the students find on their own. Ideally, we'd all have budgets that would allow us to bring in dynamic outside speakers to inspire and enthuse our students with positive messages. Certainly it's important to ally with doctrinal and legal writing instructors, law librarians, and upper-division students so our messages will complement and not contradict each other. At my law school, I'm considering a few modest steps: conveying pithy academic messages (perhaps credited to an outsider?) to our law school's digital signage board to take advantage of a more visual medium; and using a discussion board or other sharing mechanism in our Skills Lab for 1Ls to share what they've learned from the web so that their discoveries can benefit from open discussion. Perhaps the most important lesson for me personally is to set aside my ego. While I may be bemused by a student who credits the web for the discovery that it's helpful to practice writing answers to hypotheticals throughout the semester, what ultimately matters is what the student learns and practices, not who the student perceives as the expert.

(Nancy Luebbert)

Too Much Theory?

Researchers using advanced technology discover more about how we learn all the time, and non-stop communication disseminates the information almost immediately.  ASP conferences are rich with presentations of new understandings of how to study.  The new research and the ability for all of us to access it invites integration to our programs and communication to our students.  Is it possible to over rely on new theories to our students’ detriment?

I wrote a blog post last year within the first couple months of contributing discussing how I conveyed learning theories to my students and my thoughts on how the communication would help them learn.  The feedback from students and my experience teaching the course a few times demonstrated to me the message may not be sinking in.

Understanding and communicating learning theory to our students shouldn’t be detrimental, but I encourage everyone to use moderation.  Just like most things in life (carbs, chocolate, Netflix, Facebook), too much can cause problems, except the chocolate of course.  I more than doubled my understanding of how we learn in the last couple years, and I probably overshared the information to students.  I thought students wanted to understand why I recommended certain actions, so I assigned articles about the different concepts.  The response was almost universal disdain, which was a little surprising.  To be fair, a few articles were extremely long, but most of them were only a few pages.

I experienced a phenomenon we already knew, and I should have approached the solution slightly different.  In general, people believe they know how to study and learn.  Students believe if they were successful in the past, what he/she did was correct.  Trying to tell law students in their first semester prior to grades coming out that what they did in the past to achieve A’s wouldn’t work did not cause students to follow my advice.  Providing the research to back up my recommendations only frustrated students because they didn’t want additional reading because they already believed they knew the best way to study for them.

If students are resisting, then is communicating the information a waste of time or even detrimental?  I believe the answer is still a clear no.  My class probably moved too far away from the practical into the justification and theory discussion.  Students want what will help them now.  Study techniques won’t impact grades tomorrow, but we can integrate interleaving, spaced repetition, testing effect, self-regulated learning, and any other research without over-emphasizing the theory behind the recommendation.  We can also integrate activities into our classes using those theories without explicitly justifying the activity.  Our approach will make the difference.

In academic support and education in general, many discussions revolve around outcomes.  What do we want our students to know or do when they leave the classroom?  I would argue we want our students to use proper study habits based on the theories throughout law school, not just understand the concepts.  Demonstrating how to study and walking students through the process will most likely produce that outcome more than students merely understanding the why behind the study technique.  When students start to question recommendations, then we can refer students to resources or provide supplemental material.  I found a handful of really short youtube videos that explain concepts much better than long articles.  Even those are still too much if students don’t need the additional information.  We can also focus on fewer techniques.  Instead of trying to make our students perfect learners, we can strive to make them better learners.  Small incremental changes for them can have a lasting impact.

Students in our classrooms are faced with information overload.  They have access to more information than ever before, and they encounter new legal information daily.  Adding to the deluge of information may not be our best approach.  Practical application is what I plan to strive for going forward.

(Steven Foster)

Visiting Assistant Professor, Academic Success Program at Brooklyn Law

Brooklyn Law School
Visiting Assistant Professor, Academic Success Program

Brooklyn Law School seeks candidates for a Visiting Assistant Professor of its Academic Success Program. We anticipate this individual starting employment no later than August 2019 but are willing to entertain earlier start dates. Reporting to the Director, the Visiting Assistant Professor will:

• Oversee and teach skills and intervention courses and programs for both first-year and upper-division students;

• Teach pre-orientation programs for entering students, including the Summer Legal Process Program;

• Serve a student population composed of accelerated 2-year, traditional 3-year, extended 4-year JD students, and internationally-trained LLM students;

• Assess the efficacy of academic support efforts and inform the faculty and greater law school community on initiatives to promote better learning outcomes, including bar exam success;

• Assist the Director and Assistant Director in overall management of the Academic Success Program.

Applicants must articulate a clear vision for the future of Brooklyn Law School’s efforts to build foundational skills in students that will serve them throughout law school and on the bar exam. The Visiting Assistant Professor must stay abreast of developments in the national academic support field and have a critical eye for selecting strategic partners and personnel to contribute to the Academic Success Program’s initiatives. Applicants must meaningfully contribute to a supportive, innovative, and thoughtfully structured team environment in Academic Success. The Visiting Assistant Professor also advises the faculty and administration as to student engagement and skills development and is expected to create and to participate in collaborative initiatives across all parts of the faculty to create better learning environments.

Most notably, the Visiting Assistant Professor must have a keen understanding of the academic engagement challenges within the current generation of law students and a viable, thoughtful strategy for addressing them. Moreover, the Visiting Assistant Professor must demonstrate genuine enthusiasm for working with students who seek or require academic enhancement. Accordingly, the Visiting Assistant Professor must possess the ability to build meaningful learning relationships with all students.

The salary of the Visiting Assistant Professor of the Academic Success Program will be commensurate with experience. At a minimum, candidates must possess a J.D. degree from an ABA-accredited law school; bar admission in New York (or a state bar with an equivalent Multistate Bar Exam cutoff); and, at least one year of law teaching experience, preferably in an in-school bar preparation or academic success program (as academic success faculty, staff, and/or as peer educator). This is a one-year faculty appointment, with the possibility of subsequent yearly reappointments and potential eligibility to apply for an appointment on a long-term contract track. We are especially interested in candidates who will enhance the diversity of our faculty.

The deadline for applications is April 30, 2019. However, we encourage applicants to forward their materials as early as possible to ensure full consideration by the hiring committee. We will conduct initial screening interviews for qualified candidates on a rolling basis. Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and list of at least three (3) professional references who can attest to an applicant’s teaching ability and potential for future teaching excellence. Please send applications to Shane Dizon, Associate Professor of Academic Success, at [email protected].

It is the policy of Brooklyn Law School not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local law. It is also the policy of Brooklyn Law School to take affirmative action to employ, and to advance in employment, all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status, and to base all employment decisions on legitimate job requirements.

Visiting Assistant Professor, Academic Success Program, Brooklyn Law School
Disclosure Form

1. The position advertised: _X_ a. is a full-time appointment. ___ b. is a part-time appointment.

2. The position advertised: ___ a. is a tenure-track appointment. _X_ b. may lead to successive long-term contracts of five or more years. _X_ c. may lead to successive short-term contracts of one to four years. ___ d. has an upper-limit on the number of years a teacher may be appointed. ___ e. is part of a fellowship program for one or two years. ___ f. is an adjunct appointment. ___ g. is a year-to-year appointment. _X_ h. is a one-year visitorship. ___ i. is for at will employment.

Additional information, question 2: The initial appointment is a decanal appointment for one year. Individual may receive successive one-year decanal reappointments and may be eligible to apply for long-term contracts.

3. The person hired: ___ a. will be permitted to vote on all matters at faculty meetings. ___ b. will be permitted to vote in faculty meetings on matters except those pertaining to hiring, tenure, and promotion. _X_ c. will not be permitted to vote in faculty meetings.

Additional information, question 3: Upon initial appointment, the individual will not attend faculty meetings. If, after successive one-year appointments, the individual is appointed to a long-term contract-eligible track, that individual may vote on all matters on which long-term contract-eligible faculty may vote. If the individual ultimately obtains long-term contract faculty status, that individual may vote on all matters on which other long-term contract faculty may vote.

