From faculty who have taught for 10 years to law students still in their second year, the School of Law community has good reason to celebrate the school’s 150th anniversary. In honor of the School of Law’s birthday, the NU law community reflected on the institution’s changes and growth, including the effect of work experience on the law school’s classroom environment.

At the beginning of October, NU School of Law alumni and faculty came together with University President Morton O. Schapiro to celebrate the Law School’s sesquicentennial. The occasion presented an opportunity to reflect on the school’s long history.

In 1859, the School of Law, then known as Union College of Law, was the first law school established in Chicago with an inaugural class of 23 students. Today, according to U.S. News, the NU School of Law ranks 10th in the nation.

NU School of Law Dean David Van Zandt initiated a strategic plan in 1998 to help the school respond to changing trends in the legal world. The plan included a focus on higher admissions standards, student work experience and continuing to distinguish NU through research and exceptional faculty.

“Having excellent students and faculty is the bottom line for any academic institution,” Van Zandt said. “As the world has become more competitive, we have to become more aggressive and active.”

The second of these planning processes took place in 2008 and surveyed the basic competencies law students need in order to be successful, he said. This led to the implementation of an accelerated two-year Juris Doctor program through which students complete the same number of credits traditionally earned during a three-year program.

[Daily Northwestern]