Speakers and workshops and beaches, oh my!

The charming 19th century Hotel del Coronado,located across the Big Bay from San Diego, will bethe setting for LSAC’s 2015 Annual Meeting andEducational Conference. The legendary hotel has a fascinating history: many believe it to be the inspiration for the magic Emerald City of Oz in theWizard of Oz book series. The annual meeting takesthat story as its theme this year: “A Brain, a Heart, and Courage: Leading Law SchoolAdmissions Today.”

At this meeting, you can expect to fill your brainwith strategies and techniques for immediate implementation; generate ideas and network with colleagues, the better to keep your heart inyour work; and bolster your courage through understanding and managing a constantly changing landscape.

The conference, which begins officially onWednesday, May 27, with an Opening Receptionand Welcome Dinner, will conclude on Saturdayevening, May 30, with Fiesta del Mar, a Mexican-themed celebration.

There will be concurrent sessions and mini-sessions,as in previous years. The mini-sessions are 35-minute “how-to” workshops that focus on a singletopic. If you’re a newcomer, there is an orientationfor you, where veteran law school admission profes-sionals will guide you through conference events,pointing out sessions that may interest you. Be sureto stop by the Learning Lounge to chat with membersof Law School Support Services (LSSS), who can provide details about LSAC’s electronic services ordiscuss your training needs. The LSSS team will beon hand throughout the conference.

LSAC REPORTNEWSLETTER OF THE LAW SCHOOL ADMISSION COUNCIL

LSA

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IN THISISSUE

PAGE 2• View from the Chair

PAGE 3• President’s Report

PAGE 4• Board Nominations

PAGE 5• Diversity Initiatives

PAGE 7• LLM Usage

PAGE 8• Fee Waivers• MPRE

PAGE 9• SOGAP

PAGE 12• Research Reports

PAGE 13• Calendar

(SEE ANNUAL MEETING, PAGE 5)

MAY 2015NO.2015-1

Annual Meeting: Following the YellowBrick Road

Hotel del Coronado

2 • LSACREPORT

The planners of this year’s educationalconference, entitled, “A Brain, a Heart, andCourage: Leading Law School AdmissionsToday,” hope to provide you withinformation and skill-building sessionsenabling you to better do your jobs withrenewed confidence and spirit. Threekeynote speakers: Ava DuVernay, writer,producer, director, and distributor ofindependent films including Selma;Richard Clarke, cybersecurity expert andformer counterterrorism czar; and JessicaJackley, founder and former chiefmarketing officer of KIVA, the world’s firstpeer microlending website, will inspire usto marshal all the resources at hand andwithin to get beyond the rough times. Asalways, there will be information-filledsessions for learning and skill building, aswell as plenty of opportunities to havesome fun with your friends and colleaguesfrom Kansas and everywhere else.

“Oh, I’d give anything to get out of Ozaltogether; but which is the way back toKansas? I can’t go the way I came!”

LSAC also is working hard to escape Ozwith various program initiatives and plansfor the future. You will have the opportunityto learn about the exciting potential for

using technology in administering theLSAT. And, using the test developmentknowledge and skills of LSAC staff, LSAC islooking at developing skills-assessmenttools that might be used by colleges,universities, and law schools in this age ofoutcome and assessment focus. Similarly,new ways of offering technology-basedLSAT test-orientation lessons toprospective students is underconsideration. The Board of Trusteesidentified several initiatives pertaining tomission-related services, support services,diversity initiatives, communications andpublic relations, technology, andgovernance that will need furtherdevelopment in the next few years. Onesuch initiative is a comprehensive onlineeducation strategy designed to strengtheninformation available to prospectiveapplicants, admission professionals atmember schools, and prelaw advisors. An online tutorial for critical reasoning isanother initiative being considered.Diversity initiatives remain a high priority for our organization.

Like the journey our Wizard of Oz friendstook across the poppy fields, into theEmerald City, and through the dark forest,the work of LSAC and member law schools

LSACREPORTPublished Biannually

© 2015 by Law SchoolAdmission Council, Inc.

