Law School Academic Support Blog

AASE at Your Service: Past President

Ahsley London is a (tenured) associate professor of law and the director of bar studies at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University. Ashley's scholarship focuses on legal ethics and engaging the best pedagogical techniques to prepare students for success in law school and on the bar examination. Her areas of expertise include legal ethics, law school pedagogy, Pennsylvania bar admissions/licensure requirements; the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE); the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE); bar examination essay writing; family law; guardian ad litem-special proceedings; estate planning; landlord/tenant law; housing code enforcement; and media relations.

In addition to being an all-around friend to anyone who meets her, Ashley is an ASP legend. She is the only two-term president of the Association of Academic Support Educators. She was elected to serve as AASE President in 2022 and she served a second term in 2023. Under her leadership, AASE reached an unprecedented level of organization and it forged communication inroads with the NCBE. Ashley currently serves on the AASE Board of Directors as past-president and she is the 2025-2026 Scholarship Committee Chair.

If you have any questions about the AASE presidency or leadership, reach out to Ash. You're likely to learn a lot about AASE and maybe something about haunted houses.

Scholar Spotlight: Embracing the New Academic Success

The article "Embracing the New Academic Success: How Advising Using a Growth Mindset Can Enhance Law School Performance" by Titichia M. Jackson provides a timely and insightful framework for faculty and staff working in academic support roles. Drawing on the challenges and lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, the article advocates for a shift from traditional, fixed-mindset methods of legal instruction and advising to more empathetic, flexible, and student-centered approaches. By adopting a growth mindset, educators can better meet the diverse learning needs of students, promote resilience, and foster inclusive learning environments that encourage self-assessment and continuous development. This piece serves as a valuable guide for reimagining academic success in legal education, making it especially relevant for those committed to improving outcomes and well-being for law students.

 

Access the article via SSRN:https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4954637

AASE at Your Service: Secretary

Meet Lisa DeLaTorre, AASE Secretary. Lisa is the Associate Director for the Office of Academic Success and Bar Readiness at Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, Texas.

Lisa received her B.A. from Rice University, and her J.D. from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. She is a mother of three, including identical twins who were born during spring break of her 3L year. Lisa and her partner Don enjoy cooking and completing word puzzles together.

Lisa joined the AASE leadership team in 2024 when she was elected as Secretary-elect. Due to an unforeseen vacancy, Lisa has stepped in early to the role of Board Secretary. Lisa will continue in service through the 2025-2026 program year.

Among Lisa's many skills are her organization, attention to detail, and follow-up. As Secretary, Lisa is the official record keeper and communications director for the Association. If you have any questions about your membership status or the role of the Board Secretary, please reach out to Lisa at [email protected].

Introducing Your Contributing Editors

 

 

 

 

 

Passing the Torch

I loved the Olympic flag passing from France to Hollywood with Tom Cruise and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, probably because those are icons from when I grew up.  I had the CD with Californication and saw the original Mission Impossible in the theaters.  Between the LA Superbowl Halftime show a few years ago and that montage, I now feel like advertisements are targeting me, which may say something about my age.  I enjoyed the Paris Olympics, but it was time to transition to LA.  I feel like that time is now for the blog, so while I don't have Tom Cruise for an assist, I am passing the torch to a superstar in Academic Support, Goldie Pritchard from Michigan State University College of Law.

Many of you already know Goldie.  You may have attended one of her AASE presentations or interacted with her at numerous conferences.  She served both AASE and AALS in many capacities, including AALS Section of Academic Support board member and on the AASE bar advocacy committee.  She was previously a contributing editor on the blog, which is one of the reasons she was the choice to lead the blog.  Please join me in welcoming her to this new leadership role.  Here is her bio from Michigan State:

"Goldie Pritchard currently serves as Assistant Dean of the Academic Success Program and Adjunct Professor at Michigan State University College of Law. Pritchard is the founder of the current Academic Success Program which is now an integral part of the law college. Since 2009, she has supported law students as they navigate their academic careers and prepare for the bar exam by developing and implementing several programs, courses, and one-on-one interactions. She embraces the challenge of deciphering how to best support individual students as they prepare to become academically successful and succeed on the bar exam.

Pritchard is most proud of her work with non-traditional, diverse, and academically at risk students and cherishes those students she helped become lawyers who now serve clients in their respective communities. She assists and empowers students, particularly those who may or do feel disenfranchised by the law school experience, to adjust and succeed. Pritchard draws from her extensive experience in student affairs and academic support in multiple higher education settings to intersect her passion and professional duties. Pritchard also serves on academic support organization committees and volunteers her time to help students from across the country who were unsuccessful in passing the bar exam.

Pritchard received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History with a minor in French from the University of California Davis. She also holds a law degree from Seattle University School of Law and a master’s degree in Higher Education with an emphasis on College Student Affairs Leadership from Grand Valley State University."

