Facing shrinking enrollments, many law schools have responded by cutting their faculties. The phenomenon is worth measuring because faculty reductions aren’t always announced publicly, often appearing in the guises of retirements and quiet buy-outs. Consequently, the ABA’s 509 information reports can shed light on changes in law-school faculties. Here’s the cumulative distribution through 2016.
As with previous years, I will estimate the decline in fall full-time law-school faculties among the 201 law schools that aren’t in Puerto Rico. Note, however, that it’s unclear whether the term “full-time faculty” used in the 509 information reports includes full-time employees of a law school (as defined by the ABA’s annual questionnaire) who are on leave but have a right to return. Past editions of the Official Guide explicitly excluded full-time faculty who were on leave or sabbatical from their two-page spreads, which now exist as the online 509 information reports. The “Guide to the Data” pdf file accompanying the 509 information reports doesn’t specify either.
I assume the ABA is continuing to exclude faculty on leave or sabbatical and only counts faculty teaching courses in the fall or spring terms, even though it isn’t clear. Consequently, minor fluctuations might mean even less than I thought before, and although I’m obviously aware more faculty teach in the spring, I choose to track fall full-time faculty because the figures represent more recent developments. Additionally, full-time faculty who have shifted to the category “deans, librarians, and others who teach” are excluded as well. This may explain why there are fewer full-time faculty in the fall than spring as full-timers teach most of their courses then.
The peak for fall full timers occurred in 2010 (9,093), but that estimate includes the “other full-time faculty” category (clinicians and legal-writing instructors, if I recall), which the ABA no longer tracks independently. Fall full-time faculty fell by 3.3 percent this year (-261). Last year the decline was 3.4 percent (-242), so things are smoothing out. Since 2010, the cumulative decline has been 16.1 percent.
Here is a table of law schools ranked by net change in full-time faculty since 2010 and smallest faculty size in 2010. Trivial annual changes may not represent staff reductions and might be attributable to other factors, as discussed above. This year I’m choosing not to rank law schools that have merged, split, or didn’t exist in 2010 to prevent distortions.
FULL-TIME FACULTY (FALL) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
RANK | SCHOOL | ’10 | ’15 | ’16 | ANNUAL CHANGE | NET CHANGE |
1. | WMU Cooley | 101 | 44 | 41 | -3 | -60 |
N/A | Rutgers-Camden | 54 | 36 | -36 | -54 | |
2. | American | 104 | 91 | 52 | -39 | -52 |
3. | John Marshall (Chicago) | 75 | 45 | 27 | -18 | -48 |
4. | Florida Coastal | 69 | 37 | 24 | -13 | -45 |
N/A | Rutgers-Newark | 40 | 37 | -37 | -40 | |
N/A | Penn State (Dickinson Law) | 57 | 19 | 18 | -1 | -39 |
5. | George Washington | 106 | 70 | 69 | -1 | -37 |
N/A | Hamline | 34 | 10 | -10 | -34 | |
