A Toast to the Past, Present and Future of San Francisco Law School

San Francisco Law School's Centennial Celebration

Dean Jane L.O'Hara Gamp 

Good evening and welcome to the Centennial Celebration at San Francisco Law School.  The Westin, Saint Francis Grand Ballroom is such a beautiful venue in which to celebrate our past and look forward to the future.  

Our Past

1909 was the year that San Francisco Law School was incorporated and what a year of achievements it was for

o         Science when Admiral Perry reached the North Pole and Marconi received the Nobel Prize for the development of the radio-telegraph system.

o         Politics when President Taft was inaugurated as the 27^th President and visited San Francisco.

o         Human Rights when the NAACP was founded and held its first conference

o         Religion when Joan of Arc was declared a Saint. 

In entertainment, Shine on Harvest Moon was the #1 hit song and, for the first time, moving pictures were shown at Madison Square Garden in color. 1909 was also the year that the St. Francis Hotel reopened after its suffered severe damage in the earthquake and fires of 1906.

1909 was also the year that the Lincoln Penny was issued.  At your place, courtesy of Board Member Tom Vacar, you have a replica of that penny as it was minted here in San Francisco.

The Lincoln Penny was commissioned to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.  The 16^th President of the United States is near and dear to the hearts of evening law students – not just for his momentous social and masterful writings, but also because he started his career by becoming an attorney the hard way – by study at night.   For this reason, the 1909 Lincoln Penny is a very appropriate memento for our evening, it is also significant that the Lincoln penny has been in continuous usage since 1909 – just like San Francisco Law School has been continuously in existence this whole time.

Our Present. 

The motto of San Francisco Law School is “Per Ardua ad Astra”,  Through Effort to Success.  In the past year, I have been privileged to have had many opportunities to educate others regarding the justifiable pride that we have in both the mission of San Francisco Law School and its 100 year history.  We have been educating and graduating successful attorneys since before the formation of the State Bar of California and the establishment of accreditation of law schools.  

I have spoken before the Committee of Bar Examiners, with Deans of Law Schools, to the State Bar Board of Governors, to our California Legislators, to our San Francisco Supervisors and many other individuals. 

San Franciscans are proud of our City and revel in tales from the earthquake and fire of 1906.  We delight in the many true stories of recovery from the 1906 devastation.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the history of San Francisco Law School has receptive audiences and that our history engenders such appreciative responses

How selfless the founders of San Francisco Law School were to put aside their own difficulties and continue teaching classes in partially damaged apartments and in a tent. In addition,  they traveled East to convince others o lend money to open to assist us to our doors as a separate law school  -- the very first evening  law school in the western United States.

What visionaries our founders were. They set San Francisco Law School's mission as an opportunity institution - thereby creating a place in legal education for those who were unable to devote their days to legal studies because they were working to support themselves and their families.

They were visionaries because they opened the doors of legal education to women,  to minorities – groups also under-represented in the legal community.

The State of California prides itself on being an opportunity state. It is proud of the variety of education options its citizens enjoy.  San Francisco Law School was meeting this ideal from its inception and remarkably SFLS has not wavered from this noble mission.

Our mission is just as strong today as it was 100 years ago.

Over the years, education language has changed.  The national directive of “No child Left Behind” has fostered new educational criteria, including demands for quantitative assessment and evaluative methodology.

None the less, the goals remain the same – deliver a quality legal education which includes a grounding in all subjects tested by the California Bar Exam.

So, while our mission has not changed

o         Provide a Quality Legal Education

o         Which includes the Underrepresented – whether due to socio-economic, gender, race or other persuasion, while  

o         Maintaining  affordability ---

Currently, there have been changes to help SFLS better serve its students

SFLS took a laboring oar in the negotiations over the new Guidelines which are the regulations governing the California Bar Accredited Law Schools.

With the assistance of California Assemblymember Pedro Nova and Assemblymember William Manning,  San Francisco join with some of our courageous California Bar Accredited Law School Deans - Dean Stan Pulle of the Southern Institute of Santa Barbara and Ventura, Dean Mitch Winick of Monterey School of Law, and Dean Joseph Moless of Lincoln Law School, San Jose – together we were instrumental in establishing a special rules Advisory Subcommittee to the Committee of Bar Examiners.  The Advisory Committee was the direct results of these efforts and it has finally gives the California Bar Accredited Law Schools a voice in governance that directly affects us.

San Francisco Law School is taking a leading role in the committee.  I serve as the sole California Bar Accredited Law School (CBA) Dean on the Advisory Committee and it is my responsibility to insure that the Advisory Committee and the Committee of Bar Examiners know and understand the concerns of San Francisco Law School and the other CBA law schools.

