In the News: UMass Law School Opens its Doors; 20-Somethings

UMass law school welcomed its inaugural class last week, but not everyone is happy about it

The University of Massachusetts School of Law Dartmouth opened last week, with new and returning (from the Southern New England School of Law, which the new law school is replacing) students going through the motions of orientation. The new school is the first public law school in Massachusetts; and many hope it will allow a more diverse student body and enable more graduates to pursue public interest jobs. However, Above the Law's Elie Mystal isn't convinced. He argues that there aren't enough jobs--public or private--for newly minted JDs, whether they went to Harvard Law School or UMass. What do you think?

Why don't 20-somethings have careers yet?

In this 10-page article, Robin Marantz Henig of The New York Times asks whether the wandering, questioning, and "sense of possibility" that has come to characterize the years between 18 and 29 is just laziness, or psychologically relevant developmental stage. Why is it that so many 20-somethings haven't quite "launched" yet, settling into marriages and full-blown careers? The recession has obviously magnified the phenomenon recently, but psychologist Jeffrey Jensen Arnett argues that a stage called "emerging adulthood," much like "adolescence" a century ago, should be incorporated into the way we think about psychological development.

Should the MBA curriculum include security and crisis management classes?

Ed Piper, adjunct professor at the Carey Business School, says yes. MBAs are the leaders and decision-makers in the corporate world, and as such they determine resource allocation and are responsible for preparing in case of a disaster or crisis. While the Department of Homeland Security sends liaisons to private companies and organizations, they can only do so much. Once they are gone, it's up to the CEOs, COOs, presidents and chairman to carry through. Should crisis management and security resource preparation be a required piece of the business curriculum (undergraduate or MBA), they may be more equipped to make security decisions.

Harvard Business School drives top business schools to update campuses

Top business schools are currently in the throes an "arms race" to update campuses and facilities. Since its founding, Harvard Business School has had a riverfront, residential campus, complete with chapel, gymnasium and dorms. Now, schools like Yale School of Management, MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB and Columbia Business School are following suit. Their goal is to attract the best and the brightest faculty and students by providing more and better office space and incorporating the latest technology.

Monterey College of Law is the first law school to use the iPad in the classroom

Monterey College of Law is the first to launch a full-scale pilot program with the newest, shiniest gadget: Apple's iPad. Students will be given their very own iPad when the register for the BAR BRI curriculum to prepare for the grueling California Bar exam. President and dean of the law school, Mitchel Winick, argues that the introduction the iPad will make it easier for students with stuffed schedules to squeeze in additional studying time. "The iPad will provide time-challenged students an easy way to add 30 to 45 minutes of studying each day...during a lunch break, waiting in the car-pool line, or even getting their oil changed." We recently wrote on Admit One about whether the iPad will help or hurt study habits, and we'll be keeping tabs on this very interesting pilot program

SMU Cox School of Business and National Hispanic Corporate Council found corporate executive development program

The new semester-long program is designed to encourage Hispanic professionals to earn a business degree. It will be housed on the Cox School of Business campus in Dallas. Less than 5 percent of managers of Fortune 1000 companies are Hispanic; only 1 percent hold seats in their boardrooms. The SMU Cox-NHCC program is designed for executive-track Hispanic managers to gain more business education. The inaugural class will start on September 15th. Good luck!

Trinidad and Tobago business school creates new admissions test

The Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business has created a new admissions test call the Innovation, Leadership and Ethics Assessment. The test includes a psychometric test, achievement test, case study and interview, says the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. The goal of the ILEA is to ensure candidates have the leadership skills necessary to excel inside and out of the classroom. Will the assessment test be picked up by other growing MBA programs? We shall see.