ABA Journal, University of New Hampshire Law Students Slam Hybrid JD Program as Dean Steps Down:
As the dean of the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law steps down Dec. 31, students and faculty are expressing concerns over the hybrid JD program that she helped launch in 2019.
Law.com, UNH Law Students Report Issues With Hybrid JD Program After Dean Steps Down:
[Megan] Carpenter, who has served as dean for more than eight years, wrote in a Nov. 21 email to the law school community, which was provided to Law.com, that she arrived at the decision after “much reflection over the past few months,” adding that she “stayed far beyond the national average of 2.5-3 years because I love this place, and because I believe in what we have built together.” …
Three former hybrid program students who had been admitted for the fall 2024 semester told Law.com that they were admitted under one minimum GPA requirement to “remain in good standing” within the program, which was retroactively changed right after they started their first semester, causing all three to be dismissed from the school for not meeting the altered requirement.
Acceptance letters sent to students in April 2024 outlined a cumulative 2.0 minimum GPA requirement in order to remain in good academic standing and obtain a degree, which was also reflected on the university’s website at that time, according to the Wayback Machine.
However, in July, these requirements were updated on the school’s website, stating that students who fail to maintain a “minimum semester or cumulative grade average” of 2.5, or any students who achieves a C- or lower in any course, fall “under the jurisdiction of the Committee for Academic Success and Standing (CASS) and may not continue as a candidate for the Juris Doctor degree.”
The July changes also included a stipulation that a student who, at the end of any semester, has a cumulative GPA between 2.5 and 2.75 “is identified as in need of “early intervention” and becomes subject to CASS jurisdiction.”
Students were notified of the new requirements the following month in a “welcome back” email on Aug. 28, 2024, from UNH Law Student Life.
Carpenter stated in an email to Law.com that the changes came as a result of a vote from the UNH law faculty, aiming to “to be consistent with the mission of the institution, American Bar Association requirements, and to follow best practices in legal education.”
The ABA does not stipulate any GPA-specific requirements.
Concord Monitor, UNH Law School Dean Megan Carpenter to Step Down at End of December
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