Goldie has great insight and advice for both students and ASPers.  I am confident you will enjoy her leadership.  I can't wait to read and see where she takes this opportunity.

(Steven Foster)

Congrats AASE Award Winners!!

Congrats to these amazing ASPers who won AASE awards this year, including our very own Liz Stillman.

AASE IMPACT AWARD- ELIZABETH STILLMAN

Photo here:

https://www.suffolk.edu/academics/faculty/e/s/estillman

AASE Impact Award- this award is given to someone who dedicates their time (we know that as ASP/Bar Studies professionals, we wear a lot of hats, and it takes time, focus, dedication, and even sacrifice to support AASE) and energy to AASE and our amazing profession. We’ve always been an important part of every law school, and now is our time to shine as skills becomes embedded in every part of legal education. This award is not limited to members who have been here for a long time either. It’s for anyone and everyone making a real difference in ASP/Bar Studies.

This year’s AASE Impact Award goes to Elizabeth Stillman. Liz Stillman is an associate professor in Suffolk University Law School’s Academic Support Program. She also teaches in the Political Science and Legal Studies Department for the Suffolk University College of Arts and Sciences as well as in the accelerated and LL.M. programs at the Law School. She received her BA from Tufts University, and her JD from Northeastern University. Liz was previously an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of New York where she prosecuted juvenile delinquency cases in Queens and Manhattan Family Courts. She is a Suffolk University Ambassador for Inclusion and certified in English as a Method of Instruction (EMI). Liz is also a past president of the New England Consortium of Academic Support Professionals.

Liz receives this award in recognition of her decades of dedicated support of students and of the ASP community. She is not afraid to speak out in support of equity for ASP faculty and staff; she is generous with her time on national committees; and she is always there for anyone who needs support, guidance, or encouragement as they navigate the ASP field. Liz has a particular gift for working with neuro-diverse students and those who require accommodations. She embodies the humor, compassion, warmth, intelligence, dedication, and passion that make the academic support field a great place to work. Liz is also a frequent blogger on the Law School Academic Support Blog. Thank you for your continued service, energy, and steadfast commitment to this incredibly important pillar of legal education, Liz! You are always an inspiration!

 

AASE OUTSTANDING SCHOLAR AWARD – Nachman Gutowski

Photo here:

https://law.unlv.edu/faculty/nachman-gutowski

• AASE Outstanding Scholar Award- this award is for an outstanding scholar whose work is promoting our field. We talk a lot about equity and increasing our status in the legal academy, and scholarship is one of the ways we can accomplish this goal. Scholarship is the currency recognized across the academy, and it is something AASE is working hard to promote and encourage. We want to celebrate our community’s scholarly successes!

This year’s AASE Outstanding Scholar Award goes to Nachman Gutowski. Nachman Gutowski is an Assistant Professor-in-Residence and Director of Academic Success Program for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law. He received his JD from the University of Miami School of Law, and his MM from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.  Prior to joining the William S. Boyd School of Law, he served as Director of Accreditation and Associate Professor of Academic Success and Bar Preparation at St. Thomas University, Benjamin L. Crump College of Law. He previously spent 8 years in the legal education-focused, corporate, national bar review industry supporting law schools from Puerto Rico through the southeast United States.

Nachman’s scholarly efforts, spanning critical analyses of discriminatory practices in legal licensure to the ethical considerations of artificial intelligence in legal education, have been driven by a commitment to challenge existing paradigms and advocate for systemic changes that enhance inclusivity and adaptability within legal education. His writing shows his dedication to the principles and mission that AASE champions, and focus on the pressing challenges and opportunities in legal education today. Congratulations, Nachman!

A selection of his scholarly works includes:

• NextGen Licensure & Accreditation, 22 U.N.H. L. Rev. 2 (Forthcoming 2024): This article explores the evolving landscape of legal licensure and accreditation, emphasizing the need for adaptability in standards that reflect contemporary legal practices.
• Navigating the AI Revolution: Challenges and Opportunities in Legal Practice and Education, Virginia Lawyers Weekly & Michigan Lawyers Weekly (2024): Addresses the seismic shifts AI technologies are creating in legal practice and education, offering insights into effective adaptation strategies.
• STOP THE COUNT; The Historically Discriminatory Nature of the Bar Exam Requires Adjustments in How Bar Passage Rates are Reported, If at All, 21 SEATTLE J. SOC. JUST. 589 (2023): This article has been downloaded from the Seattle University repository nearly 900 times in the less than 1 year since its publication. It covers many compelling arguments for reevaluating the reporting schemes nationally for the bar exam results, particularly focused on acknowledging and responding as a way to mitigate historical inequalities.
• How Are Bar Exam Results Reported? Research Summary; Raising the Bar (2023) and A National Guide (2023): Two pieces offering comprehensive insights into the reporting of bar exam results, highlighting variability and its implications for equity. The long-labored process of identifying, labeling, and directing where, how, and the impact of how each jurisdiction reports bar results is organized in a simple and easy-to-use format, made available for free to everyone.
• AI in Legal Education: Drafting Policies for Balancing Innovation and Integrity (2023): Provides guidelines for integrating AI into legal education in ways that promote ethical use and innovation.

