Lifestyle and Behavioral Health Workshops

Janis Leibold
Oct. 7, 1999




The annual U.S. News and World Report ranking of graduate schools receives considerable attention each spring - mostly negative, given its highly subjective methodology and strong tendency to reinforce past reputations rather than measure current realities. At the University of Texas, one scholar has attempted to do something about this unreliable measure by developing a superior model that takes into account objective factors _ such as faculty productivity - that academics and others familiar with the field recognize and respect. This new model ranks the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona in Tucson among the best law schools in the nation and ranks the UA law school first in the faculty publication category.

Brian Leiter, professor of philosophy and director of UT's law and philosophy program recently published his results, in which he cites 12 law schools - including Arizona - as ones where "the faculties _ are doing everything the faculty of a leading academic law school should be doing: They are highly productive and what they produce has a significant impact upon scholarly debate." Although in reputation surveys Arizona ranks in the top 40 of American law schools, Leiter reports that "objective measures _ stand these results on their head, showing Arizona _ solidly in the top 20."

Leiter's objective study ranks the UA number one per capita among all schools in terms of books published with leading law publishers, and it ranks the UA faculty 19th in the nation in academic distinction, based on overall scholarly productivity and impact. This places the UA ahead of such institutions as Duke, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Wisconsin, Iowa, UC-Hastings and Boston University - schools typically placing above the UA in the reputation surveys.

In another Leiter study, which focuses on quality of faculty, quality of students and the quality of teaching, Arizona again scored 19th in the nation.

"I welcome the emergence of these more objective accounts of our work," said Toni Massaro, dean of the UA law school, "as they confirm what we have long stated to our alumni, friends and community - that the College of Law has outstanding faculty and students and delivers a first-rate education. I am proud to say that it also has a deep and abiding commitment to public service and has produced such great public servants as Morris Udall, Tom Chandler, Steward Udall, Raul Castro, Lorna Lockwood and many others. When one considers our small size and public character, the results are simply
extraordinary. The law school is a state treasure that should be celebrated."

Leiter hopes his studies will begin to receive greater popular attention, so that parents and students seeking the most up to date and well rounded assessments of American law schools will have such information, rather than relying on the significantly flawed measures.

For more information, call Vicki Bren Fleischer, 520-621-8430.

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