Executive EditorWENDY MARGOLISwmargolis@LSAC.org

Managing EditorBONNIE GORDONbgordon@LSAC.org

Design and ProductionManager DEBORAH VELSOR

VIEW FROM THE CHAIR

Legal education, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, has been caught in an ill wind. Negativity

about the value of a law degree, ethical dilemmas in the admission process, questions

about the qualifications of the applicant pool, declines in the legal job market, increases in

student debt, and the resultant decrease in applicants to law school has made for a tumultuous

ride. You, the admission professionals, are like Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and

the Lion courageously in search of a way home, a feeling of stability, and a sense of forward

momentum. We are all hoping that there IS a Wizard of Oz, or at least a Good Witch, who will

help us in our quest.

The Leadership of Admission Professionals in the Land of Oz“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. We must be over the rainbow!”

ATHORNIA STEELEProfessor of Law, Nova Southeastern

(SEE THE LAND OF OZ, PAGE 10)

3 • LSACREPORT

A Look into the Crystal Ball

In an era when travel can be extremely expensive and time-consuming, an increasingnumber of organizations are relying on online solutions for training, professionaldevelopment, and other educational needs. As much as we value face-to-facecommunication for LSAC’s interactions with members, we are investigating ways that wecan virtually accomplish some of our goals in this area, with flexible scheduling,consistency in delivery, and the ability to increase our offerings outside of the limits ofreal-time staff availability. We think implementation of an eLearning strategy could be awin-win for delivery and receiving. The Board of Trustees supports this strategy, and hasprovided the resources to develop the infrastructure for it over a five-year period.

In a similar vein, we are considering ways to enhance our LSAT-orientation offeringsonline. We are in the early stages of this exploration and will update you as we knowmore. Leveraging of our knowledge base and inventory of LSAT items is looming large in our crystal ball.

Of course, this perfectly segues into our vision of a Digital LSAT. This vision is still a bitblurry in the crystal ball, because there are as many or more hurdles to overcome as therehas been progress made; fortunately, there will be repeated opportunities at the annualmeeting to see the truly impressive results of our development efforts thus far. I encourageyou to make time to go to one of the Digital LSAT sessions to see for yourself.

LSAC’s Information Services Division (ISD) has already looked in the crystal ball and hasembarked on a modernization campaign that will update many of LSAC’s technologicalofferings, including ACES2. There will be a variety of options for interacting with ISD staffat the annual meeting. ISD is making a special effort to explore with schools thealternatives to the ACES2 University Systems Interface (USI), now that USI is being phasedout. One opportunity for Banner schools will be a luncheon to be held on May 28 at theannual meeting.

Of course, what we most want to see in the crystal ball is good fortunes for legal educationand law students. I remain optimistic! n

PRESIDENT’SREPORT

The Annual Meeting and Educational Conference is a welcome retreat where we can spend

some time in comfortable surroundings and take stock of the state of legal education. I am

not going to do that here—my intent is to look ahead and share with you some of the things we

in Newtown see in our crystal ball.

DANIEL O. BERNSTINEPresident, LSAC

4 • LSACREPORT

Dan Bernstine Tours Law Schools in India

LSAC President Daniel Bernstine visited India from March 30 through April 3 to meet withlaw schools and Pearson Vue, the organization that administers the LSAT—India. Dan visitedJaipur and Hyderabad, as well as Noida, where Pearson Vue offices are located.

LSAC Test Development staff in Newtown and Pearson Vue in Noida worked together toput the finishing touches on the LSAT—India test administered on May 17. This year willmark the seventh year of the LSAT—India program, which promises to be the largestadministration to date, with registrations currently surpassing last year’s at this time by 25percent. Sixty-one law schools in India will be accepting LSAT—India scores.

The number of seats in Indian law schools reserved for students who take the LSAT—Indiais larger than the number of seats reserved for any other competitive law school admissiontest in India. This year, that number will approach 5,000.