 

AASE OUTSTANDING DEBUT in ASP/BAR STUDIES AWARD – MARIA FLORENCIA CORNU LAPORT

 

Photo here:

https://www.stu.edu/law/faculty-staff/faculty/mariacornulaport/

• AASE Outstanding Debut in ASP/Bar Studies Award- this award is for our newest members and colleagues in the academic success world. Those who are just getting their feet wet and doing amazing things with their students, faculty, and law school. We want to celebrate them and welcome them into AASE and our inclusive and supportive community.

This year’s AASE Outstanding Debut in ASP/Bar Studies Award goes to Maria Florencia Cornu Laport. M. Florencia Cornu Laport is the Director and Associate Professor of Academic Success and Bar Preparation at the St. Thomas University College of Law in Miami Gardens, FL. She received her JD first from the University of the Republic, Uruguay, and a U.S. JD at the St. Thomas University School of Law where she also received her LLM. Prior to joining the ASP world, Florencia worked as an attorney in Uruguay, also serving as a law clerk to the late Justice Hipolito Rodriguez Caorsi at the Supreme Court of Justice.

At St. Thomas University, she found the ideal environment to develop her biggest passions: law education as a mechanism of personal development for the students, an opportunity to provide inspiring and transformative experiences for the students; and the legal profession conceived as a tool to protect the vulnerable, to serve the underserved, and to work for social justice.

Florencia has stormed onto the ASP scene and was elected to be a part of the Executive Committee of the Academic Support Section of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS), where she will be joining professors and administrators from across the country aligned in the interest of improving academic support and bar preparation offerings for future lawyers. She has been incredibly active in AASE and her energy and enthusiasm for the field is contagious. We look forward to all of her future contributions!

AASE Board Nominations

  The AASE Executive Board is excited to announce that it is time to begin receiving nominations for both our elected board positions as well as for our annual awards! The deadline for both is May 1, 2024.  

   Voting for the Executive Board positions will be conducted at our 2024 Annual Meeting to be held in gorgeous Boise, Idaho at the University of Idaho College of Law from May 20-23.  (If you haven’t registered yet, here’s a helpful link: https://associationofacademicsupporteducators.org/events/2024-11th-annual-aase-conference/). The first day will be devoted to a pre-conference Scholarship Workshop that you won’t want to miss!

   At our Business Meeting, during the conference, we will announce the award winners as well as introduce and welcome our new Executive Board members. So, stay tuned for more details and be sure to make plans to be at that meeting. We will also announce our upcoming host schools and conference sites.

   As always, feel free to reach out to myself or any member of the Executive Board for further details. We can’t wait to celebrate our ASP/Bar Studies stars and welcome our new Board. We have a lot of great things planned and want you to be a part of it all!

ASP Spotlight: Laurie Zimet

There are individuals who lay the foundation for new fields or areas of expertise, but unfortunately, the innovators don't always get credit the many years later when new fields are mainstream.  Laurie Zimet was/is one of those innovators for ASP, and UC Law San Francisco recently did a great job briefly recounting the impact she had over the past 40 years of service to law students.  If you ever saw one of her presentations, you would agree with Dean Morris Ratner's statement that "Her energy and enthusiasm for teaching and her care for students are defining features of her impactful professional life."  You can read the spotlight here. 

I learned from Laurie through many presentations over the years.  I hope schools continue to spotlight innovators in our field the same way we do other areas.  Great job Laurie!

(Steven Foster)

Honoring Legendary and Impactful Leaders

Earlier this month at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Law Schools (“AALS”), the Section on Academic Support held its yearly business meeting to elect a new slate of officers and to confer Section awards. Two of our most trailblazing and impactful leaders fittingly received recognition that was long overdue: Kris Franklin and Jamie Kleppetsch.

Kris Franklin, Wallace Stevens Professor of Law at New York Law School, received the Legacy in Leadership Award. Kris is an academic innovator who has generously and freely shared her pedagogical talent with the ASP community for decades. Kris has been a constant resource for teaching ideas, and she has advanced the field of academic support with her wealth of multidisciplinary scholarly publications. Not content to rest on her own laurels, Kris continues to elevate those who are junior academic support faculty members. She tirelessly encourages scholarly productivity by hosting weekly writing sessions for new ASP scholars. To know ASP is to know Kris Franklin. She is a scholar, an advocate, a friend, and a cherished mentor to us all.

