AB INITIO - THE BIRTH OF A LAW SCHOOL

Virtually every successful organization has a strategic plan these days. Gone are the days of simply having a good idea and taking advantage of opportunities as they come along. Gone are the days of facing problems on a day-to-day basis, armed only with a hope of surviving. Businesses, educational institutions and virtually all other modern organizations anticipate opportunities and problems and plan for them.

For those who are not familiar with strategic planning, it is important to note that it is much different than the old long-range planning. Strategic planning is fluid, changing as often as circumstances, opportunities, or predictions of the future change. Strategic planning is not about making future decisions at the present time or making future decisions following a rigid plan. It is about making present and on-going decisions anticipating the future.

There are many methods for preparing a strategic plan. St. Thomas Law School is formulating its initial plan using one of the standard methods which includes the following phases: Assessment - Goal Setting- S.W.O.T. Analysis - Objectives Setting - Strategic Analysis - Resource Analysis - Strategies - Priority Setting.

During the Assessment phase, an organization considers its basic mission (its reason for existing) along with those facts, perceptions, predictions and other matters that may affect that mission. Following assessment, the organization breaks down its mission into goals that define the various facets of the mission. Goals should be broad and lofty. It has often been said that if an organization is satisfied that it has accomplished a goal, then the organization did not set that goal high enough.

After initial goal setting, those strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (S.W.O.T.), which may affect the pursuit of the goals are analyzed in order to specify objectives. Objectives should be specific, achievable activities that are designed to address the weaknesses and threats, while taking advantage of the strengths and opportunities. Objectives are measurable and ordinarily contain a time-line so that those in charge of assessing operations and amending the plan (if necessary) can evaluate progress.

From the time that the Officers and Trustees of the University decided to reopen the St. Thomas Law School, a strategic plan has been under development. Much of the assessment phase took place utilizing the information developed in the feasibility and related studies. Even though more extensive planning will take place during the next few months, many strategies resulting from the plan are already being implemented.

Those who have been consistent readers of this series already have some insights as to the details of the St. Thomas plan. However, all readers will have a better context for subsequent articles about the plan, if the current draft of the mission and goals of Law School are listed at this time.

The University of St. Thomas School of Law, as a Catholic law school, is dedicated to integrating faith and reason in the search for truth through a focus on morality and social justice.

Enlightened by Catholic social teaching, an ecumenical community of scholars analyzes law and legal systems emphasizing ethics, professional competency, public service, law as a healing profession, world law, interdisciplinary studies, and leadership formation.

Faith and Ethics

• To establish a community of faculty, staff, and students who, through the integration of faith and reason, search for truth and justice in law and legal systems.
• To provide, In Judeo-Christian Intellectual Tradition, “a locus for questioning, a framework for ordering inquiry and standards for preferring some sets of ideas over others.”
• To promote ethical behavior and an understanding of professionalism.
• To participate in the movement to return law practice to its origins as a healing profession.

Professionalism

• To promote rigor in law studies to assure the highest level of professional competency.
• To teach and learn law as a liberal art, so as to prepare students for their calling as professionals serving individuals, causes and the common good.
• To establish and maintain a high-technology legal information retrieval system along with a traditional book and manuscript collection which can serve as a national, research quality law library.
• To promote holistic formation of emerging leaders of society.

Service

• To provide training, career services and loan forgiveness programs to facilitate the movement of graduates into occupations which focus on social justice.
• To partner with other academic disciplines in offering joint degrees and other interdisciplinary studies.

National and International

• As an institution in the service of God and society to be a national and international leadership organization in the field of law and moral philosophy.
• To promote cultural understanding through the study of world law.

The Mission statement is brief so that it can be easily remembered. The Goals are the detail of the mission. Later articles in this series will list and explain the objectives, strategies and priorities.

The important thing at this stage of the birth of St. Thomas Law School is that the administration of the program is already operating according to a strategic plan. Furthermore, a complete set of priorities will be approved and are in the process of being implemented well before the first class begins studying. This should be important for both students and faculty who are considering joining the St. Thomas Law community. Anyone considering law school should study the strategic plan of the institution he or she is considering in order to determine whether the institutional design fits the applicant’s personal and professional plans.

One more statement about strategic planning should be considered. As indicated earlier, strategic plans are living documents, constantly changing with new information or fresh ideas. If, at any time, any reader has suggestions for additional or revised goals, objectives, strategies or priorities, please send suggestions to our strategic team. You can reach the planners by writing to the author.

David T. Link
Dean
University of St. Thomas School of Law

posted September 13, 2000

For more information please contact:

University of St. Thomas School of Law
MPL 440
1000 LaSalle Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403

E-mail: Lawschool@stthomas.edu
Web: http://www.stthomas.edu/lawschool

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Discussion

JURIST and Dean Link welcome your comments on these columns.