Governance Plan – CUNY School of Law

Download a pdf version of the Governance Plan The City University of New York School of Law for print.

I. INTRODUCTION

A. PURPOSES

1. The central purpose of The City University School of Law (the “Law School”) is to create an educational program that will train students for the practice of law in the service of human needs and honor students’ aspirations toward building a legal career that reflects their commitment toward justice, fairness, and equality. The organization of work and life at the Law School is designed to encourage students to think actively about their life choices, their evolving concept of professionalism, and the content and processes of the law itself, in ways that foster their capacity to practice law in a socially useful manner.

2. This Governance Plan is intended to provide a governance system for the Law School that facilitates the realization of this commitment. This Governance Plan should be read consistent with the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees of The City University of New York, and nothing in this Plan should be read as inconsistent with the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees unless specifically so stated in this Governance Plan. The procedures that follow seek to encourage a spirit of relationship, trust, and community that operates within a framework of rules. The rules are designed to provide a framework within which people motivated by a sense of shared mission can operate in a manner that encourages responsibility and participation by all members of the Law School community.

3. In order to serve these ends, a governance system needs to respect both democratic modes of participation and an institutional authority that enables the Law School to maintain a coherent and coordinated expression of its purpose.

B. STATUS WITHIN THE CITY UNIVERSITY

1. The City University School of Law is a unit of The City University of New York (“The City University”). The Law School is a constituent element, similar to a college of The City University and shall have ties to all institutions within The City University.

Amended December 9, 2008, approved by CUNY Board of Trustees March 23, 2009. Amended may 6, 2016, approved by CUNY Board of Trustees June 27, 2016. Amended on September 9, 2016 and approved by CUNY Board of Trustees January 30, 2017 (Cal. No.5.C.) with effective date as of 1/31/2017. Amended on October 23, 2017.