Jamie Kleppetsch, Director of Bar Passage at DePaul College of Law, received the Impact Award. In a span of ten years, Jamie has held every single elected and appointed leadership position in organized academic support, including President of the Association of Academic Support Educators (“AASE”), Chair of the AALS Section on Academic Support, and Chair of the AASE Bar Advocacy Committee to name a few. Most notably, Jamie has used her leadership roles to forge meaningful partnerships with other academic and non-profit organizations. Jamie’s leadership has enhanced the voice of ASP in cross-disciplinary scholarship and bar administration policy.

In addition to recognizing our accomplished and deserving award winners, I want to also acknowledge the skilled leadership of outgoing Section Chair Kirsha Trychta, Teaching Associate Professor at West Virginia College of Law. Kirsha, the Section is better for your leadership and programming insights, and I will be texting you. With the conclusion of Kirsha’s term of service, we elected new officers. We welcome the newly installed officers and the new and returning at large members to the Section Board:

Marsha Griggs, Chair

Susan Landrum, Chair-elect

Titichia Jackson, Secretary

Petina Benigno, Treasurer

Sarah Garrison, at large

Nachman Gutowski, at large

Megan Davis, at large

Sarira Sadeghi, at large

Congratulations to our deserving award winners and we look forward to a great year ahead!

(Marsha Griggs)

Academic Support at AALS - Advising on the NextGen Bar Exam!!!

The AALS Section on Academic Support kicked off 2023 with a bang! They hosted a phenomenal panel at AALS on Friday, January 6^th! The panel was called “Proactive Planning Across the Curriculum for the NextGen Bar Exam “and panelists were:

*Dustin Benham, Charles P. Bubany Endowed Professor of Law, Texas Tech University School of Law

*Brian Gallini, Dean, Willamette University College of Law

*Antonia Miceli, Professor and Director of Academic Support and Bar Exam Success, Saint Louis University School of Law

*Moderator Kirsha Trychta, Teaching Professor and Director of the Academic Excellence Center, West Virginia University School of Law

It was a great discussion, and so well attended! I want to try my best to highlight some key points and do justice to all of the amazing points the speakers made.

Timing

First, the main source of anxiety for many in the academy, but especially those that deal with Academic Support, is the timing of the NextGen Bar Exam. The NCBE, during AALS, has confirmed that it will be rolled out in 2026, with 100% certainty - that is from their mouth. However, jurisdictions need to adopt the NextGen bar, and as of yet, we haven’t had any jurisdictions announce whether they are adopting it, and if so, when. In addition, the NCBE will still be supporting the UBE for states that want it, for at least 3 years, potentially more. This means that anyone that works with students on the bar exam is struggling to figure out the NextGen, while still prepping for the UBE. Given the significant differences between the two exams, this is a monumental task.  It has also been brought up that, like with so many things, the bulk of this work falls onto the shoulders of academic support professionals – shoulders that are already weighted down.

Toni also brought up the fact that it seems Supreme Courts don’t always understand law school timing, since it’s not what they are working in day in and day out. Specifically, if you are at a school with a part time program, the students that will be taking the 2026 exam are already admitted. Their first year is complete, and we are at the point where it’s incredibly difficult to alter their 2^nd year. So now bar support educators have to be creative on the back end as to how to integrate next gen bar skills, specifically experiential learning and skills, into the curriculum, and potentially while also running classes for the UBE.  Toni also mentioned that this is an opportunity to advocate with the state Supreme Courts and bar examiners. They don’t understand the challenges that schools are facing, so we need to educate them.

Dustin added that if jurisdictions aren’t clear on timing we still need to incorporate skills into doctrinal classes. He stressed that it’s what we should be doing anyway, and that we can and SHOULD do that in doctrinal classes, regardless of whether there is a next gen bar or when it’s rolled out. He said “we are preparing them for the next gen bar, current bar, and to practice if we incorporate skills into doctrinal classes.” He continued on to say that  “I’m teaching students to practice law, not pass the bar, but to practice, they need to pass the bar, so I try to teach both, and both can be taught.”

Convos with Faculty

Another big topic, and concern, with the NextGen Bar Exam is how do we have  conversations with faculty that are less open to change? Toni suggested that it’s important to have  early conversations, but faculty like examples, and we don’t have them yet. This can lead to frustrations for everyone. She also added that we really need leadership from the top down, for the Deans to incentivize. Typically research is a priority for faculty,  so deans need to lead that change, and prioritize the changes made to curriculum, potentially shifting the use of research grants.