The LSAT—India is administered in English for admission to Indian law schools, where theprimary language of instruction is English. It is modeled on the LSAT, but is adaptedspecifically for use in India, where legal education is offered at both the undergraduateand graduate degree levels. Test forms developed for the LSAT—India are subject to aspecial fairness review by staff at Newtown and at Pearson Vue India to ensure that thesubject matter for all test questions is appropriate for test takers in India. Additional information can be found at pearsonvueindia.com/lsatindia. n

New Board Members NominatedThe 2015 nominees for the LSAC Board of Trustees are Douglas E. Ray, professorof law at St. Thomas University School of Law; Rebecca L. Scheller, assistant deanfor admissions and financial aid at the University of Wisconsin Law School; andJohn Valery White, executive vice president and provost at the University ofNevada, Las Vegas.

The ballot is the result of a nominating process that began in December 2014with LSAC Chair Athornia Steele’s appointment of a Nominating Committee. That committee was comprised of three individuals: Cynthia R. Mabry (chair),professor of Law, Howard; Robert L. Solomon, assistant dean for admissions andfinancial aid, director of diversity and inclusion, Ohio State; and Christina B.Whitman, Francis A. Allen Collegiate Professor of Law and professor of women’sstudies, Michigan.

Voting took place through an authenticated balloting procedure that was due atLSAC by May 11. Results of the election will be announced at the LSAC AnnualBusiness Meeting in Coronado, California.

The three trustees elected through this ballot will succeed Janice L. Austin, UC-Irvine; Steven I. Friedland, Elon; and Arthur R. Pinto, Brooklyn, whose terms will expire in June 2015. n

Douglas E. Ray

Rebecca L. Scheller

John Valery White

5 • LSACREPORT

A Diverse Calendar in 2015

LSAC’s Diversity Initiatives office has been busy so far in 2015, with no signs of slowingdown. All of their efforts support one of LSAC’s core objectives—to improve access todiversity in legal education and the profession.

In January, the New York City Bar Association hosted the annual LSAT/Law School PrepSeries—three days of workshops for college students and recent graduates, withinformation on the law school application process, the LSAT, and the first year of lawschool. Kent Lollis, executive director for Diversity Initiatives, moderated a paneldiscussion of important techniques for researching, selecting, and applying to law schools.Yessenia García-Lebrón, assistant director for Diversity Initiatives, presented a workshopabout services and products offered by LSAC, as well as navigation of LSAC.org andobtaining fee waivers for the test and the Credential Assembly Service.

In February, the second annual DiscoverLaw.org Day was held at the TempleUniversity—James E. Beasley School of Law. Nearly 100 high school students attendedfrom three Philadelphia high schools and the Trenton Central High School—West (in NewJersey), a local high school sponsored by LSAC. The day-long program was designed toexpose students to various career opportunities in law, provide them with undergraduateand law school resources, and motivate them to stay focused in school so they cancontinue a successful path to college and law school. The event included a paneldiscussion with law students, an interactive legal exercise, and local minority attorneys inone-on-one conversations with students during lunch.

In March, Yessenia García-Lebrón and Yusuf Abdul-Kareem, assistant director for DiversityInitiatives, served, respectively, on the College Board’s National Planning ConferenceCommittee for the Prepárate: Educating Latinos for the Future of America and A DreamDeferred: The Future of African Americans—two conferences held back to back in NewOrleans with shared sessions and networking opportunities. More than 200 high schooladministrators, colleges, superintendents, and organizations from across the countryattended. Diversity Initiatives staff members were able to reach out to undergraduates andprofessionals at the conference to discuss the early preparation for legal education oftenneeded by underrepresented students.

Finally, in April the first Diversity Retention Conference took place in Las Vegas (see story on next page), and Diversity Initiatives staff attended the Ninth Annual Meeting of Law School Diversity Professionals at the Charlotte School of Law. The conferencebrought together law school diversity professionals and supporters in a collaborativeenvironment to promote a system of networking, information sharing, and resource sharing. n

The winners of the DiversityMatters Award, which honorsthe highest levels of outreachto racially and ethnicallydiverse students by particularlaw schools, will be announcedat the Welcome Dinner.