4. The school anticipates paying an annual academic year base compensation in the range checked below. (A base compensation does not include stipends for coaching moot court teams, teaching other courses, or teaching in summer school; a base compensation does not include conference travel or other professional development funds.) ___ a. over $120,000. ___ b. $110,000 - $119,999. ___ c. $100,000 - $109,999. _X_ d. $90,000 - $99,999. _X_ e. $80,000 - $89,999. _X_ f. $70,000 - $79,999. ___ g. $60,000 - $69,999. ___ h. $50,000 - $59,999. ___ i. $40,000 - $49,999. ___ j. $10,000 - $39,000. ___ k. less than $10,000.

5. The person hired will have the title of: ___ a. Associate Dean (including Dean of Students). ___ b. Assistant Dean. ___ c. Director. ___ d. Associate Director. ___ e. Assistant Director. ___ f. Professor – Full, Associate, or Assistant (tenure track). ___ g. Professor – Full, Associate, or Assistant (clinical tenure track or its equivalent). _X_ h. Professor – Full, Associate, or Assistant (neither tenure track nor clinical tenure track). ___ i. no title.

Additional information, question 5: This position is a Visiting Assistant Professor position. It is a decanal appointment. See answers to question 2 regarding promotion and status.

6. Job responsibilities include (please check all that apply): _X_ a. working with students whose predictors (LSAT and University GPA) suggest they will struggle to excel in law school. _X_ b. working with students who performed relatively poorly on their law school examinations or other assessments. _X_ c. working with diverse students. _X_ d. managing orientation. _X_ e. teaching ASP-related classes (case briefing, synthesis, analysis, etc.). ___ f. teaching bar-exam related classes. _X_ g. working with students on an individual basis. ___ h. teaching other law school courses.

Additional information, question 6: If programmatic needs change, the individual’s responsibilities may shift to include item (f); however, the job as currently structured contemplates the vast majority of work in 1L and 2L classes.

7. The person hired will be present in the office: ___ a. 9-10 month appointment. _X_ b. Year round appointment (works regularly in the summer months).

Additional information, question 7: This person will teach workshops aimed at 1L students and will teach some combination of sections of the 2L intervention course (fall/spring) and the 1L intervention course (spring). This person will be expected to teach and to oversee the Summer Legal Process class for entering 1Ls (currently held in August; subject to change) and teach several modules during the standard 1L orientation session. This individual will have extended time off in other parts of the year (e.g. May, June, July) to compensate for the responsibilities of the position.

8. The person hired is required to publish, in some form, in order to maintain employment. ___ a. Yes. _X_ b. No.

Additional information, question 8: Publishing is not required during initial appointment but is required if individual wishes to be eligible to apply for a long-term contract.

9. The person hired will report to: ___ a. the Dean of the Law School. ___ b. an Associate Dean. _X_ c. the Director of the Academic Support Department. ___ d. a Faculty Committee.

Assistant Director of Academic Support and Bar Programs at Gonzaga

Assistant Director of Academic Support and Bar Programs|

Posting Details

Position Information

Who We Are	At Gonzaga we don’t just state our mission. We live it every day as a Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic University. It is the reason we exist and the foundation for our purpose: educating students for lives of leadership and service. From students to faculty and staff members, everyone here knows what we stand for – and they know how valuable our mission is to the success of our institution. Our competitive benefit packages are part of Gonzaga’s commitment to care for the whole person. Packages include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, retirement, tuition benefits, and other University-provided benefits. We also provide numerous resources which help bring balance to the complexities of work and personal life through our work/life and wellness programs.
Position Title	Assistant Director of Academic Support and Bar Programs
Department	Law Student Affairs
Classification	Exempt
Job Summary	Under the general direction of the law school Assistant Dean of Student Affairs/Director of Academic Support and Bar Programs, the Assistant Director of Academic Support and Bar Programs is responsible for assisting the Assistant Dean in overall management of the Academic Support Program with an emphasis on the bar support programming. Collaborate with the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs/Director of Academic Support and Bar Programs and other department members to administer the integrated academic support and bar preparation program for current students and graduates. Duties include collaborating to design, coordinate and deliver bar support programming; providing one-on-one and small group tutoring; developing and teaching workshops; providing support and guidance to the student peer mentors; and completing other tasks as assigned.
Work Schedule	Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., may work some evenings and weekends
Hours per Week	40
Months per Year	12
Employment Status	Regular
Temporary or Fixed-Term Assignment End Date
Total Rewards	Depends on Experience
Essential Functions	• Collaborate to design, develop, and implement all aspects of the Academic Support and Bar Program; • Assist with the creation, coordination, and delivery of bar preparation initiatives; • Coordinate and teach the multi-state bar review course; • Assist with collection, organization, and reporting of data for long-term assessment of: (a) student participation in Academic and Bar Support programming and course offerings, (b) individual student academic and bar exam performance, and © Gonzaga School of Law retention and bar passage rates; • Assist with assessing the efficacy of bar preparation efforts by students, the institution, and vendors and inform the faculty and greater law school community on initiatives to promote greater bar preparation success; • Coach and support students and alumni as they prepare for bar exam; including assisting with supplemental bar preparation programming, teaching skills and strategies workshops, and additional counseling related to academic performance; • Collaborate to develop programming including skills enhancement courses and workshops to meet the needs of students and bar-takers; • Research current trends and developments in the uniform bar exam; • Perform other duties in support of the Academic and Bar Support program as assigned by the Director of the program.
Other Functions	• Ability to work effectively in a team-based approach to course design and implementation. • Ability to design, implement and manage innovative programs to assist adult learners in reaching their potential. • Ability to think imaginatively and critically about techniques to improve our law students’ academic development and bar passage. • Ability to work well with a diverse student body. • Ability to work collaboratively with faculty and staff. • Ability to manage multiple priorities under deadlines. • Knowledge of bar-tested subjects and uniform bar exam format. • Knowledge of curriculum design, including an understanding of educational learning theory, best practices in teaching pedagogy, and individual learning styles preferred. • Knowledge of basic legal concepts and how to remediate complex legal rules.
Supervision Given/Received	Position reports to the law school Assistant Dean of Student Affairs/Director of Academic Support and Bar Programs. Position may supervise law students.
Minimum Qualifications	• Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from an ABA-accredited law school. • Passage of a bar exam and admission to a state bar in the United States. • Active or inactive bar membership in good standing in a state bar.
Desired Qualifications	• At least one year of law teaching experience, preferably in a bar preparation or academic support program (as faculty, staff, and/or as peer educator). • Experience in higher education. • Experience with assessment and with data collection preferred. • Experience teaching, using interpersonal and counseling skills.
Physical Demands	Office work requires the ability to remain in a stationary position or move about the office space and campus as needed. Work requires constant operation of a computer and other office productivity machineries, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer. The position occasionally moves documents and other office equipment weighing up to 20 pounds around campus for various classrooms and events as needed. The person in this position frequently communicates with students and colleagues and must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
Open Date	03/12/2019
Close Date
Open Until Filled	Yes
Application Review Begins On	04/01/2019
Special Instructions to Applicants
EEO Statement	Gonzaga University is a Jesuit, Catholic, humanistic institution, and is therefore interested in candidates who will contribute to its distinctive mission. Gonzaga University is a committed EEO/AA employer and diversity candidates are encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their disability status and/or protected veteran status.
Clery Statement	Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics The safety of all members of the campus community is of vital concern to Gonzaga University. Information regarding crime prevention advice, the law enforcement authority of Campus Security, policies concerning the reporting of any crimes which occurred on the campus (and other specified locations), other security and safety-related policies, as well as the crime statistics for the most recent 3-year period may be found in the Campus Safety and Security Guide and Annual Fire Safety Report. The Gonzaga-In-Florence Safety & Security Guide is also available. A paper copy of the Campus Safety & Security Guide and Annual Fire Safety Report or the Gonzaga-In-Florence Safety & Security Guide may be obtained by contacting the Student Development Office on main campus, College Hall 120. The Florence Guide may also be obtained on the Florence campus in room 105.