Brian added that in reality the bigger picture is about faculty hiring. Specifically, how we think about faculty policies and equity, as well as tenure. Brian has offered faculty innovation grants at his school. These are designed to help, and encourage, faculty to create courses or change a course. He says that the real way to break down silos is to change the way we think about tenure, and now is the time to have that conversation.  This was definitely a theme of the panel, and it seems all are in agreement that we must change the way we think about not only tenure, but evaluating faculty and training faculty. Toni commented that there must be training on teaching, and Dustin specifically commented that we “must hire those capable of practicing law.” Krisha added that her school had done a teaching review , so they are not just relying on student evaluations. The teaching review includes a review of the syllabis, classroom observation, student evaluations and finally a “teaching agenda.”

Dustin added that we also need to educate faculty, especially junior faculty, regarding textbook selection. Specifically because a traditional casebook makes it difficult to teach a problem-based curriculum, which can be the best way to incorporate skills into a doctrinal class. He says that there are textbooks out there that make this easier, but we need to incentivize faculty to change their syllabus and educate new faculty about textbook options.  Essentially book selection is key because it drives the format of the course.

Toni also stressed the importance of getting rid of silos between educators; academic support, clinicians, legal writing, and doctrine. We have to “de-silo”, and recognize that ASP and clinics don’t get research grants and stipends. Also, the work HAS to be collaborative, and it  HAS to be the dean incentivizing the change.

Kirsha mentioned that she never asks the faculty to DO anything, she merely shares information. and that she’s been intentional about what she shares and present depending on who is coming. In short, it’s an “ask” without asking, and the faculty response has been great.

Kris Franklin, and audience member, reminded everyone that “no one is a prophet in their own land, no one is listened to by their own faculty, that’s why we bring in each other” – and we need to remind the faculty that academic support, skills faculty and clinicians are experts in student learning. 

To add to this, Brian mentioned that he has launched a faculty and development series as a low stakes discussion about teaching, and bringing in conversations about improving teaching. Toni agreed that we have these existing structures, for workshopping research, so we need to flip that to workshop teaching exercises.

Concrete Takeaways

Of course, the panelists offered concrete takeaways that could offer change.  Dustin suggested that faculty integrate small exercises, and added that evidence is a great way to do this. He teaches evidence by having students act as attorneys and judge, and requests that they argue whether evidence should come in or not, as if it was a courtroom. He can get through 10-15 pieces of evidence a class, and finds that this increases engagement while teaching skills.

Dustin does something similar while teaching professional responsibility, and has students write client letters. He also has them flip their position frequently, to stay nimble, and gives them a “sample” client letter to keep for practice. Finally, he suggests embracing technology, and embracing using smart phones. He argues that students are going to use them, or think about them, no matter what, so we might as well embrace it and use it!

Brian suggests advocating with bar examiners, faculty policies and hiring, and incentivizing faculty.

Toni reminds those that are “Asp-ish” to set firm boundaries with faculty. She says that she is already seeing the “turning of the heads to ASP as “how do we do this” – and while it’s nice when we are recognized as experts, we need to provide resources without doing the work for them. She suggests hat struggling students often struggle because of the case method. They need a connection to reality, and work better with problem sets and simulations. So, we can share materials with faculty, but “be a resource without providing the answer.”  

Kirsha also mentioned that Kirsha – can create 1-2 hypos, exercises, and use them across the board on 1L classes, let students see how this plays out in reality- how the same problem can play out in different ways.

Finally, in true ASP-ish fashion, Kirsha left us with her “Takeaway Agenda” for the NextGen Bar:

1. Begin an education campaign – faculty/boards
2. Remain positive – this is an opportunity, be that energy
3. This can be anchored outside the bar – assessment and ABA compliance, for example – the goal is to improve student outcomes
4. Bring in outsiders

Personally, I feel, as usual with academic support, the panel gave the audience concrete action items, both “easy” and more long term, as well as thoughtful considerations.  I would like to add that our very own Cassie Christopher got a shout out from Dustin on her scholarship, which is fantastic.

The central theme, which seems to be a leading theme throughout academic support lately (and for good reason) is breaking down silos to rethink tenue, evaluation, and status. This not only benefits professionals, but students as well. And as Toni reminds us, we need to have conversations about compensating those that prepare students for multiple different bars, because that can be incredibly challenging.

-Melissa A. Hale

As a quick update, Sophie Martin from the NCBE reached out and asked for this clarification: : In addition, the NCBE will still be supporting the UBE for states that want it, for at least 3 administrations

Welcome Lisa DeLaTorre

Hope everyone had a good holiday break.  Please welcome our new Contributing Editor Lisa DeLaTorre.  She will post her thoughts on Thursdays.

 

Lisa is the Associate Director of Academic Success and Bar Readiness at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. She is a co-teacher of the 3L MPT writing course, and each bar exam cycle coaches bar takers to success on the exam, with particular focus on wellbeing during bar study.

 

Previously, Lisa was in student affairs administration at Rice University, where she sat on the crisis assessment team and was part of the broader behavior and behavioral health team. Before that Lisa was a litigator for seven years, focusing on insurance defense.

