Document Type

Chart

Publication Date

2016

Abstract

This chart represents research for “ Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It . . .": Taking Law School Mission Statements Seriously by Irene Scharf and Vanessa Merton. To identify whether a school had a mission statement and, if so, what it encompassed, we largely followed the process described by Professor Organ in Missing Missions: Further Reflections on Institutional Pluralism (or its Absence), 60 J. LEGAL EDUC. 157, 160-161 (2010): The search process involved several steps. We checked the law school webpage to see if it had a link to “Mission.” We checked the “About” link to see if the description of the law school referenced the school’s mission. We checked the “Dean’s Message” or the “Dean’s Welcome” to try to identify all law schools that clearly highlighted a mission statement. We checked the “Academics” page and the “Admissions” page. We also used the search link on the school’s webpage entering the words “mission” and “strategic plan.” While many law schools have a “mission” that is clearly defined as a “mission” or “vision,” others were less explicit, but nonetheless described the school’s “aims” or “purpose” or “commitment,” which we deemed sufficient to qualify as a mission statement. A mere description of the law school or what the law school does or is or what the law school provides students was deemed insufficient to constitute a mission.

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