CAS officials hesitant about joint Law School degree

Rescorla says he wants to wait on a decision until completion of the Wharton School's five-year pilot When the new joint program between the Law School and Wharton undergraduate program was announced last week, pre-law students in the College of Arts and Sciences began to hope they would have a similar opportunity. Law School Associate Dean Michael Fitts said the six-year program with Wharton is being viewed as a pilot and one that is open to expansion. "I would be happy to talk with the College about setting up a similar program," Fitts added. But College Dean Robert Rescorla explained that the situation is more complicated than simply inserting the word "College" into the equation. Rescorla explained that unlike the pre-professional focus of Wharton, the College is based on a liberal arts education. "I have worried a lot about the intrusion of being directed towards a career for an undergraduate liberal arts education," Rescorla said. He noted that he is especially concerned about students giving up their senior year -- a time when many students can take courses outside of their major, do research and work closely with faculty. "[These are] reasons why I would counsel students carefully," Rescorla said. But he added that although he has reservations, he does not consider them to be definitive reasons to dismiss the concept of a joint program. He added that he does understand how the combination is attractive to students, especially from an admissions standpoint. Any decision will come only after many different groups within the College -- including faculty and the Committee on Undergraduate Education -- have discussed the issue, Rescorla said. He explained that the more heterogenous nature of the College, compared with either Wharton or the Law School, affects decision making as well. "It's something that I want to explore with my faculty," Rescorla said. He added that the financial concerns of the School of Arts and Sciences will not affect any decision regarding joint degree programs with the College, adding that the school's commitment lies in the quality of education, not tuition income. Career Planning and Placement's Jane Finkle said she has "mixed feelings" regarding the extension of the joint degree program to the College, even with 16 percent of 1995 College graduates applying to law school and 231 alumni applying in the same year. "I see that it could really work economically for those students who are really directed," Finkle admitted. But the advisor to graduate and professional students added that she was concerned about students who would be "too anxious to make a decision and jump in too quickly." Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Society Vice President Lisa Hernandez explained that students who do not have a direction within the liberal arts curriculum are often at a disadvantage. "To be realistic, it might be more important to ensure a place at a good school for yourself than to take a few electives," the College senior said. College senior Elisa Behar said that as a sophomore, she had looked into the possibility of submatriculating to the Law School.

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