 

Lisa received her J.D. from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. She is a mother of three, including identical twins who were born on the last day of spring break of her 3L year.

Thank You

It is with both gratitude and disappointment that I announce Scott Johns won't be posting for us regularly starting in the spring.  He is tackling new adventures, but you may see him pop in with guest posts when available.  While disappointed he won't be posting, I want to thank him for his tenure on the blog.  He started as a Contributing Editor in 2016.  I was looking for the date he started, and was amazed at the numerous Top Ten Blog Posts of the Week from Texas Law Today he received.  I lost count after 10.  I loved reading his unique insights over the years, and am extremely glad he was a contributing editor when I became an editor.  He consistently provided insight and bar exam advocacy through extremely difficult times the last few years.  I will miss reading the posts each week, but I can't wait to hear about the semester next year at AASE.  Thank you Scott for your years of service.

(Steven Foster)

Thank You, And . . .

I was honored and surprised and thrilled to find out that I was the recipient of the 2022 Trailblazer Award. I truly feel that I have the best job in the world, and part of that is because I get to be a member of the broader academic support community.

While I take pride in and ownership of my accomplishments, it also is not lost on me that they would be much more difficult for many other academic support professionals to achieve because of the inconsistency and inequity among how we are treated at our schools. I wanted to highlight the ways in which my institution – Suffolk University Law School (SULS) – has supported me, in the hopes it will encourage other law schools to do the same.

1. Financial and logistical support for research and writing: SULS provides summer funding for professors who wish to take on scholarly projects, and they extend this funding to academic support professors. I’ve written four articles and have received funding for two of those. The funding is both a financial help, as well as – importantly - an incentive and a vote of confidence. I wasn’t sure that I would ever write an article, but getting funding made me feel like the school believed I could. In addition to the funding, the law school has an active and robust Scholarship Committee and does not require me to teach a full course load over the summer.

1. Faculty status: I'm faculty and therefore involved in faculty committees and meetings, which allows me to form relationships with other faculty, get ideas, exchange ideas, and feel more invested in the school.[1]

2. Conference funding: SULS provides me with conference funding, which allows me to meet other academic support colleagues, build community, and gain skills.

3. Long-term contracts: Those of us in the Academic Support Program have 1-, 3- and 5-year contracts, which allow us greater stability than others who face yearly renewal and review.

4. Parental leave: I received maternity leave (it is sad that this even needs to be said, yet it does).

5. A significant academic support program: There are four full-time academic support professors at Suffolk (names familiar to and beloved by anyone working in the field: Herb Ramy, Liz Stillman, Phil Kaplan, and Jen Ciarimboli). This is not only crucial because we have a very large student body, but also benefits me immensely because I have generous, wise, and hardworking colleagues with whom to exchange ideas and resources.

6. Teaching opportunities: Finally, in recent years, SULS has allowed me to teach non-ASP classes like Professional Responsibility and Negotiation. Doing so has helped me gain experience and confidence, generated ideas for scholarship, provided me with additional pay, and helps students and faculty see that ASP professors are part of the broader curriculum.

Of course, we are not perfect at SULS. In short: I would love to have tenure. When I joined legal academia, tenure seemed primarily like a matter of ego to me. But now, I value it more. I’d like financial equity with my colleagues; to feel fully respected and valued; to have full academic freedom; and to be able to have a greater impact on my community through voting on matters of appointments and tenure.[2] Perhaps this award will be a step towards these goals.

And perhaps I am sharing too much, being too transparent. I’ve come to learn that a certain amount of gamesmanship is expected in academia. But I believe part of the success of many of us in academic support is our authenticity and transparency.

If you are a tenured faculty member or administrator reading this - thank you, and I hope this has given you some ideas.

If you are academic support staff or faculty, please feel free to reach out if I can be of support - I know how much you do for students, how unquantifiable the majority of it is, and I believe in and value you.

 

[1] I don’t mean at all to prioritize faculty over staff, and I think staff should receive these benefits as well. I intend instead to acknowledge what I gain from being a faculty member.

[2] Another note: my title is not Associate Professor, but Associate Professor of Academic Support, and many wonderful scholars have noted the way that titles perpetuate hierarchy. See, e.g., Rachel Lopez, Unentitled: The Power of Designation in the Legal Academy, 73 Rutgers L. Rev. 923 (2021).

(Sarah Schendel - Guest Post, Associate Professor of Academic Support, Suffolk Law School)

Bar Exam Pass Rates and Academic Support

Maya Angelou wrote “we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.”  One of my favorite songs right now is Bleed the Same by Mandisa where she conveys a similar message.  I believe the message from both of them would apply to the current discussion surrounding factors impacting bar passage rates. 

