Valparaiso Law

Law School In Indiana To Close

The end is near for Valparaiso Law School.
On Tuesday, Valparaiso University Law School announced that it will be closing its doors after a failed attempt to transfer its law school to Middle Tennessee State University, Inside Higher Ed reports.
“This has been an extremely difficult decision and is the result of several years of careful discernment,” Frederick Kraegel, chairman of the Board of Directors of Valparaiso University, says in a press release. “We have explored a number of strategic alternatives. Despite these efforts, we have not been able to achieve a more positive outcome.”
A Failed Attempt
According to The Times, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission voted against MTSU’s plans to create a juris doctor program. In turn, that means that Valparaiso would be unable to continue running its program, which has hit a number of financial and enrollment issues.
“That was the only viable option,” VU President Mark Heckler says.
Teach-Out Plan
Valparaiso Law is currently working with the Higher Learning Commission and the ABA to create a teach-out for its current students to successfully complete their degrees. The law school currently has 80 third-year law students who will complete their degrees by May 2019.
Heckler, president of Valparaiso University, says the plan could take a number of forms. According to The Times, those options include completing an education at Valparaiso, transferring to a different law school, or remaining enrolled at VU while taking classes at another law school.
Once a plan is approved, it will illustrate a clearer timeline of the school’s official closure.
“We really need to spend time with the accreditors, spend time with the students to talk about our options with how to proceed,” he tells Insider Higher Ed.
Sources: Inside Higher Ed, The Times