The University of California, Irvine, finally is getting a law school.
The University of California’s Board of Regents on Thursday approved UC Irvine’s plans to start a law school that would be the state’s first public one in more than 40 years.
The school’s first students are expected to enroll in fall 2009. UCI said it expects to serve 600 students within five years of opening its law school’s doors. It eventually will have 30 full-time faculty members.
Thursday’s decision caps years of attempts by the university to land a law school during its 41-year history.
UCI’s Academic Senate approved proposals for a law school in 1989 and again in 2001. But those plans were shelved because of statewide budget constraints.
Chancellor Michael Drake, when he took office last year, said getting a law school was one of his priorities.
“The campus has studied this over several decades,” he said. “A law school would fit perfectly with other programs on campus.”
As for money, the university said that funding already is part of its growth plan. Additional money would come from law student fees and donations.
The law school initially will be housed in existing campus buildings. Plans call for a new building for the law school to be constructed within the next few years.
The university said that it wants to develop several joint degrees with programs in emerging technology, social policy, international business and healthcare.