Most of you are aware Rory Bahadur wrote a series of articles examining the relationship between certain factors and bar passage rates.  He specifically questions whether FIU’s emergence as the leader in Florida’s bar pass rate is significantly impacted by factors such as involuntary attrition, incoming transfers, and incoming credentials.  An oversimplification of his conclusion is that these factors have a major impact on Florida’s bar pass rankings.  His 3 articles are on SSRN here:

1. Blinded by Science? A reexamination of the Bar Ninja and Silver Bullet Bar Program Cryptics
2. Reexamining Relative Bar Performance as a Function of Non-Linearity, Heteroscedasticity, and a New Independent Variable
3. Quantifying the Impact of Matriculant Credentials & Academic Attrition Rates on Bar Exam Success at Individual Schools

FIU’s academic support team, which includes one of our editors Louis Schulze, responded last weekend in a series of blog posts.  You can read the posts here:

1. Does Academic Support Matter? A Brief, Preliminary Response to Blinded by Science and its Progeny
2. Does Academic Support Matter? A Brief, Preliminary Response to Blinded by Science and its Progeny, Part 2

Louis’ response questions the statistical methods used in the previous articles and posits that FIU’s new Academic Support program made a statistically significant effect on bar passage rates.  Rory responded to the posts with a message on the ASP listsev/google group.  You should be able to access his message within that group. 

Rory and Louis are engaged in a relevant and important discussion for ASP.  I encourage everyone to read the articles and posts.  AccessLex also published a brief post addressing this topic and one of Rory’s articles.  The AccessLex authors state they are conducting  a couple projects that will provide even more insight.

The academic debate surrounding this topic is necessary, but we should also recognize the reason why the debate is important and sometimes personal.  While they disagree, both Rory and Louis are passionate about helping ASPers and students.  They both cite the lack of tenure for ASPers as a major concern.  They both argue for more resources for Academic Support.  Knowing them both, I truly believe they are trying to do what is best for both ASP and students.

As long as we are trying to figure out what helps students succeed, I do want this discussion to continue in an academic manner.  One of my major concerns is when schools/Deans evaluate whether ASPers are effective based primarily on bar pass rates.  Bar pass rates are an easy number to stamp on a department, almost treating bar pass numbers as wins and losses.  Media and other entities fuel that perception with articles about who had the highest bar pass rate in the state.  FIU’s success has brought national attention from the ABA journal and other legal news sources.  Deans around the country, especially ones in Florida, do specifically ask, “why isn’t [insert school] having the success of FIU?  Are our people doing their job correctly?”  Those outside ASP want to know, what is the secret sauce?

I also want the discussion to continue to demonstrate the impact ASP has on students.  Both Louis/Raul and Rory presented at regional and national ASP conferences about best practices in teaching.  Many of us agree that law school education and pedagogy needs improving.  Most of us agree that better teaching would improve student learning and that we should use scientifically proven methods to teach students.  We would also agree that improved student learning should have an impact on student success and bar performance.  I want to know what everyone else does, including Louis and Raul, to lead to improved student performance.  I especially want to read studies that quantify the impact of Academic Support and/or specific Academic Support programs.  Anecdotally, we know we have an impact on individual lives.  That impact matters, and should be measurable. 

Promoting ASP is important to the majority of us.  We need ongoing projects to measure what works and how we can all improve our students’ chances to pass the bar exam.  I know we are all striving to promote each other and help students.   I hope we can continue to do that.

(Steven Foster)

ASP Exciting Works in Progress

This weekend, I attended the Central States Law Schools Association Scholarship Conference and ASP was well-represented. each speaker gave a talk highlighting their current works and sought feedback from the audience of faculty members. Here is just a sampling of the ASP presentations:

Cassie Christopher, Texas Tech School of Law
A Modern Diploma Privilege: A Path Rather Than a Gate

Michele Cooley, IU McKinney School of Law
But I’m Paying for This!: Student Consumerism and Its Impact on
Academic and Bar Support

Danielle Kocal, Pace Law School
A Professor's Guide to Teaching Gen Z

Blake Klinkner, Washburn School of Law
Is Discovery Becoming More Proportional? A Quantitative Assessment of
Discovery Orders Following the 2015 Proportionality Amendment to
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26

Leila Lawlor, Georgia State College of Law
Comparative Analysis of Graduation and Retention Rates

Chris Payne-Tsoupros
Curricular Tracking as a Denial of the “Free Appropriate Public Education”
Guaranteed to Students with Disabilities under the IDEA

I was delighted to see so many ASPers presenting Works in Progress, and I cannot wait to read and cite your published works! 

(Marsha Griggs)

AASE Excellence Award Winners!

Congrats to the 2021 AASE Excellence Awards Winners!

 

AASE Awards!