More than 500 admission professionals from the UnitedStates, Canada, and Australiawill participate in this premierevent of the law schooladmission community. Inaddition to learning, networking,and sharing best practices,guests will enjoy some restand relaxation at a charmingseaside location, experiencingthe services of a grand hotelthat has served US presidentsand Hollywood royalty alike.(You may recognize this hotelas the backdrop of the iconicMarilyn Monroe movie, SomeLike It Hot.) There is lots tosee inside the hotel, and outside—the beach! n

Annual Meeting(continued from page 1)

6 • LSACREPORT

The first national conference on diversity retention in legal education drew approximately100 law school representatives to Las Vegas in April. Participants took a close look at whatstudents need to excel and to maximize their potential. The conference aimed to identifythe factors that affect student performance, and to leave participants with specificstrategies and tools for implementation at their schools. The program includedpresentations by 19 national experts from education, social science research, and law—and also included a panel of law school students. A highlight of the conference was thekeynote speaker, Terrell Strayhorn, director of the Center for Higher Education Enterprise(CHEE) at The Ohio State University.

Workshop topics included the importance of an inclusive classroom, institutional barriers tosuccess, and student advising. Among the breakout sessions on best practices were suchtopics as creating mentoring programs, developing student leaders, creating partnershipswith external groups, and educating faculty and staff on diversity and inclusion. n

LSAC Hosts First National Conference on Diversity Retention

KENT LOLLIS (right), executive director for Diversity Initiatives, stands behind an electronic display of the conference website’s main page. At left is Yusuf Abdul-Kareem, an assistant director for Diversity Initiatives.

7 • LSACREPORT

In 2014–2015, more law schools used at least one of the services available as part of theLLM Credential Assembly Service—transcripts, letters of recommendation, or electronicapplications. There were 133 schools using LLM CAS as of April 1, 2015, compared to 122schools at approximately the same time last year.

On the candidate side, there were 12,364 registrants in 2014–2015, compared with 11,760in the previous year. This represents a 5 percent increase.

During the same period in 2014–2015, there were 27,781 letters of recommendationprocessed (a 6 percent increase from 2013 to 2014); 15,080 transcripts received (10 percentmore than last year); and 4,710 AACRAO evaluations processed (a 7 percent increase).

LLM CAS staff received 14,164 phone calls (a 24 percent rise over the previous year) and21,620 emails (a 14 percent rise from last year).

The majority of LLM service registrants are from the United States (2,582), with China aclose second (1,531), and India following (806). n

LLM CAS Usage on the Rise

LLM Applicants By Country (First Degree in Law)

COUNTRY NUMBER OF APPLICANTS

United States of America/Territories 2,582

China 1,531

India 806

United Kingdom 724

Brazil 528

Nigeria 374

France 358

Mexico 294

Saudi Arabia 294

Korea, Republic of (South) 274

Japan 237

8 • LSACREPORT

A report on the fee waiver applications for 2014–2015 compared with the previous yearshows steady numbers in applications, approvals, denials, approvals and denials ofappeals, and number by ethnicity and gender.

Some noticeable results:

• the number of fee waiver applications is about the same—10,511 this year compared to 10,770 last year;

• 53.6 percent of eligible applications were approved compared to 55 percent last year;

• 46.4 percent of applications were denied compared to 45 percent last year;

• total appeals were approximately the same—822 this year compared to 814 last year;

• of all the fee waiver appeals reviewed this year, 43.6 percent were approved and 56.4percent were denied;

• 63.6 percent of approved fee waivers are female; 36 percent are male; and

• about 34 percent of approved fee waivers are for Black/African American applicants,followed by 25 percent for Caucasian/White, and 16.5 for Hispanic/Latino.

Slightly more than half of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals applications wereapproved—54 percent this year as compared to 50.8 percent last year. n

Fee Waivers Hold Steady

MPRE 2014, By the Numbers

In 2014, more than 67,000 test takers took the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination(MPRE), a test that is given by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and administered by LSAC.

The two-hour, 60-question, multiple-choice exam is administered three times ayear around the US. Last year, there were 361 centers open for the March MPREadministration, 352 centers for August, and 336 for November.