Posting Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

1. * Do you have a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from an ABA-accredited law school?
   • Yes
   • No

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

1. Cover Letter
2. Resume

Optional Documents

 

Gonzaga University School of Law
Assistant Director for Academic Support and Bar Programs

1. The position advertised:
_x__ a. is a full-time appointment. ___ b. is a part-time appointment.
Other, please specify:

2. The position advertised: ___ a. is a tenure-track appointment. ___ b. may lead to successive long-term contracts of five or more years. ___ c. may lead to successive short-term contracts of one to four years. (Full Time Position) ___ d. has an upper-limit on the number of years a teacher may be appointed. ___ e. is part of a fellowship program for one or two years.
___ f. is an adjunct appointment.
___ g. is a year-to-year appointment.
___ h. is a one-year visitorship.
_x__ i. is for at will employment.
Other, please specify:
Additional information, question 2:

3. The person hired: ___ a. will be permitted to vote on all matters at faculty meetings.
___ b. will be permitted to vote in faculty meetings on matters except those pertaining to hiring, tenure, and promotion. _x__ c. will not be permitted to vote in faculty meetings.
Other, please specify:
Additional information, question 3:

4. The school anticipates paying an annual academic year base compensation in the range checked below. (A base compensation does not include stipends for coaching moot court teams, teaching other courses, or teaching in summer school; a base compensation does not include conference travel or other professional development funds.) ___ a. over $120,000 ___ b. $110,000 - $119,999 ___ c. $100,000 - $109,999 ___ d. $90,000 - $99,999
___ e. $80,000 - $89,999 ___ f. $70,000 - $79,999 ___ g. $60,000 - $69,999 ___ h. $50,000 - $59,999 ___ i. $40, 000-49,999 ___ j. $10,000 - $39,000. ___ k. less than $10,000. Other, please specify:
Depends on Experience
Additional information, question 4:

5. The person hired will have the title of:
___ a. Associate Dean (including Dean of Students).
___ b. Assistant Dean.
___ c. Director.
___ d. Associate Director.
_x__ e. Assistant Director.
___ f. Professor – Full, Associate, or Assistant (tenure track).
___ g. Professor – Full, Associate, or Assistant (clinical tenure track or its equivalent).
___ h. Professor – Full, Associate, or Assistant (neither tenure track nor clinical tenure track).
___ i. no title.
Other, please specify:
Additional information, question 5:

6. Job responsibilities include (please check all that apply):
___ a. working with students whose predicators (LSAT and University GPA) suggest they will struggle to excel in law school.
_x__ b. working with students who performed relatively poorly on their law school examinations or other assessments.
__x_ c. working with diverse students.
___ d. managing orientation.
___ e. teaching ASP-related classes (case briefing, synthesis, analysis, etc.).
_x__ f. teaching bar-exam related classes.
_x__ g. working with students on an individual basis.
___ h. teaching other law school courses.
Other, please specify:
Additional information, question 6:

7. The person hired will be present in the office:
___ a. 9-10 month appointment.
_x__ b. Year round appointment (works regularly in the summer months).
Additional information, question 7:

8. The person hired is required to publish, in some form, in order to maintain employment.
___ a. Yes.
_x__ b. No.
Additional information, question 8:

9. The person hired will report to:
___ a. the Dean of the Law School.
___ b. an Associate Dean.
_x__ c. the Director of the Academic Support Department/ Assistant Dean of Student Affairs.
___ d. a Faculty Committee.
Other, please specify:
Additional information, question 9:

Note: AASE strongly recommends that this disclosure form accompany all E-mail postings for academic support positions sent to subscribers of the ASP listserv ([email protected]).

 

 

 

 

Academic Advising Coordinator Position at John Marshall Law School in Chicago

 Academic Advising Coordinator

Status: Full-time academic professional; 12-month position

Reports to: Associate Dean for Academic Achievement, Educational Assessment, and Bar Preparation

Start Date: No later than June 1, 2019

Salary: Based on experience.

Other Information: The John Marshall Law School is in the process of being acquired by the University of Illinois at Chicago. It is anticipated that this process will be completed in August 2019. The successful candidate will become an employee of the University of Illinois at Chicago after the transaction closes.

General Overview:

The Academic Advising Coordinator will coordinate various aspects of the Law School’s Academic Advising program and will fulfill the specific job duties below, including holding individual meetings with law students, and providing academic counseling and guidance by helping students navigate the curriculum, plan course schedules, understand academic policies and standards, and connect with professionals and resources in other departments. The Coordinator will be expected to learn the ABA Standards, the AALS bylaws, Higher Learning Commission policies, Law School and University academic policies, and the Law School curriculum.

The Academic Advising Coordinator may also have opportunities to perform functions of an academic support specialist by teaching the first-year Expert Learning or upper-level bar-preparation courses and providing academic support counseling along with the Academic Achievement/Bar Preparation department.

Specific Job Responsibilities:

v Collaborate with various departments and law school administrators to coordinate the various aspects of the Law School’s academic advising program.

v Conduct individual meetings with law students regarding academic matters; advise students on graduation requirements and the curriculum; help students design course schedules to meet the Law School’s requirements and the student’s career goals; advise students about education opportunities, such as concentration programs and dual-degree programs; and refer students to other departments and resources as needed (e.g., career advice, dual-degree programs, lawyer assistance programs, personal counseling, etc.).

v Inform students about requirements related to academic dismissal, readmission, academic probation, and mandate program.

v Respond to student inquiries and resolve problems related to curriculum and course prerequisites, referring to catalogues, written course descriptions, and other appropriate sources.

v With the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, the Registrar, and others, conduct informational sessions for students regarding course registration.

v Develop and maintain a webpage related to academic advising, including a published list of FAQs related to academic matters.

v Develop other ways to ensure that students understand the Law School’s curriculum, academic and graduation requirements, and academic advising resources.

v Help the Law School continue enhancing its program of legal education, including educational assessment and emphasis on key non-cognitive factors.

v Train Academic Achievement and Career Services staff, other staff, and potentially faculty about aspects of the Law School’s academic advising program.

v With the Registrar’s Office, develop processes and protocols to ensure that students are progressing toward graduation.

v Collect data related to academic advising and ensure that appropriate documentation is maintained for each student (e.g., through an advising portfolio or another method).

v Help ensure continued compliance with ABA Standard, AALS membership rules, and HLC policies with respect to academic advising.

v Potentially serve as a member of the Student Support and Emergency Team.

v Monitor and stay current with applicable policies, laws, and procedures (e.g., FERPA).

v Perform supplemental administrative activities related to academic advising, such as scheduling meetings and interviews, securing requested information, verifying and maintaining computerized data files, and preparing summary reports.

v On an as-needed basis, teach the first-year Expert Learning or upper-level bar-preparation courses and provide academic support counseling along with the Academic Achievement/Bar Preparation department.

v Other projects as assigned.

Requirements:

v J.D. degree from an ABA-approved law school.

v Minimum of three years' experience in legal education or legal practice.

v Excellent oral, written, and technological skills.

v Ability to work in a multicultural environment; strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

v A collaborative spirit.

v Superb organizational skills and a strong attention to detail.

v A high level of judgment, discretion, and confidentiality.

v Ability to work independently, yet to seek guidance when needed.

v Accessible beyond normal business hours to be responsive to time-sensitive matters.

v Prior adjunct or full-time teaching experience is a plus.

How to Apply:

Submit (1) your cover letter summarizing your reasons for applying for this position and your qualifications, (2) your resume detailing relevant experience, and (3) a list of at least three professional references to: Rodney Fong, either by mail to: The John Marshall Law School, Attn: Associate Dean Rodney Fong, 315 South Plymouth Court, Chicago, Illinois 60604 or by email to [email protected].

Questions should be directed to Associate Dean Rodney Fong at [email protected] or 312-427-2737 ext. 312.

