When the U.S. News & World Report law school rankings came out April 7, MSU-Detroit College of Law Dean Terence Blackburn said he was surprised.
"We are disappointed, because we think that the ranking doesn't reflect all of the great progress we have made here at the college," Blackburn said.
DCL was ranked as a Tier 4 law school - the lowest tier - by the magazine, which annually ranks graduate programs based on expert opinion, program quality and statistical indicators that measure students, research and faculty.
Specifically in law, U.S. News ranks the 177 accredited law schools in the United States on a weighted average measuring quality assessment, selectivity, placement success and faculty resources. A school's reputation is the most heavily weighted factor in the rankings.
"What is holding us back is in the academic reputation," Blackburn said. "This did not recognize where we are today."
The magazine has four people from every law college as well as practicing lawyers and sitting judges rank the other law schools around the country.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Michael Lawrence echoed Blackburn's sentiment.
"I know for a fact that I know nothing about some of these schools," said Lawrence, who took part in ranking the schools. "There are about 180 law schools - it is impossible for me to know about the University of North Dakota's law school.
"They know Harvard and Yale are good."
DCL is not traditionally a high-ranking school, Lawrence said. Lawyers and deans around the country tend to rank schools based on familiarity.
Yale University was the top-ranked law school in the country and the University of Michigan ranked seventh. The only other in-state law school to rank within the top 100 was Wayne State University which finished 97th.
Lansing's Cooley Law School landed in Tier 4, with DCL.
Improvements are not recognized right away, Lawrence said, citing DCL's 87-percent bar passage rate was second in the state only to Michigan. Wayne State University had an 85-percent passage rate.
Third-year law student Jason Seifert said he doesn't understand how Wayne State could be higher ranked when they had a lower passage rate.
"I personally think those rankings are grossly misleading," Seifert said. "The people that do the rankings can't see past the old image of DCL and I think that is a shame."