N/A | William Mitchell | 34 | 22 | -22 | -34 | |
6. | St. Louis | 65 | 45 | 34 | -11 | -31 |
7. | Catholic | 56 | 32 | 27 | -5 | -29 |
8. | Seton Hall | 59 | 37 | 32 | -5 | -27 |
8. | Vermont | 55 | 27 | 28 | 1 | -27 |
8. | Seattle | 66 | 47 | 39 | -8 | -27 |
11. | Widener (Delaware) | 50 | 31 | 24 | -7 | -26 |
11. | New York Law School | 71 | 48 | 45 | -3 | -26 |
13. | Pacific, McGeorge | 63 | 34 | 39 | 5 | -24 |
14. | Pace | 47 | 30 | 25 | -5 | -22 |
14. | Cleveland State | 39 | 19 | 17 | -2 | -22 |
16. | Santa Clara | 65 | 45 | 44 | -1 | -21 |
16. | DePaul | 56 | 32 | 35 | 3 | -21 |
16. | Hofstra | 60 | 34 | 39 | 5 | -21 |
19. | Nova Southeastern | 60 | 48 | 40 | -8 | -20 |
19. | New England | 40 | 26 | 20 | -6 | -20 |
21. | Golden Gate | 42 | 25 | 23 | -2 | -19 |
21. | Texas | 103 | 80 | 84 | 4 | -19 |
23. | California-Berkeley | 90 | 68 | 72 | 4 | -18 |
23. | Stetson | 59 | 45 | 41 | -4 | -18 |
23. | Valparaiso | 35 | 30 | 17 | -13 | -18 |
23. | Suffolk | 80 | 61 | 62 | 1 | -18 |
23. | Western New England | 36 | 18 | 18 | 0 | -18 |
23. | Capital | 35 | 23 | 17 | -6 | -18 |
23. | Wisconsin | 65 | 55 | 47 | -8 | -18 |
30. | California Western | 45 | 35 | 28 | -7 | -17 |
30. | Boston University | 67 | 50 | 50 | 0 | -17 |
30. | Detroit Mercy | 42 | 25 | 25 | 0 | -17 |
30. | Syracuse | 60 | 37 | 43 | 6 | -17 |
30. | Charleston | 31 | 16 | 14 | -2 | -17 |
35. | Chapman | 51 | 40 | 35 | -5 | -16 |
35. | Atlanta’s John Marshall | 35 | 22 | 19 | -3 | -16 |
35. | Albany | 46 | 28 | 30 | 2 | -16 |
35. | Lewis and Clark | 53 | 40 | 37 | -3 | -16 |
35. | Villanova | 49 | 31 | 33 | 2 | -16 |
35. | Houston | 76 | 61 | 60 | -1 | -16 |
41. | Arizona Summit [Phoenix] | 32 | 7 | 17 | 10 | -15 |
41. | Hawaii | 35 | 30 | 20 | -10 | -15 |
41. | Fordham | 81 | 65 | 66 | 1 | -15 |
44. | Louisiana State | 41 | 30 | 27 | -3 | -14 |
44. | Maryland | 63 | 49 | 49 | 0 | -14 |
44. | St. John’s | 50 | 37 | 36 | -1 | -14 |
44. | Oklahoma City | 34 | 22 | 20 | -2 | -14 |
48. | Arizona | 44 | 32 | 31 | -1 | -13 |
48. | Arkansas (Little Rock) | 30 | 21 | 17 | -4 | -13 |
48. | Loyola (CA) | 66 | 57 | 53 | -4 | -13 |
48. | Thomas Jefferson | 42 | 35 | 29 | -6 | -13 |
48. | Whittier | 31 | 31 | 18 | -13 | -13 |
48. | Dayton | 27 | 16 | 14 | -2 | -13 |
48. | Regent | 25 | 10 | 12 | 2 | -13 |
55. | Miami | 82 | 72 | 70 | -2 | -12 |
55. | SUNY Buffalo | 54 | 27 | 42 | 15 | -12 |
55. | Touro | 42 | 31 | 30 | -1 | -12 |
55. | North Carolina Central | 42 | 31 | 30 | -1 | -12 |
55. | Akron | 33 | 22 | 21 | -1 | -12 |
55. | Widener (Commonwealth) | 25 | 14 | 13 | -1 | -12 |
55. | Marquette | 39 | 27 | 27 | 0 | -12 |
62. | Faulkner | 23 | 12 | 12 | 0 | -11 |
62. | Georgia | 51 | 40 | 40 | 0 | -11 |
62. | Illinois | 49 | 43 | 38 | -5 | -11 |
62. | Loyola (IL) | 60 | 51 | 49 | -2 | -11 |
62. | Southern University | 35 | 25 | 24 | -1 | -11 |
62. | Tulsa | 28 | 22 | 17 | -5 | -11 |
62. | Roger Williams | 27 | 14 | 16 | 2 | -11 |
62. | Gonzaga | 29 | 21 | 18 | -3 | -11 |
70. | La Verne | 19 | 10 | 9 | -1 | -10 |
70. | Connecticut | 52 | 44 | 42 | -2 | -10 |