Nearly 23,000 test takers took the March test last year; just over 17,000 in August,and just under 20,000 in November.

A positive working relationship between LSAC and NCBE has contributed to thesuccess of the MPRE administrations since the partnership began in 2013. n

9 • LSACREPORT

The long process of reviewing and revising the Statement of Good AdmissionPractices (SOGAP) that began over a year ago has resulted in approval of the newversion by the LSAC Board of Trustees.

Following the SOGAP work group’s initial revisions and feedback solicited frommember schools, the work group convened in February to discuss the feedback andprovide recommendations for a final draft that captured the core ideals of law schooladmission professionals in the emerging legal education environment. TheStatement was edited to ensure consistency and restructured to make it easier tofind relevant sections; in addition, some suggested guidelines for transferadmissions were added.

The Services and Programs Committee approved the suggested recommendations, andsubmitted the revised version to the Board of Trustees. The work group has recommendedthat the Services and Programs Committee periodically reassess the Statement to refine thelanguage as needed.

The new statement is available at LSAC.org/lsacresources under Publications. n

Statement of Good Admission Practices Revised

Reporting of Older Scores to EndWe want to make sure that this message is disseminated as widely as possible so thataffected test takers will take action to obtain their scores for their records before July 1, 2015. As of July 1, LSAC will no longer provide scores older than five years plus the current testing year either to law schools or to candidates. Scores earned prior toJune 1, 2010, will neither be reported to law schools nor available to candidates. Pleasehelp us spread the word. n

Officially, We’re 222Law Schools Now

Now that the Board ofTrustees has approvedLincoln Memorial University—John J. Duncan, Jr. School of Law; Widener UniversityDelaware Law School; and Widener UniversityCommonwealth Law School,there are 222 LSAC-memberlaw schools. That includes204 US member (ABA-approved) schools, 17Canadian member schools, and one Australianmember school. n

10 • LSACREPORT

will not take place overnight and without some challenges. Unlike the journey to Oz, we’renot dreaming up these challenges; they are very real. For more information about howLSAC is working to help you and others reach your goals, I encourage you to review thecommittee reports posted on LSACorg.

I have always loved the story of the Wizard of Oz and believe it to be a story directed to adultsas well as children. If you go to your library’s catalog or Google any combination of the wordsleadership and/or personal development along with Wizard of Oz, a number of books andarticles written on the leadership and personal development lessons of the Wizard of Ozappear. Of course, many of you have long ago observed that the Scarecrow complaining ofno brain, the Tin Woodsman lamenting the absence of a heart, and the Cowardly Lion cryingabout his lack of courage each possessed and demonstrated that which they thought theylacked. Granted, it took a journey, confrontation with a wicked witch, and a little eye-openingassistance from the Wizard and Glinda, the Good Witch, for them to recognize what they had.Legal education in general, and admission professionals in particular, are engaged in ajourney. It may take a bit more than clicking our heels together to overcome the wicked witchof the scam bloggers, rankings, negative media stories, declining applications, and pressuringdeans, but at least at this annual meeting and educational conference, we can take some timeto consider possibilities, recharge our internal strengths, and bask in the support of ourfriends and colleagues (and some lovely beaches and sunshine).

Of course, a conference with our theme would not be as much fun if it didn’t have a songfrom the movie (singing is permitted). So here it is:

Cowardly Lion: I'd be brave as a blizzard ... Tin Woodsman: I'd be gentle as a lizard ... Scarecrow: I'd be clever as a gizzard ... Dorothy: If the Wizard is a wizard who will serve. Scarecrow: Then I'm sure to get a brain ... Tin Woodsman: A heart ... Dorothy: A home ... Cowardly Lion: The nerve! n

The Land of Oz(continued from page 2)

A new LSAT preparation book, The Official LSAT SuperPrep II,is being prepared for publication and should be available bymid-June. Like its predecessor—the original SuperPrep—published more than 10 years ago, the book will includethree previously administered tests with an explanation foreach question. This amounts to 303 mini-lessons. Thispractice book will help users learn how to approach LSATquestions as they prepare to take the test.