Non-Discrimination Policy

The John Marshall Law School, finding any invidious discrimination inconsistent with the mission of free academic inquiry, does not discriminate in admission, services, or employment on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic characteristics, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Director of Academic Success Programs Position at Texas Tech

Director of Academic Success Programs Position description:

Directs, plans, coordinates, and supervises the operation and activities of the Office of Academic Success Programs; develops and implements policies and procedures, administers the budget, organizes tasks and sets priorities. Serves as liaison with university personnel and community at large. Works under general supervision of the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and/or the Associate Dean of Bar Success with broad latitude for initiative and independent judgment.

*Major/Essential Functions

This is a full-time, 12 month staff position that serves as the Director for Academic Success Programs. The successful candidate will begin no later than August 2019. The Director's primary responsibility will be to work with students to help them develop the skills needed to reach their full academic potential for performance in law school and first-time bar passage. Responsibilities include: designing and implementing academic success programs delivering and assessing a comprehensive program of academic success for all law students from orientation until graduation working one-on-one with students on academic probation or self-referred to help them develop habits and methods to improve their academic performance teaching academic success workshops related to legal reasoning, critical reading, exam-taking, and life skills teaching one or two sections of Introduction to the Study of Law, a fall 1L course taught by multiple faculty/staff coordinating the tutoring program with doctrinal professors providing academic counseling for students participating in the larger community for academic success professionals through regular attendance or presentations at conferences and other relevant endeavors to support the Assistant Dean’s professional development collaborating with the Associate Dean for Bar Success with the School of Law’s bar exam preparation programs

Occasional Duties

*Required Qualifications

A J.D. degree from an ABA-accredited law school. Plus five years progressively responsible experience. Successful passage of a bar examination. Additional education may substitute for experience on a year for year basis.

Preferred Qualifications

Juris Doctor degree from an ABA approved law school Successful passage of a bar exam Record of conference presentations and/or presentations in the field of academic success Experience in academic success programs at a law school Texas Tech University, located in Lubbock, Texas, is a state-supported National Research University with an enrollment that exceeds 36,000 students. The law school has approximately 400 students and 34 full-time faculty members. The law school is an integral part of the University and offers 10 dual-degree programs with other Texas Tech schools and colleges. The Lubbock metropolitan area is home to almost 300,000 people, enjoys affordable housing, abundant sunshine, friendly people, and offers easy access to other parts of the country. For more information, visit our website at www.law.ttu.edu. As an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, Texas Tech University is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse community committed to working in a multicultural environment. We actively encourage applications from all those who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community at Texas Tech University. The university welcomes applications from minorities, women, protected veterans, persons with disabilities, and dual-career couples.

Link to TTU jobs website to apply: is  http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hr/workattexastech/. Click on “Staff” and the Requisition Number for the position is 16888BR Director of Academic Success Programs. 

Required Attachments

• Cover Letter
• Resume / CV

Posting - ASP Job Opportunity 

Members of the Association of Academic Support Educators (AASE) strongly encourage prospective employers to answer the below list of questions when posting a job opening to the academic support listserv.  When answering these questions, please note the following:

• Where appropriate, more than one option may be checked when responding to an individual question.

• Information regarding salary is particularly important to applicants and to the broader ASP community, and AASE strongly encourages the inclusion of this information whenever possible.

• Employers may include additional explanatory information immediately after each respective question. Larger amounts of information, such as a position description, may be included at the end of the form or as an additional attachment..

It is our hope that the answers to these questions will provide applicants with a baseline for comparing different job opportunities.  Also, completed questionnaires can give prospective employers insights into the various factors that impact the job market for academic support professionals.

1.  The position advertised:

_X_  a.   is a full-time appointment.
___  b.   is a part-time appointment.

Other, please specify:

2. The position advertised:
   ___ a.   is a tenure-track appointment.
   ___  b.   may lead to successive long-term contracts of five or more years.
   ___  c.   may lead to successive short-term contracts of one to four years.  (Full Time Position)
   ___  d. has an upper-limit on the number of years a teacher may be appointed.
   ___  e. is part of a fellowship program for one or two years.

___ f.    is an adjunct appointment.

___ g.    is a year-to-year appointment.

___ h.   is a one-year visitorship.

X__  i.    is for at will employment.

Other, please specify:

Additional information, question 2:

3.  The person hired:
   ___ a.  will be permitted to vote on all matters at faculty meetings.

___  b.  will be permitted to vote in faculty meetings on matters except those pertaining to hiring, tenure, and promotion.
X__  c.  will not be permitted to vote in faculty meetings.

Other, please specify:

Additional information, question 3:

4. 
    The school anticipates paying an annual academic year base compensation in the range checked below.  (A base compensation does not include stipends for coaching moot court teams, teaching other courses, or teaching in summer school; a base compensation does not include conference travel or other professional development funds.)
   ___ a. over $120,000
   ___  b.  $110,000 - $119,999
   ___  c.   $100,000 - $109,999
   ___  d.  $90,000 - $99,999
   ___  e.  $80,000 - $89,999
   X__  f.   $70,000 - $79,999
   ___  g.  $60,000 - $69,999
   ___  h.  $50,000 - $59,999
   ___  i.    $40, 000-49,999
   ___  j.   $10,000 - $39,000.
   ___  k.  less than $10,000.
   
   Other, please specify:

Additional information, question 4:

5. The person hired will have the title of:

___  a.  Associate Dean (including Dean of Students).

___  b.  Assistant Dean.

X__  c.   Director.

___  d.  Associate Director.

___  e.  Assistant Director.

___  f.   Professor – Full, Associate, or Assistant (tenure track).

___  g.  Professor – Full, Associate, or Assistant (clinical tenure track or its equivalent).

___  h.  Professor – Full, Associate, or Assistant (neither tenure track nor clinical tenure track).

___  i.    no title.

Other, please specify:

Additional information, question 5:

6. Job responsibilities include (please check all that apply):

X__  a.  working with students whose predicators (LSAT and University GPA) suggest they will struggle to excel in law school.

X__  b.  working with students who performed relatively poorly on their law school examinations or other assessments.

X__  c.   working with diverse students.

___  d.  managing orientation.

X__  e.  teaching ASP-related classes (case briefing, synthesis, analysis, etc.).

___  f.   teaching bar-exam related classes.

X__  g.  working with students on an individual basis.

___  h.  teaching other law school courses.

Other, please specify:

Additional information, question 6:

7. The person hired will be present in the office:

___  a.  9-10 month appointment.

X__  b. Year round appointment (works regularly in the summer months).

Additional information, question 7:

8. The person hired is required to publish, in some form, in order to maintain employment.

___  a.  Yes.

X__  b.  No.

Additional information, question 8:

9. The person hired will report to:

___  a. the Dean of the Law School.

X__  b. an Associate Dean.

___  c.   the Director of the Academic Support Department.

___  d.  a Faculty Committee.

Other, please specify:

Additional information, question 9:

Note:  AASE strongly recommends that this disclosure form accompany all E-mail postings for academic support positions sent to subscribers of the ASP listserv ([email protected]).

 

Overcoming Conversational Blocks & Fear of Public Speaking

I'm a "deer in the headlights" type of person, or, at least that's what I feel like when someone asks me a question.  In fact, at a recent conference, I embarrassingly just stared blankly when someone I've known well said "hello."  

And, as you can imagine, I spent much (well, all) of law school in the "quiet mode," never speaking unless directly called on in class and often times with my eyes cast downward to avoid making what seemed to me "dangerous eye contact."  

You see (and perhaps you are like me), I just never thought I had much of anything to say in law school.  And, I still often feel sort of out-of-place in the midst of so many learned scholars, educators, administrators, and students.

That's when I came across an encouraging article by columnist Sue Shellenbarger entitled: "Overcoming the Terror of an Impromptu Speech"  The column provides handy concrete steps that one can take to help overcome fears in both conversations and in responding to questions, something that I suspect many law students (and faculty, administrators, and community members also fear).  

