Following up on my prior post, UNLV to Fire Tenured Faculty, Close Schools in Face of ‘Fiscal Collapse’ (Feb. 16, 2011): National Law Journal, Cuts at UNLV Could Render Law School a ‘Mediocre Institution’:

Public law schools are no strangers to funding cuts, but few have found themselves in the dire situation now facing the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

University President Neal Smatresk has proposed a budget cut of $2.26 million for the law school as part of $32.6 million in cuts for the university. … The law school would reduce its operating budget by $68,351, while the rest of the cuts will be made up with tuition and fee increases. The university plans to eliminate 315 faculty and staff positions, although there is no plan to eliminate law school faculty or staff. A summary accompanying Smatresk’s letter notes that the plan would require significant tuition increases. “These additional increases will undermine the law school’s successful formula and render it a mediocre institution,” the summary reads. …

Law school tuition at present is $20,000 for Nevada residents and $33,400 for out-of-state students. Law Dean John Valery White said the school has not yet determined how big the tuition increase will be, but that it will likely fall within the 15% to 20% range. That would be an unusually large increase, given that most law schools are talking about tuition increases of between 3 and 10%.