70. | Quinnipiac | 32 | 20 | 22 | 2 | -10 |
70. | Ave Maria | 26 | 20 | 16 | -4 | -10 |
70. | Loyola (LA) | 50 | 42 | 40 | -2 | -10 |
75. | San Diego | 66 | 53 | 57 | 4 | -9 |
75. | Florida State | 47 | 39 | 38 | -1 | -9 |
75. | Iowa | 46 | 34 | 37 | 3 | -9 |
75. | Kansas | 35 | 30 | 26 | -4 | -9 |
75. | Tulane | 53 | 40 | 44 | 4 | -9 |
75. | Mississippi College | 26 | 24 | 17 | -7 | -9 |
75. | Campbell | 23 | 17 | 14 | -3 | -9 |
75. | Temple | 63 | 60 | 54 | -6 | -9 |
75. | Southern Methodist | 46 | 37 | 37 | 0 | -9 |
75. | Appalachian | 16 | 7 | 7 | 0 | -9 |
85. | Northern Kentucky | 28 | 24 | 20 | -4 | -8 |
85. | New Hampshire | 33 | 28 | 25 | -3 | -8 |
85. | Brooklyn | 68 | 60 | 60 | 0 | -8 |
85. | Ohio Northern | 22 | 12 | 14 | 2 | -8 |
85. | Oregon | 35 | 29 | 27 | -2 | -8 |
90. | Indiana (Bloomington) | 59 | 52 | 52 | 0 | -7 |
90. | Indiana (Indianapolis) | 41 | 34 | 34 | 0 | -7 |
90. | Boston College | 51 | 50 | 44 | -6 | -7 |
90. | Case Western Reserve | 47 | 41 | 40 | -1 | -7 |
94. | Alabama | 47 | 40 | 41 | 1 | -6 |
94. | California-Hastings | 71 | 59 | 65 | 6 | -6 |
94. | Southwestern | 57 | 56 | 51 | -5 | -6 |
94. | Washburn | 31 | 27 | 25 | -2 | -6 |
94. | Baltimore | 58 | 58 | 52 | -6 | -6 |
94. | Pittsburgh | 47 | 43 | 41 | -2 | -6 |
94. | Washington and Lee | 35 | 26 | 29 | 3 | -6 |
101. | Southern California | 43 | 39 | 38 | -1 | -5 |
101. | Mercer | 27 | 26 | 22 | -4 | -5 |
101. | Chicago-Kent, IIT | 66 | 65 | 61 | -4 | -5 |
101. | Minnesota | 58 | 57 | 53 | -4 | -5 |
101. | St. Thomas (MN) | 29 | 24 | 24 | 0 | -5 |
101. | Mississippi | 31 | 25 | 26 | 1 | -5 |
101. | Montana | 19 | 13 | 14 | 1 | -5 |
101. | Wake Forest | 48 | 38 | 43 | 5 | -5 |
101. | Tennessee | 30 | 28 | 25 | -3 | -5 |
101. | Texas Tech | 35 | 30 | 30 | 0 | -5 |
111. | District of Columbia | 21 | 18 | 17 | -1 | -4 |
111. | Barry | 33 | 34 | 29 | -5 | -4 |
111. | Florida International | 32 | 29 | 28 | -1 | -4 |
111. | Louisville | 26 | 21 | 22 | 1 | -4 |
111. | Missouri (Kansas City) | 34 | 33 | 30 | -3 | -4 |
111. | Washington University | 68 | 63 | 64 | 1 | -4 |
111. | Pennsylvania | 75 | 75 | 71 | -4 | -4 |
111. | Texas A&M [Wesleyan] | 30 | 30 | 26 | -4 | -4 |
119. | Arizona State | 53 | 49 | 50 | 1 | -3 |
119. | Arkansas (Fayetteville) | 29 | 29 | 26 | -3 | -3 |
119. | San Francisco | 37 | 33 | 34 | 1 | -3 |
119. | Southern Illinois | 27 | 22 | 24 | 2 | -3 |
119. | Drake | 28 | 26 | 25 | -1 | -3 |
119. | Wayne State | 38 | 39 | 35 | -4 | -3 |
119. | Toledo | 26 | 20 | 23 | 3 | -3 |
119. | Duquesne | 26 | 26 | 23 | -3 | -3 |
119. | South Texas | 44 | 41 | 41 | 0 | -3 |
128. | Samford | 23 | 21 | 21 | 0 | -2 |
128. | Pepperdine | 35 | 35 | 33 | -2 | -2 |
128. | Florida A&M | 35 | 20 | 33 | 13 | -2 |
128. | Kentucky | 25 | 23 | 23 | 0 | -2 |
128. | Cincinnati | 29 | 27 | 27 | 0 | -2 |
128. | Oklahoma | 34 | 31 | 32 | 1 | -2 |
128. | South Dakota | 14 | 11 | 12 | 1 | -2 |
128. | Utah | 34 | 32 | 32 | 0 | -2 |
128. | George Mason | 38 | 34 | 36 | 2 | -2 |
128. | Wyoming | 21 | 22 | 19 | -3 | -2 |
138. | California-Los Angeles | 86 | 86 | 85 | -1 | -1 |