One of the first major achievements that our Deans were able to secure the ability of the CBA law schools to offer Bar skills courses – similar to those that ABA schools have been offering for many years.   

Thereafter, the Advisory Committee was able to engage in dialogues which resulted in a breakthrough on major issues with the guidelines that had the process stalemated for over a year.

SFLS has moved forward with many program changes to strengthen its students' education and ultimate success on the California Bar Exam.  We have a greatly expanded Orientation and writing program, spearheaded by Board and faculty member, Geraldine McGrath and faculty member Abe Gupta.  We have initiated Multistate Bar Examination training classes for our first and fourth year students.  We have upgraded our Moot Court program and have significantly expanded our Bar Skills course which now includes both Performance Exam and Essay writing.

You, our alumni, can help – be a mentor – make room for a student to intern in your office,   better yet, make a job available -- this practical experience is invaluable.

The Future – Merger with Alliant International University.

San Francisco Law School is extremely excited about the future.  2009 will be a dramatic year in our history – a time of renewal and a time of revitalization.  

We are all aware of the effect of the economy on educational institutions.  Small, private schools, such as ours, are not immune. New programs, such as we have been incorporating these last few years, are costly in terms of development and implementation. 

Each of us remembers how difficult it was when tuition payments were due.  That has not changed. Indeed, it may well be even more difficult. 

There is a very definite impact on our students, both those attending San Francisco Law School and those who would like to apply. 

To be competitive in today's market place, San Francisco law School needs to expand its programs so that it can thrive well into the future -- while remaining true to our mission and maintaining the highest quality standards.  It needs to pursue a direction that will be fiscally advantageous to our students.

The revitalization of San Francisco Law School will take commitment and dedication.  We are committed to our legacy as an opportunity law school. Therefore, San Francisco has investigated its options quite diligently.

No longer restrained by a joint confidentiality agreement, San Francisco Law School now will formally announces that it has entered into a Formal Agreement to merge with Alliant International University. 

Alliant is also a non-profit educational corporation.  Under this merger agreement we will be San Francisco Law School, a school of Alliant.  We will be the only law school of Alliant's five graduate schools.

The merger of San Francisco Law School and Alliant fits well within the original and continued mission of SFLS.  Alliant and SFLS share the characteristics of a professional practice orientation and a commitment to diversity.

Alliant International University is primarily a graduate University.  Its graduate schools are the California School of Professional Psychology, the Shirley M. Hufstedler School of Education, the Marshall Goldsmith School of Management, and the California School of Forensic Studies.  Its undergraduate students are in the Center for Undergraduate Education.  

The Alliant Schools and Centers offer academic programs in the broad areas of psychology, education, management, forensic studies and international relations at the graduate level, and similar programs plus communications at the undergraduate level.

Alliant is recognized as one of the most diverse graduate institutions in the nation.  It has been cited by Diverse magazine for being among the leaders in awarding doctorates in psychology to African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans and women and was among the top ten in awarding doctorates in business to African Americans.

The main steps of the merger are underway. 

WASC.  Alliant International University is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Alliant, with San Francisco Law School has submitted the necessary proposals to WASC regarding the merger.  We have been advised that there was a positive recommendation by the first of the three WASC approval procedures. .  

CBE.  San Francisco Law School gave the required notice to the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California and has recently received approval of the merger.  The relationship of San Francisco Law School and the CBE will remain essentially the same – San Francisco Law School will continue to conform to the requirements applicable to California Bar Accredited law schools.

Department of Education.  Once the WASC Commission has reviewed and approved the lower panel recommendations,  San Francisco Law School's program can then apply to the United State Department of Education to receive federal funding for our law students-  similar to the funding that Alliant's other students receive.

This merger opportunity supports the mutual goals of both institutions to offer high-quality professional education that will:

o        Educate students for professional careers

o        Expand opportunities in law to traditionally underserved populations;

o      Educate concerned, compassionate and competent leaders;

o       Continue the strong, historic traditions of both institutions as innovators in higher education; and

o        Create new opportunities in teaching, scholarship and service by combining the resources and talents of both institutions. 

Alliant and SFLS envision many opportunities for joint programs at the intersections of psychology, business, education, forensics and law. The opportunity to begin working toward such programs is an exciting aspect of this merger.

Change is never easy. However, in the coming months, you will be receiving more details on the merger.  As learn more, you will appreciate how we have remained committed to the San Francisco Law School mission and history and I am convinced that you will be as excited and optimistic about our new direction as we are. 

It is a challenge to preserve and protect the important legacy of San Francisco Law School. I believe that your Board of Directors has found a way to do that.  I believe that they will prove to have the same courage and vision as our founders did in 1909.

Please, raise your glass to toast the past and the future of San Francisco Law School.