Golden Gate University Law School Faces Bankruptcy, Closure

Following up on my previous posts:

• Struggling San Francisco Law School Slashes Class Size, Cancels Tuition (Sept. 30, 2022)
• ABA Gives Golden Gate Law School 3-Year Extension To Meet 75% Bar Passage Accreditation Standard (Mar. 30, 2023)

The Golden Gate University Board of Trustees meets today to decide the fate of its 122 year old law school:

• For the last 10 years, GGU School of Law has struggled to generate sufficient tuition revenue to meet operating expenses while at the same time ensuring compliance with ABA bar passage requirements
• A bold plan to transform GGU Law in accordance with the University’s longstanding commitment to access and affordability was developed a year-and-a-half ago (January 2022), in conjunction with internal and external legal education experts, and overwhelmingly endorsed by Law School faculty.
• Despite the integrity of the plan, for which we fully expected to have resources, we now face tighter capital markets as well as the precipitous devaluation of San Francisco’s commercial real estate as we sought to sell downtown properties and right-size our physical space requirements.
• In sum, a perfect storm has impacted GGU Law. The cannot continue to sustain an operating deficit from the Law School. And we must maintain sufficiently high admissions standards in order to comply with ABA bar passage requirements.

• Following consultation with the Law School faculty, President Fike asked them to present a proposed plan to resolve the challenges that GGU Law is facing.
• The Law School faculty, in collaboration with the dean of the Law School, presented its proposal to President Fike as requested yesterday. The proposed plan envisions a long-term future for the Law School and is currently under consideration.
• No decision has been made. The GGU Board of Trustees and President Fike will meet as scheduled to review this faculty proposal and discuss next steps at GGU Law. ...
• After the 6/21 board meeting, we will provide the GGU Law community with an update as soon as possible and no later than 7/1.

San Francisco Standard, Golden Gate University Law School Faces Bankruptcy, Closure:

Golden Gate Law currently has about 200 students, according to Student Bar Association president Mohammed Jamal, and needs some $50 million over five years to avoid bankruptcy, although The Standard was unable to confirm that figure independently. ...

The Board of Trustees will vote on proposals for the law school on Wednesday afternoon at a meeting closed to the public, including students.