Here are a few of the tips and observations that I found most helpful.  First, that many of us fear speaking publicly, whether in front of a large group or with a supervisory figure (such as a professor or senior administrator or boss).  In other words, it's human to be afraid of speaking in public.  Second, that being spontaneous in conversations and  in responding to questions actually takes preparation and practice, which is something that we can all develop.  In fact, the article provides helpful steps and guidance for handling questions and conversations. Finally, the tip that has been most helpful to me is to use self-talk, namely, to tell myself that "I'm excited for the opportunity to speak, for the chance to have a conversation with you, for the opportunity to respond to your question, etc."  

In my own case, rather than waiting for people to say "hello" to me, I'm trying to make the most of every encounter, whether by saying "hello" to someone I don't know as they join me in the elevator (and asking them about what they are learning), or whether, as one of my colleagues tonight challenged me, saying "great job" to one of my students or colleagues in recognition of their accomplishments.  You see, for me personally, it's in the midst of just taking these little steps that is helping me to no longer feel like the "deer in the proverbial headlights" but rather joined into and belonging to a vibrant community of learners. And, if you happen to fear conversational encounters and public speaking as I do, I hope this helps you too (and for your students also).  (Scott Johns).

Have You Ever Thought About . . . ? Suggestions for Faculty Advising

A wide range of advising formats satisfy ABA Standard 309 requirements that a law school provide academic advising that "communicates effectively the school’s academic standards and graduation requirements, and [] provides guidance on course selection." In some schools every faculty member has assigned advisees and guides them through all their choices for three years, minutely checking that they have met degree requirements and are prepared for the bar exam and their chosen area of practice. Other schools have a more laissez-faire system: after a few informational meetings students are given the tools they need to meet degree requirements and set loose on their own to seek guidance. Student Services or Academic Support offices sometimes handle the degree requirements portion of advising, drawing in clinical, writing, and doctrinal faculty primarily in a mentoring role. As a person who has coordinated a relatively formal 1L advising program for the past few years, I've heard considerable angst about advising. "I don't know what to do!" is a common refrain from senior and junior faculty alike. These suggestions are applicable to faculty performing the wide range of advising functions.

Understand your advising function. Ask the person who gave you the advising assignment and insist on clarity. Some advisors assigned at Orientation are meant primarily to be a human face and contact for new, bewildered 1Ls. Advisors assigned midway through 1L year may serve mostly as mentors for advisees who have expressed an interest in a particular area of law. Do you advise students only during 1L year, or throughout their three or four years of law school? Are you expected to lift registration holds? To advise students holistically about careers, bar passage, courses, and degree requirements? To focus on your areas of experience and subject-matter expertise? Are there unspoken expectations such as inviting advisees to your home for dinner? Once you know the expectations, you can work more effectively with your advisees.

Do your homework. Your advisees are expected to be familiar with a wide variety of materials such as graduation worksheets, catalogs, course selection guides, and student handbooks. You should be, too, even if your advising role is limited to mentorship. At least once a year, review the print and web materials relevant to your school's requirements and curriculum. For instance, while you need not know the details of all the certificate programs your school offers, you should have some knowledge of what programs exist and where to find more information. Likewise, familiarize yourself with key people within your school and their areas of expertise. The expert on the bar admissions process, for example, might be the registrar at one school and the academic support director at another. It goes without saying, but don't overlook the expertise of staff as well as faculty and administration.

Start by connecting to your advisee as a person, not by plunging into course offerings, doctrinal law, or career goals. Ask about what's important to them. Many students think they must immediately express an interest in a particular area of law, and they may be embarrassed if they haven't settled on one. Reassure them that they don't have to make those choices immediately. Some students already have a good idea of the practice they want after law school (prosecutor? family firm? general counsel?); when they do, advising is admittedly easier. But if not, ask questions to unearth what is most meaningful for them. For example, some students might want to focus their law school experience on ways they can help immigrant communities. Others may be looking for any position with enough flexibility that they can always attend their kid's soccer games. Others may be place-bound, whether from desire or necessity.

Encourage students to focus on intrinsic motivations. As Lawrence Krieger writes in The Hidden Sources of Law School Stress,

[A] primary focus on external rewards and results, including affluence, fame, and power, is unfulfilling. These values are seductive -- they create a nice picture of life but they are actually correlated with relative unhappiness. Instead, people who have a more "intrinsic," personal/interpersonal focus -- on personal growth, close relationships, helping others, or improving their community -- turn out to be significantly happier and more satisfied with their lives.

Suggesting possibilities and alternatives, while tying these possibilities to their values and goals, is the single most important service you can provide as an advisor.  A good phrase is "Have you ever thought about . . . ?"

For example, the student who is place-bound in a small-town area might lean towards a typical small firm practice specializing in a few areas like family law and estate planning. But with the great strides in technology, a boutique practice might be in order, or acting as a contract attorney, or half a dozen other alternatives. Students whose impetus is to help immigrant communities may initially think only of practicing immigration law; you can broaden their horizons by suggesting that small business practice, bankruptcy, criminal law, or elder law could be equally valuable practices in helping these communities. Once students understand the multiplicity of options, they are more receptive to suggestions about the variety of courses, externships, clinics, and other experiences that can help them flourish.

When you discuss academic and practice alternatives (such as certificate programs, externships, clinics, moot court, and law journals), do so in the context of possibilities and alternatives. Be enthusiastic and informative, certainly, about your own courses and field -- if not you, who? -- but your primary advising purpose is not to be a shill for your own interests, but a mentor helping the student start the practice of law on a solid foundation.

Emphasize the long view. Extraordinary opportunities often carry short-term costs: a life-changing externship might require separating from loved ones for some weeks; an apposite course by a demanding professor could carry the risk of a dip in GPA. Here's where the credibility you have built with advisees can really pay off. Acknowledge their concerns, but point out what will have the greatest payoff over the long term.

Never undermine students' choices. Students value your opinions, so it hits them hard if your explicit and implicit messages that "real lawyers" follow a particular path (judicial clerkships, BigLaw, litigation, etc.) suggest that their own choices are second-best or even illegitimate. No field of law and no career path is beneath even the most talented student. While top students have a wealth of opportunities, they should not be browbeat into thinking certain fields are beneath them.

Connect. You have a valuable web of connections inside and outside the law school. Help your advisees tap into this network by referring them to others with knowledge and experience. As a practical matter, don't count on memory -- before advisees leave your office, make sure either you or they have written down not only the names of your referrals but also why you are referring them.

Respect the validity of other advising viewpoints. Students will discuss their future plans with many lawyers, both in and out of the law school. Because we as lawyers have different backgrounds, experiences, values, and areas of expertise, we as advisors will have different viewpoints, and inevitably some of these will clash. Students will notice the areas of disagreement, so it's vital for us to acknowledge the validity of other viewpoints even as we advocate our own. This is a great way to model the professionalism and civility we espouse.  

(Nancy Luebbert)

"Wise Interventions": Improving Performance by Altering Subjective Meanings

One of the most stimulating -- though, at times, overwhelming -- aspects of working in Academic Success is the necessity of performing in all the rings under the law school circus tent. In the same day, we can be teaching substantive law, providing feedback to help improve a student's writing and legal analysis, coaching another student on skills like time management or effective study, and counseling other students who are anxious, unmotivated, discouraged, or overconfident. To me, the counseling portion seems to be the most draining. Even when it is not taking up the greater part of my week -- and that is not always the case -- working with students' emotions, their self-awareness, their conceptions of what they are capable of, and their unrecognized assumptions requires high levels of energy and attentiveness. Anything that might make that part of the job easier without shortchanging my students would be gratefully welcomed.