138. | Michigan State | 52 | 50 | 51 | 1 | -1 |
138. | New Mexico | 28 | 29 | 27 | -2 | -1 |
138. | Cardozo, Yeshiva | 61 | 69 | 60 | -9 | -1 |
138. | Willamette | 28 | 26 | 27 | 1 | -1 |
138. | Vanderbilt | 36 | 38 | 35 | -3 | -1 |
138. | Washington | 54 | 65 | 53 | -12 | -1 |
145. | Creighton | 23 | 25 | 23 | -2 | 0 |
145. | Nevada | 26 | 27 | 26 | -1 | 0 |
145. | City University | 36 | 37 | 36 | -1 | 0 |
145. | South Carolina | 36 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 0 |
149. | California-Davis | 43 | 43 | 44 | 1 | 1 |
149. | Western State | 16 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 1 |
149. | Howard | 26 | 25 | 27 | 2 | 1 |
149. | St. Thomas (FL) | 28 | 30 | 29 | -1 | 1 |
149. | Notre Dame | 46 | 47 | 47 | 0 | 1 |
149. | Nebraska | 26 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 1 |
149. | Charlotte | 35 | 48 | 36 | -12 | 1 |
149. | Duke | 70 | 76 | 71 | -5 | 1 |
149. | North Dakota | 12 | 15 | 13 | -2 | 1 |
149. | Baylor | 27 | 25 | 28 | 3 | 1 |
149. | Liberty | 19 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 1 |
149. | Virginia | 79 | 80 | 80 | 0 | 1 |
161. | Georgia State | 57 | 59 | 59 | 0 | 2 |
161. | Harvard | 141 | 154 | 143 | -11 | 2 |
161. | Northeastern | 36 | 41 | 38 | -3 | 2 |
161. | Elon | 20 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 2 |
161. | William and Mary | 39 | 44 | 41 | -3 | 2 |
161. | West Virginia | 33 | 34 | 35 | 1 | 2 |
167. | Colorado | 43 | 48 | 46 | -2 | 3 |
167. | Chicago | 71 | 67 | 74 | 7 | 3 |
167. | Northern Illinois | 19 | 21 | 22 | 1 | 3 |
167. | Maine | 16 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 3 |
167. | New York University | 151 | 153 | 154 | 1 | 3 |
167. | Drexel | 27 | 27 | 30 | 3 | 3 |
167. | St. Mary’s | 36 | 29 | 39 | 10 | 3 |
174. | Yale | 76 | 71 | 80 | 9 | 4 |
174. | Emory | 58 | 68 | 62 | -6 | 4 |
174. | Missouri (Columbia) | 28 | 30 | 32 | 2 | 4 |
174. | North Carolina | 42 | 49 | 46 | -3 | 4 |
174. | Memphis | 18 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 4 |
174. | Richmond | 36 | 35 | 40 | 5 | 4 |
180. | Idaho | 21 | 25 | 26 | 1 | 5 |
N/A | Indiana Tech | 7 | 5 | -2 | 5 | |
180. | Michigan | 92 | 90 | 97 | 7 | 5 |
180. | Texas Southern | 30 | 29 | 35 | 6 | 5 |
183. | Cornell | 51 | 63 | 57 | -6 | 6 |
183. | Ohio State | 42 | 46 | 48 | 2 | 6 |
N/A | Concordia | 10 | 8 | -2 | 8 | |
N/A | Lincoln Memorial | 9 | 8 | -1 | 8 | |
185. | Brigham Young | 19 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 8 |
186. | Denver | 62 | 69 | 71 | 2 | 9 |
187. | Florida | 56 | 68 | 66 | -2 | 10 |
188. | Georgetown | 129 | 128 | 140 | 12 | 11 |
188. | Northwestern | 99 | 104 | 110 | 6 | 11 |
N/A | Belmont | 13 | 13 | 0 | 13 | |
N/A | Belmont | 13 | 13 | 0 | 13 | |
N/A | Massachusetts — Dartmouth | 15 | 14 | -1 | 14 | |
190. | Stanford | 68 | 91 | 88 | -3 | 20 |
N/A | Penn State (Penn State Law) | 35 | 31 | -4 | 31 | |
N/A | California-Irvine | 35 | 38 | 3 | 38 | |
N/A | Mitchell|Hamline | 38 | 38 | 38 | ||
191. | Columbia | 107 | 161 | 153 | -8 | 46 |
N/A | Rutgers | 76 | 76 | 76 | ||
