UNT Dallas College Of Law's Felecia Epps On Raising Test Scores, Revamping Law School

[Harry]

The four-year-old UNT Dallas College of Law is about to get a new dean. Felecia Epps comes from Florida A&M University, which faced similar challenges with getting its would-be lawyers to pass the bar exam.

Last year, a little more than half of the first-time test takers from FAMU passed. UNT Dallas had a 59 percent pass rate, the lowest for a Texas law school. Epps, who's replacing retiring dean Royal Furgeson, will also have to focus on getting UNT Dallas fully accredited with the American Bar Association. For now, the law school has provisional accreditation.

In our Friday Conversation, Epps talked to KERA's Rick Holter about how similar issues were handled at her old university — and why she was dismissed. 

On improving bar exam test scores:

You really have to have an approach that starts to work with the students before they begin law school, where you're really driving home to them the seriousness of what they're about to do, starting to work with them on legal analysis, reading comprehension skills. And those things are currently being worked on. Then you provide them with some top-notch, intensive bar preparation programs.

On why accreditation can be tough for schools to obtain:

The [American Bar Association] wants to be very careful to be sure law schools are providing students what they need to succeed in law school and pass the bar. Their interest is understandable because the students invest quite a bit, not just in finances, but also in terms of time and effort. So you want to make sure they're getting everything they need in school so they can succeed in the practice of law.

read more:  http://keranews.org/post/unt-dallas-college-laws-felecia-epps-raising-test-scores-revamping-law-school

 

[DeepGreen]

We have to go to all the way to Florida A & M to hire a replacement Dean of the UNT Dallas Law School?  No other Asst Law School Deans from so many great universities in the State of Texas were approached or applied for the job?

[Hunter Green]

Curious. Connections with our new Chancellor?

[FirefightnRick]

 

Rick