To that end, I've been reading an interesting article called Wise Interventions: Psychological Remedies for Social and Personal Problems, written by the psychologists Gregory M. Walton and Timothy D. Wilson (Psychological Review (2018), 125(5), pp. 617-655). The authors explain that much of what either restrains or enhances our achievements does so because of how we perceive it, ourselves, and/or our place in the world. For example, a student who perceives her professor's probing Socratic questioning as demonstrating confidence in the student may learn more, and feel more confident about what they have retained, than another student who perceives the professor's intense questioning as disdain or ridicule.  Much depends on the subjective meaning that a person has assigned to himself ("I am clever/I am stupid/I am not good at math"), to his environment ("The professor doesn't like me/This subject is useless in the real world/That law firm only hires students in the top 5%" ), and to the interactions between the two ("I always screw up on multiple-choice questions/There's nobody in this class who would be willing to share notes with me/If I go to office hours the professor will think I can't handle the material.") The article points out that many of the techniques that have been demonstrated to produce lasting behavioral change with comparatively little effort on the part of coaches or intervenors do so because they help to change ineffective subjective meanings that the student had used previously into meanings that are naturally more likely to produce good results. For example, incoming African American college students participated in a one-hour discussion section at the start of the school year, in which stories told by former students were used to convey the idea that it is normal to feel, at first, that you "don't belong" in college, and that after a while that feeling goes away. Participating students had higher grades over the next three years than did similar students who did not join the discussion session. Walton and Wilson call these techniques "wise interventions" because those who used them are aware of ("wise to") the maladaptive meanings that some subjects have adopted, and therefore can more successfully change those meanings.

This is a dense and rich article, one I will have to return to a few times here, but today I wanted to point out three of the five general principles the authors suggest characterize a "wise intervention".  These three principles are all about how to effectively change maladaptive assigned meanings, and I think they can help us in Academic Support as we try to find new ways to help our students make the most of themselves and their environments.

The first principle is that in order to effectively alter ineffective perceptions, the explanations we offer in exchange have to be detailed and specific.  It was not enough, for example, to say to incoming college students, "College is tough on everyone.  You'll get over it." Instead, researchers used the detailed stories of former students to illustrate the specific feelings that incoming students often experience, and the journey that those students went through, so that the incoming students could more clearly relate to and remember those stories when they encountered similar feelings.  Similarly, in law school, it may not be enough just to tell 1L students that law school is going to be harder than any educational experience they've had in the past. Instead, we need to tell our own stories, and the stories of other law students and alumni, to better illustrate some of the specific obstacles that were faced and then overcome. Having those details to recall can help insure that 1L students will interpret their setbacks and difficulties as part of the usual law student experience.

Another principle is that, once we help students to generate more useful interpretations of themselves and their environments, these interpretations can lead to further recursive change in the future. A student introduced to the concept of the "growth mindset", for instance, may at first only accept its existence in a certain context, like the ability to memorize content.  However, as the student experiences success in that context, it becomes more likely that she will start to apply the growth mindset concept in other realms, such as making oral presentations or writing effectively under time pressure.  This is one of the chief benefits of a wise intervention: because of the possibility of recursive change, a comparatively small effort on the part of a counselor or coach can produce a lifetime of benefits.

However, the possibility of such recursion depends in part on a recognition of a third principle: the fact that the meanings that people assign to themselves and to their worlds all operate within complex systems of past experiences, present conditions, and future expectations.  In practical terms, this means that merely changing a student's meaning-making is not likely, by itself, to take root and produce extensive future benefits; there must also be some kind of change to the system in which the student operates.  It is not enough, for example, to get students to see that they have the analytical tools they need to respond properly to multiple-choice questions, and that such questions are not simply an opaque collection of "tricks", unless we also provide those students will access to practice questions upon which to apply their new view of the genre, along with answer explanations so the students will be able to confirm that the analytical approach is indeed the most effective. Changing your students' interpretation of themselves or of the law school environment should always be either in response to, or accompanied by, some kind of practical change to the rest of the system in which they operate, in order to give the students the opportunity to test and cultivate their new understandings.

This last bit is the part I want to incorporate more into my own teaching and advising. Whenever something seems to click for a student and they seem to recognize a possible new way of interpreting the world, that's a spark. Academic success depends not just upon generating such sparks, but also upon providing kindling so that the spark doesn't go out.

[Bill MacDonald]

Learn to Overcome Obstacles to Help in Practice

March is a great time for sports.  College Basketball brackets are out, and the tournament will start soon.  Baseball spring training is finishing up, and golf just had its first huge event of the year.  So many lessons to learn that we can apply to our everyday lives.

I couldn’t help but think of law students last weekend during the golf tournament.  During the second round on Friday, Tiger Woods played really well, except for 1 hole.  The famous island green at TPC Sawgrass.  He hit a reasonable shot onto the island that trickled off the back and into the water.  His next shot included a little adrenaline from frustration, and it too went into the water.  He was 5 under par the rest of the round, but with 2 shots in the water, he was 4 over par on that hole alone.  However, Tiger went on to play reasonably well in the 3^rd and 4^th round to place 30^th out of over 120 players.  He could have given up on Friday, but didn’t.

The eventual winner, Rory McIlroy, went through a similar mental struggle.  He was at or near the lead most of the 4 days, and on Sunday, he started 1 shot back of the leader.  He proceeded to play the front 9 terrible.  He could have let frustration boil over, but he regrouped and played the last 9 holes with 4 birdies and 1 bogey to win.  His resolve led to his success.  John Rahm, the leader going into the 4th round did the opposite.  He had a few bad holes and let his frustration affect numerous subsequent shots.  His emotions probably cost him the tournament.

As law students, you all will face similar difficulties.  Nearly everyone receives at least 1 bad grade in law school.   The grade may be on a final exam or just a mid-term.  The grade isn’t what matters though.  The response to the grade is what determines success.  Take the feedback and determine how to get better.  The goal should always be how to get better.

Unfortunately, I see too many students alter focus from learning to other activities when grades don’t meet expectations.  I encounter students who feel his/her grades aren’t what they have always been, so they lose focus on studying.  They start paying more attention to extracurricular activities instead of what will prepare them for practice and the bar.  Tiger wasn’t going to win, so why not focus on something else.  30^th place (and the thousands of dollars that came with it) still provided great mental practice for when he is closer to the lead.  30^th place prepared him for future difficulties and shots.  His reactions lay the foundation for acting exactly like Rory going into the back 9.  Every response to unmet expectations has an impact on future responses.

Bob Rotella wrote a book titled Golf is not a Game of Perfect.  I believe the practice of law is the same.  Legal practice is an exercise of mental toughness because litigators fail nearly daily.  Losing motions, failing at trial, and making mistakes happens routinely.  Practice now how to handle the mistakes when the stakes don’t include client’s livelihood.  You can build the ability to overcome obstacles.  Now is that time.

(Steven Foster)

Shred, Glorious Shred

It is time for spring cleaning. Not just dusting my desk and bookshelves though.

I have finally waded through the copious university operations document on records retention to determine what in the office filing cabinets needs to be retained. After reading pages of fine print to determine the proper category of records in my office, I am happy to say that I have the answer. All academic advisement records must be retained for five years after the student's final enrollment, graduation, etc.

Given that I have accumulated 15 years of records, there is a lot of glorious shredding going on for the requisite, permissible years. (Of course, we are recycling papers that do not need to be shredded. One day recently we had to borrow a second blue tub to accommodate our dutiful recycling.)

There is finally room in the office filing cabinets and my desk file drawers to accommodate new files and new records! And each subsequent year, we will be able to shred another year's worth of the requisite, permissible papers!

So much freed up space! So much unburdening of stuff! Such jubilation at crawling out from under so much paper!

Now if I can only get myself to do the same thing at home. . . .

(Amy Jarmon)

Reminder: Call for Proposals for AALS Section on Academic Support

Call for Proposals
AALS Section on Academic Support
January 2020 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC
"Access to the Legal Profession as a Pillar of Democracy: Bar Exam Cut Scores and the Future of Diversity."

As a community, we are aware that bar passage rates are falling in some jurisdictions, and the ABA recently proposed a change Standard 316 on Bar Passage, which would require schools to achieve 75% bar pass rate within two years of graduation. While this proposal did not pass, the current passage rates still have the potential to severely impact law schools that prioritize a mission of diversifying the legal field by preparing lawyers from underrepresented groups. Moreover, in the profession itself, access to legal education, and the profession, is a pillar of democracy. This program will focus on how to better support students who are at risk of not passing the bar exam.

