UMKC School of Law
Retention Efforts and Plan
UMKC Retention Retreat
February 14-15, 2011
UMKC School of Law Retention Plan
• Retention begins with admissions
– Marketing as student-centered law school
– Interview most applicants, have them meet with faculty
and Emissaries, receive letter from Dean (with personal
note) , follow-up by faculty and students
– Spring Orientation – prospective students come to
campus, have mock class, learn about the School and meet
other prospective students
– Summer welcome picnic
• If we enroll the right students,
our retention will increase
UMKC School of Law Retention Plan
• Retention continues when students arrive in the Fall
– The first day of Orientation
• Matriculation Ceremony
• First Inns Meeting (career oriented Inns)
– Throughout the year
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Supportive environment with limited competition
Student Services (Adela first “Unsung Hero” winner)
Laptop Clinic
Exposure to career opportunities and networking
UMKC School of Law Retention Plan
• Academic program facilitates retention and student
success
– Required basic curriculum
– Skills orientation brings reality to classroom
– Emphasis areas allow for organized approach to upper level
education, incorporating coursework, writing, skills and
professionalism
– Advisement Convocation
– Pre-registration and approval of every student program
– Bar preparation after graduation, bar survival bags given to all
students
UMKC School of Law Retention Plan
• Students engaged in the School
– Very active student organizations
– Students participate in governance
• Students engaged in the community
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Externships and clinics
Pro Bono/Public Service Honors Program
Volunteer Fair
Christmas in October
UMKC School of Law Retention Plan
• Students and faculty engaged together
– Suites where students have offices and carrels
alongside faculty
– Faculty very accessible to students in person, via
e-mail
– Faculty and students interact outside of the
classroom and the suites: Day of the Banana, 1.98
Law Review, softball tournament, etc.
UMKC School of Law Retention Plan
• As a result of the student-centered approach at our
School, we have very low voluntary attrition
– No 1L student dropped out before finals this year
– Over the past five years, transfer attrition was less than 2
students per year
• Academic attrition and probation is still higher than
we would like
– Fall 2010
• 4 students dismissed after first semester
• 10 students on probation
• Underrepresented students have higher attrition than students in
general
UMKC School of Law Retention Plan
Efforts to reduce academic attrition:
• Change 1L required support course from Intro Plus to Con law
Analytics, allowing for learning in greater context
• Assess Academic Strategies Program, make changes as
needed
• Offer Summer Enrichment to larger group of students by tying
it to teacher training program
• Reconsider policies for allowing students to move from full to
part time program
UMKC School of Law Retention Plan
Other retention efforts:
• Revise website to make information of importance to
students (curricular requirements, policies, etc.) more easily
accessible
• Add a new professional staff position in Law School Career
Services Office to better help students identify career goals
and develop and implement strategies to meet those goals
• Revise Inns Program, moving from RSVP to “attendanceexpected unless decline,” thereby increasing student
involvement and helping them better develop knowledge of
career options as well as social and professional skills
UMKC School of Law Retention Plan
• While we will always have some attrition, we believe the
combination of changes to our admissions approach as
well as greater skills and reality based curriculum,
academic support efforts, provision of information and
exposure of students to career options and professionalism
education will reduce attrition and lead to greater student
success.
• We will participate in LSSSE this year to obtain better
feedback from our students which will assist in planning
going forward.