SuperPrep ll will replace SuperPrep as the test prep book provided to LSAC fee waiver recipients upon request. n

New SuperPrep to Be Published

11 • LSACREPORT

Applicants by CRS Registration

This graph shows the number of fall applicants to ABA-approved schools who did,and who did not, register for the Candidate Referral Service (CRS). The graphshows applicant numbers for the past six years.

LSAT Takers by Administration

This graph shows LSAT takers by test administration for the last two testing years.The most recent December and February administrations show an increase overlast year's administrations by 0.8% and 4.4%, respectively.

Selected Statistics

12 • LSACREPORT

This list includes reports published online since May 2014. These reports and many otherLSAC-sponsored research reports (RR), computerized testing reports (CTR), statisticalreports (SR), grants reports (GR), and LSAT technical reports (TR) can be downloaded at LSAC.org.

Research Reports Available on the LSAC Website

RESEARCH REPORTSDmitry I. BelovResearch Report 14-01: Comparison Studyof Item Preknowledge DetectorsMarch 2015

Sukaesi Marianti, Jean-Paul Fox, MariannaAvetisyan, and Bernard P. VeldkampResearch Report 14-02: Testing for AberrantBehavior in Response Time ModelingMarch 2014

Jean-Paul FoxResearch Report 14-05: ModelingDifferential Working Speed in Educational TestingOctober 2014

Bernard P. VeldkampResearch Report 14-06: Some PracticalIssues in Computerized Adaptive TestingWith Response TimesOctober 2014

GRANTS REPORTSElizabeth H. Gorman and Fiona M. KayGrants Report 14-01: Law FirmEmployment Practices and theRepresentation of Minority Associates and PartnersMarch 2014

LSAT TECHNICAL REPORTSSusan P. Dalessandro, Lisa C. Anthony,and Lynda M. ReeseLSAT Technical Report 14-02: LSATPerformance With Regional, Gender, andRacial/Ethnic Breakdowns: 2007–2008Through 2013–2014 Testing YearsOctober 2014

Andrea Thornton Sweeney, Deborah A. Suto,and Lynda M. ReeseLSAT Technical Report 14-03: Summary ofSelf-Reported Methods of TestPreparation by LSAT Takers for TestingYears 2011–2012 Through 2013–2014October 2014 n

Admission Professionals Survey Results Coming Soon

The third Admission Professionals Survey was administered in April to all LSAC-member school admission directors. The results will be reported initially at theAnnual Meeting and Educational Conference, with broader dissemination later in the summer.

LSAC first published information about the status of law school admissionprofessionals in 2003. Data was compiled on their roles, responsibilities, skills,education, staff numbers, and salaries. That study was replicated in 2007 to track the data over time. Given the upheavals in legal education in recent years, we areespecially interested to see how the latest results compare to those from the earlier surveys. n

PO Box 40, Newtown PA 18940

LSAC.org

LSACREPORT

LSAC CALENDARMAY 201527–30 Annual Meeting and

Educational ConferenceCoronado, CA

JUNE 20158 LSAT Administration

12–13 Committee Chairs MeetingAspen, CO

JULY 201525 Law School Recruitment Forum

Washington, DC

AUGUST 20157–8 Board of Trustees Retreat

TBA

SEPTEMBER 20159–13 Newcomers’ Conference

Philadelphia, PA

26 Law School Recruitment ForumMiami, FL

28 Canadian Law School Recruitment ForumToronto, ON

OCTOBER 20152 Services and Programs Committee

TBA

2–3 Test Development and Research CommitteeTBA

3 LSAT Administration

10 Law School Recruitment ForumLos Angeles, CA

16–17 Law School Recruitment ForumNew York, NY

17 Law School LLM Recruitment ForumNew York, NY

19 Law School Recruitment ForumHouston, TX

23 Law School Recruitment ForumAtlanta, GA

29 Law School Recruitment ForumBoston, MA

DECEMBER 20155 LSAT Administration