Topics might include, but are not limited to: student engagement on the bar exam, the impact of the UBE on cut scores, programming to support diverse students in their law school courses, programming to support diverse students while preparing for the bar exam, the role of stereotype threat on the bar exam, and the impact of the changing ABA rules on a diverse student population. Proposals should reflect presentations that will be 25 minutes in length.

Proposals should contain a detailed explanation of both the substance of the presentation and the methods to be employed. Individuals as well as groups are invited to propose topics. The Committee would prefer to highlight talent across a spectrum of law schools and disciplines and is especially interested in new and innovative ideas. Please share this call with colleagues—both within and outside of the legal academy and the academic support community.

Proposals must include the following information:
1. A title for your presentation.
2. A brief description of the objectives or outcomes of your presentation.
3. A brief description of how your presentation will support your stated objectives or outcomes.
4. A detailed description of both the substantive content and the techniques to be employed, if any, to engage the audience.
5. Whether you plan to distribute handouts, use PowerPoint, or employ other technology.
6. A list of the conferences at which you have presented within the last three years, such as AALS, AASE, national or regional ASP or writing conferences, or other academic
conferences. (The Committee is interested in this information because we wish to select and showcase seasoned, as well as fresh, talent.)
7. Your school affiliation, title, courses taught, and contact information (please include email address and telephone number).
8. Any other information you think will help the Committee appreciate the value your presentation will provide.

Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so please send yours as soon as possible, but no later than Wednesday, May 1st at 5pm to Melissa Hale, Loyola University Chicago School of Law, [email protected]. If you have any questions, please email Melissa Hale.

The Section on Academic Support Program Committee:
Melissa Hale, Chair
Robert Coulthard
Maryann Hermann
Twinette Johnson
Jamie Kleppetsch
Danielle Kocal
Susan Landrum
Courtney Lee
Laura Mott
Zoe Niesel
Goldie Pritchard
Louis Schulze
Joni Wiredu
ASP Section Chair: Jennifer Carr

Director of Academic Success Program Position at University of Missouri

Director of Academic Success Program

Job Description

The University of Missouri School of Law invites applications for a Director of Academic Success Program. The position is a full-time, twelve-month position. Funds for this position are provided by the university's Division for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity. Our Director of Academic Success Program will assist in building a welcoming, nurturing, and inclusive law school community. The individual will be responsible for coordinating academic success courses and study groups for identified students; developing and teaching academic success courses and study groups; and training students to conduct study groups in a peer-to-peer mentoring format and to oversee and evaluate student employees.

The director will be expected to collect and analyze data related to student success, diversity, and bar passage and to craft programs to proactively address the challenges that students may encounter. The director is expected to work with students within the law school community to provide counseling and support, both individually and through expansion of the law school's existing academic success program, to ensure the successful completion of law school and passage of the bar by all students.

The director will be expected to work with other academic success programs as well as disability services on the University of Missouri campus and outside the university community. The director will be required to prepare an annual report on all activities and accomplishments and serve on relevant committees within the law school and University of Missouri. The director may also be expected to travel. The initial term is one year with the possibility of renewal based on job performance, funding, and pedagogical needs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Teaching foundational academic skills and legal analysis
• Counseling students regarding their academic performance
• Providing writing support for students
• Administering a Bar Success Program
• Supervising student assistants
• Collaborating with faculty and staff colleagues to enhance the academic success of students

Additional Qualifications:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills and ability to work well with various constituencies
• Ability to foster a cooperative work environment
• Outstanding academic records
• Relevant professional experience
• Strong conceptual understanding of legal pedagogy and the learning sciences
• Proficiency in data collection and analysis
• Capacity to make outstanding contributions in the areas of teaching and service

Salary

Salary Range: $50,000 - $60,000 annually

Grade: GGS-010

University Title: Program Manager II Student Support Services

Internal applicants can determine their current grade and university title by accessing the Job Information page through the Additional Employee Info tile in myHR.

Minimum Qualifications

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least 3 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary.

PLEASE NOTE: This position will be screened based upon the preferred qualifications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) and/or advanced degree in education, psychology, counseling or a related field or expected date of degree completion by July 1, 2019
• Experience in student programming, academic support, or a diversity-related field
• Record of conference presentations and/or publications in the field of academic support

Application Materials

In addition to the online application, please submit a cover letter, resume, and three references

Application Deadline

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Columbia Missouri Information

Columbia, Mo., is known as an ideal college town, combining small-town comforts, community spirit and low cost of living with big-city culture, activities and resources.  Home to nationally renowned public schools and other colleges and educational centers, Columbia is packed with restaurants and entertainment venues and hosts more than a dozen annual cultural festivals.

Benefit Eligibility

This position is eligible for University benefits.  The University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, paid time off, and educational fee discounts.  For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at http://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/benefits

Diversity Commitment

The University of Missouri is fully committed to achieving  the goal of a diverse and inclusive academic community of faculty, staff and students. We seek individuals who are committed to this goal and our core campus values of respect, responsibility, discovery and excellence.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy shall not be interpreted in such a manner as to violate the legal rights of religious organizations or the recruiting rights of military organizations associated with the Armed Forces or the Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America. For more information, call the Vice Chancellor of Human Resource Services/Affirmative Action officer at 573-882-4256.

To request ADA accommodations, please call the Disability Inclusion and ADA Compliance Manager at 573-884-7278.

EEO IS THE LAW

To read more about Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) please use the following links:

• EEO is the Law English Version
• EEO is the Law Spanish Version
• EEO is the Law Chinese Version

LINK to the online job posting: University of Missouri Link to Apply

Lest We Ass-u-me

In the mid-1950s, my father entered the heady field of computing. The astounding MOBIDIC, a mobile computer so small it could fit into the trailer of a semi, was his first major project; over the next three decades, he went on to teach computing to generations of West Point cadets and to write What's Where in the Apple, a book some called the "Bible" for the powerful (64K!) personal computer, the Apple II. Immersed as he was in computing, though, he struggled in teaching its fundamentals to his daughter. Patiently he would teach me what it meant to "boot" and the difference between ROM and RAM. Then just when I was congratulating myself on having achieved the intellectual equivalent of a breakneck 5 mph, he would accelerate up to Warp Factor 2 into ASCII and BASIC and FORTRAN and COBOL. Alas, this felt to me like being asked to do differential calculus right after mastering the times tables. Ironically, because his subject was so familiar to him, the skilled educator who introduced me to the old chestnut "When you assume you make an ass out of "u" and "me" himself assumed that any bright person could make the same intellectual leaps he had made.

Much of the time, we take the knowledge or experience of others for granted. In yesterday's blog post "Consider the Inconceivable," Bill MacDonald talked about the prevalence of the incredulous response of How can people not know that?  When we're steeped in the midst of a culture (whether something as specific as a particular government office or university department, or something as diffuse as upper-middle class culture), matters that are opaque to others seem obvious to us. Administrators assume that faculty and students will know unwritten procedures like which committee to go to for different types of appeals. Instructors assume that students will know how to upload assignments on course management software, or even more fundamentally, that they understand that if they need help they can ask for it. But with all the differences between people -- cultural, generational, educational, social -- it's vital for us to continually test our assumptions and to modify our spoken and unspoken messages as needed.

Here's a wee, out-of-the-classroom example of how even minor assumptions can impinge on law student success. Last semester I had practically identical conversations with two different students several weeks apart. Both told me they were having difficulty finding a time to meet with me. I was surprised, not in the least because one of them regularly walked by my office several times a day. Not only was I scrupulous about keeping office hours, but my door (opening onto the main faculty hallway) was literally wide open most hours of the day. In fact, because my new office seemed so accessible, I had reduced the number of fixed appointment times on the somewhat cumbersome appointment system to accommodate more drop-in opportunities. It turned out, however, that the students and I had conflicting assumptions about my availability: I assumed the open door would make them feel free to walk in; these deferential students, on the other hand, assumed instructors would not want to be bothered outside of fixed office hours and appointment times. The first conversation I thought was a fluke, but after the second conversation I realized my assumption that "wide open door means students are welcome" was not shared by all my students. I had to move past thinking something was obvious to bridge the communication gap. Only by stopping and really listening could I discover the problem and take steps to communicate my availability in additional ways, both implicit and explicit.

