Now that New College of California has lost its Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation, its law school stands to lose its accreditation from the State Bar, too.
Law students, staff and faculty, who continue working without pay since the Department of Education froze $2 million in federal funds last fall, are waiting to see what the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar, which accredits state law schools, decides to do.
WASC announced in a letter dated Feb. 26 and leaked here that it was pulling New College of California’s accreditation. WASC president Ralph Wolff’s executive assistant today confirmed the legitimacy of the letter to LegalPad, saying that it wasn’t meant to be public. The sfist.com says it got the letter from a former New College student.
George Riemer, director of educational standards for the Committee of Bar Examiners, paid New College law school a visit Feb. 26 to reassess its compliance with educational standards. In the next few weeks, the Committee of Bar Examiners will decide whether its accreditation should stay in place.
“Our decision is independent of what WASC does, but some of the issues are the same,” said Gayle Murphy, the committee’s senior executive for admissions.
The committee had reaffirmed the law school’s accreditation in March 2006, after a routine visit which happens every five years, but WASC’s move raised new concerns, Murphy said.
“What’s of ultimate concern is the impact on students,” Murphy added, and their ability to take the bar exam. “That’s something that we want to make sure students are able to do.”
— Petra Pasternak
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