AASE will once again provide awards to acknowledge excellence in the academic support field at the annual conference.  AASE developed the following recommendations for the Award Committee:

• AASE should recognize members’ valuable contributions to law school academic support
• AASE awards should have as an important objective the recognition of early and mid-career ASP professors
• AASE Awards should be for specific work or in specific categories
• The goal of AASE awards should be honoring contributions, not covering categories

The 2021 Awards committee, DeShun Harris, Twinette Johnson, and Antonia Miceli (chair), are soliciting nominations for contributions by individuals, or in appropriate circumstances, groups, in any of the following areas:

1. Specific ideas or innovations—whether disseminated through academic writing, newsletters, conference presentations or over the listserv
2. Specific services to the profession—e.g., advocacy with the NCBE, etc.
3. Providing services to students
4. Promoting diversity in  the profession and expanding access to the legal profession
5. Mentoring and supporting others in ASP

Recognition may be given to more than one individual or group in any of these categories, and no category requires an award in any one year. We fully recognize just how many ASP educators have made heroic contributions to their students and to the profession. For these reasons, the Awards Committee will consider all nominations received, while keeping in mind there must be a reasonable limit for awards in any one year. Anyone in law school academic support may offer nominations, but current AASE Board members and AASE Awards Committee members are ineligible for recognition. Awards recipients must be members of AASE at the time an award is bestowed. 

Please send your nominations to Antonia Miceli by Monday, May 3, 2021.

Thank you,

AASE Awards Committee 2021

 

Also, remember to register for our conference! May 1st is the deadline if you want SWAG!

https://associationofacademicsupporteducators.org/events/2021-aaseconference/

Ensuring Equality in Legal Academia: Strategies to Dismantle Caste

Dear Academic Support Community,

I’m very pleased to announce, through the hard work of Kirsha Trychta and our programming committee, we are Co-producing a webinar with the Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research Section.

https://www.aals.org/sections/list/legal-writing-reasoning-and-research/ensuring-equality-in-legal-academia-strategies-to-dismantle-caste/

Co-produced by the Sections on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research and Academic Support

Date: Monday, May 10, 2021, 2:00 – 3:30 PM EST

Webinar Description:

Moderated by AALS Past President Darby Dickerson, this webinar will explore the caste system in legal education and will discuss potential solutions to the problem, with a particular focus on legal writing and academic support programs and professors. The moderator and a panel of law school Deans (comprised of former academic support and legal writing professors) will discuss how their schools and others can address this issue by mobilizing institutional support for skills professors, capturing the value-add that skills professors bring to legal education, opening up pathways to tenure, and addressing inequities, among other topics.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the problems with the academic caste system in legal education
• Identify one concrete step professors can take to help develop their career or their program at their institution
• Identify one concrete step law school administration can take to help develop the profession of skills professors

Click Here to register for the Webinar. *Registration is required

 

I hope to see many of you there, and feel free to spread the word!

Kind Regards

Melissa Hale

Chair, AALS Section on Academic Support

AASE Mentoring Event, April 23rd!

Come join us for a mentoring and networking event!

Here is the link to register,

https://forms.gle/RbTcGZqMhr4WTzLf6

 

 

Complete the AASE Survey before Wednesday

Members of the Association of Academic Support Educators,

Please complete the AASE 2021 Short Survey before April 7^th. A link was sent out on March 25^th. Search your inbox for an email from AASE Membership. A reminder email should follow shortly. If you cannot locate the link, please email me or Goldie Pritchard.

The AASE Assessment Committee compiled this short nationwide survey to supplement the longer survey conducted by AASE in 2018. This short survey (maximum 20 minutes if all sections of the survey apply to your school) compiles the following:

1. general data about each law school,
2. information about the content of academic success programs and workshops,
3. information about the content of bar prep programs and workshops, as well as,
4. salary and status data.

To ensure that all teaching philosophies and that all job statuses and salaries are captured, the committee recommends that each non-clerical faculty and/or staff member within the academic success community complete the AASE 2021 Short Survey. Only the general data about each law school would be duplicative.

Further, since the AASE Assessment Committee exists to support and promote the assessment of programmatic effectiveness within AASE, the committee looks forward to compiling the data and presenting the results at the annual AASE Conference in May. If you have any questions regarding the survey, please contact me at [email protected] or board member, Goldie Pritchard at [email protected].

Special thanks to my fellow committee members, Matthew Carluzzo, Jeanna Hunter, Diane Kraft, Dyann Margolis, Chenay Weyble, and our board liaison, Jodi Wiredu, for their valuable insights and tireless energy developing this survey. This truly was a team effort and it was an honor to work with all of them!

Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey!

All the best,

Anne G. Johnson

AASE Assessment Committee Chair

Adjunct Professor of Law

Assistant Director of Academic Success

Mercer University School of Law

1021 Georgia Ave., Macon, GA 31207
T: 478-301-5030
[email protected]| law.mercer.edu