The longer I'm an educator, the more my empathy has increased for my dad's attempts to teach me about his life's passion. Even for an ASPer, it's not easy to restrain myself from accelerating to Warp Factor 2 when teaching intelligent, motivated students. To best help them, though, every day I need to mindfully practice slowing down, listening, testing the verbal and non-verbal messages I convey, and correcting those messages that indicate I'm straying in the direction of becoming a long-eared equine.

(Nancy Luebbert)

Consider the Inconceivable

Two stories that I heard recently have been echoing off of each other in my mind, because of what they say about the human reaction to things that we, personally, would never consider doing.

The first was told to me by a fellow professor at my law school.  She said she had been talking with two of her teaching fellows -- conscientious and diligent 3L students with excellent grades -- about the upcoming July 2019 bar exam.  She conveyed to them a recent conversation she had had with me, in which I had told her about the data that showed that many students who were not passing the bar on their first attempt had also not been fully participating in their summer bar prep courses.  She had expected that these top students would share in her incredulity that anyone would not commit themselves 100 percent to their summer bar prep . . . but was astonished when their actual incredulity was prompted by the suggestion that fresh law graduates really ought to do just that.  Each of them had just assumed that, being newly-minted lawyers with excellent academic credentials, they were already mostly well-prepared for the bar exam.  They told her they'd figured they'd watch maybe half the summer classes, in the subjects they had never studied before, and do some of the practice exercises, and that would be enough to bring them up to speed.  Flabbergasted, the professor explained to them why it was important to sit through every lecture in every subject and to participate in as many practice exercises as possible, because the bar exam would be so very different from everything they had done before it.  

Fortunately, these students respected this professor so much that they took her word as gospel, thanked her profusely for telling them what they needed to know, and promised to throw themselves wholeheartedly into their summer bar preparation.  She told me this story partly to make the point: We think it's the struggling students, the ones who already have problems juggling all their assignments, who are the ones who flake out over the summer, but even top students can have the wrong impression about what is required for their success on the bar.  Even as she was telling the story, though, she was still clearly shocked: How can people not know this?

I read the second story this week, when it was widely reported that a woman in Arizona was attacked by a jaguar when she tried to take a selfie in front of the creature.  The beautiful black feline was pressed against the side of its cage, and the woman decided she wanted a photo of herself with the cat in the background.  There was a metal barrier, designed to keep people a minimum distance from the side of the cage, but the woman stepped over it so she could get a closer shot.  When she was within reach, the jaguar stuck its front leg between the bars of the cage and sank its claws into the woman's arm.

This story has been widely reported, and those reports usually feature two snarky points.  One is a criticism of the ubiquitous modern urge to take selfies, even in dangerous situations.  The other is a disdainful incredulity that anyone would blithely cross a safety barrier to put themselves in range of a pawful of tiny daggers.  How can people not know this is a bad idea?  Why, as several news outlets pointed out, the same jaguar did the same thing only last summer, clawing a man who had stuck his arm behind the barrier reaching towards the animal!  Doesn't that just prove what a bad idea it was?  

This last part is why the stories have been resonating for me.  I'm only human, so I enjoy news stories like this, and tweets and memes like Florida Man and Darwin Awards, that purport to showcase just what poor decision makers humans can be.  Can you believe these people? [shakes head and rolls eyes] But the fact that the same animal made the same kind of attack less than a year ago doesn't make the story funnier.  It turns the story sour.  Because the woman who was attacked didn't know about the previous attack.  If, outside the jaguar's cage, there had been a photo display of the man attacked the previous summer, showing the eight stitches he had received just by reaching over the barrier, maybe the woman would have thought twice about cozying up to Panthera onca.  Was not sharing this information with her justified simply because the man's behavior was simply inconceivable to most people?  Because it was not inconceivable to her.

My colleague told me her story essentially for that reason -- she knows how many 3L students I work with, and she wanted to alert me to the need to tell all of them, not just the obviously struggling, about the consequences if they step too close to the jaguar cage by not fully participating in their summer bar courses.  I am grateful to her for that.  Sometimes when you tell people about some of the reasons students do not succeed at school or on the bar -- not participating in a bar prep course, say, or trying to work full-time and study full-time simultaneously -- their dismissive reactions are more along the lines of Can you believe these people? [shakes head and rolls eyes] Sometimes I find those reactions hard to believe in an educational setting, but I feel it is my job to find a way to help those people see that incredulity does not have to forestall empathy, kindness, and instruction. 

[Bill MacDonald]

Academic Skills Program Coordinator Position at UC Irvine

UC Irvine School of Law is hiring an Academic Skills Program Coordinator.  The successful candidate will develop, enhance, and implement various programs to assist students in the transition to law school, to promote their successful completion of the J.D. program, and to prepare them to sit for the bar exam.  The Program Coordinator will work closely with the entire Academic Skills Program team, students, faculty and the law school administrative staff. 

The full job description including requirements can be found at:

https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF05176

Posting - ASP Job Opportunity
Where appropriate, more than one option may be checked when responding to the below listed questions. Checking all options, for example in regard to salary, in an effort to avoid specifying a legitimate range is discouraged. You may provide additional textual explanations after each item. The completed form must appear within the body of an E-mail posting about a posting, and the completed form must be included within the text of any file attachment.

1. The position advertised: ___ a. is a tenure-track appointment. ___ b. may lead to successive long-term contracts of five or more years. _x_ c. may lead only to successive short-term contracts of one to four years. (Full Time Position) ___ d. has an upper-limit on the number of years a teacher may be appointed. ___ e. is part of a fellowship program for one or two years. ___ f. is a part-time appointment, or a year-to-year adjunct appointment. (One-Year Visitorship only)
___ g. is for at will employment.

2. The professor hired: ___ a. will be permitted to vote on all matters at faculty meetings.
___ b. will be permitted to vote in faculty meetings on matters except those pertaining to hiring, tenure, and promotion. _x_ c. will not be permitted to vote in faculty meetings.

3. The school anticipates paying an annual academic year base salary in the range checked below. (A base salary does not include stipends for coaching moot court teams, teaching other courses, or teaching in summer school; a base salary does not include conference travel or other professional development funds.) ___ over $120,000 ___ $110,000 - $119,999 ___ $100,000 - $109,999 ___ $90,000 - $99,999 _x_ $80,000 - $89,999 _x_ $70,000 - $79,999 ___ $60,000 - $69,999 ___ $50,000 - $59,999 ___ $40, 000-49,999 ___ this is a part-time appointment paying less than $30,000 ___ this is an adjunct appointment paying less than $10,000 

4. The person hired will have the title of:
___ a. Associate Dean (including Dean of Students).
___ b. Director.
___ c. Professor (tenure track).
___ d. Professor (clinical tenure track or its equivalent).
___ e. Professor (neither tenure track nor clinical tenure track).
___ f. no title.
_x_ g. other (Program Coordinator; but when teaching classes, students will refer to you as Professor)

5. Job responsibilities include:
__ a. working with students whose predicators (LSAT and University GPA) suggest they will struggle to excel in law school.
_x_ b. working with students who performed relatively poorly on their law school examinations or other assessments.
_x_ c. working with diverse students.
_x_ d. managing orientation.
_x_ e. teaching ASP-related classes (case briefing, synthesis, analysis, etc.).
_x_ f. teaching bar-exam related classes.
_x_ g. working with students on an individual basis.
_x_ h. teaching other law school courses.

6. The person hired will be present in the office and work regularly during the summer months (June – August).
_x_ a. Yes.
___ b. No.

7. The person hired is required to publish, in some form, in order to maintain employment.
___ a. Yes.
_x_ b. No.

Note: The Association of Academic Support Educators strongly recommends that this disclosure form accompany all E-mail postings for academic support positions sent to subscribers of the ASP listserv ([email protected]).