10TH PERCENTILE | 23 | 17 | 17 | -7 | -22 | |
25TH PERCENTILE | 30 | 25 | 23 | -4 | -14 | |
MEDIAN | 42 | 33 | 32 | -1 | -6 | |
75TH PERCENTILE | 58 | 48 | 45 | 1 | 1 | |
90TH PERCENTILE | 75 | 68 | 66 | 4 | 5 | |
MEAN | 46.4 | 38.9 | 38.0 | -1.3 | -7.1 | |
GROSS GAIN | (^-^) | 321 | 442 | |||
GROSS LOSS | -582 | -1,902 | ||||
CUMULATIVE | 9,093 | 7,894 | 7,633 | -261 | -1,460 |
Editorial observations:
- WMU Cooley retains its crown as number one.
- No. 2, American, appears to have lost 43 percent of its fall full-time faculty this year—half since 2010. This may be a misreporting by the law school.
- The same goes for number three, John Marshall. It’s lost nearly two-thirds of its faculty since 2010.
- I’m less surprised to see Florida Coastal next on the list.
- No. 5, George Washington, raised a stir in 2015 because, as some commenters insisted, the law school reclassified a number of full-time faculty to a designation none could identify. It’s possible that the elimination of the “other full-time faculty” category somehow disserved GWU, but I don’t really see why because similar problems didn’t plague other law schools at the time. As it is, until someone can identify which bucket GWU put those twenty or so persons, it keeps its high place.
- Whittier lost 13 full-time faculty this year, but it had gained 10 last year. Similarly, SUNY Buffalo lost 24 last year but gained 15 this year. Again, probably erratic reporting.
- A bunch of law schools lost more than 10 full-time faculty this year that I haven’t already mentioned: Valparaiso (-13), University of Washington (-12), Charlotte (-12), St. Louis (-11), and Harvard (-11). Of these, Charlotte lost 16 last year, and Harvard gained 15 last year.
- Arizona Summit gained back ten, and it did report part-time faculty this year. Last year it didn’t, which was clearly wrong.
- Finally, five law schools are running with fewer than ten fall full-time faculty, La Verne (9), Lincoln Memorial (8), Concordia (8), Appalachian (7), and the doomed Indiana Tech (5).
Here are prior posts on this topic:
- “Which Law Schools Are Shedding Full-Time Faculty? (2015 Edition)” (January 11, 2016)
- “Which Law Schools Are Shedding Full-Time Faculty? (2014 Edition)” (December 18, 2014)
- “Which Law Schools Are Shedding Full-Time Professors (2013 Edition)?” (April 25, 2014)
- “Stealth Layoffs Revealed?” (November 13, 2013)
Can you do a report with % decrease/increase?
I could but I’ve posted the raw numbers here and prior posts.
Welcome professors and deans to Solo private practice. Have fun explaining to clients that you won’t represent them in traffic court for $49.00. See Ticket Clinic Billboards around Chicagoland.
The 2 ls mergers (Hamline-Wm Mitchell) & Rutgers (Newark & Camden) total figures appear to be based on the assumption that zero faculty now work at the merged institutions.
You can find Mitchell|Hamline and Rutgers [together] at the bottom of the table. If there was a decline within the mergers, e.g. profs lost from Hamline or Mitchell during the move, then I’m giving them a pass. You can do that math yourself.