RWU Law Equity Scorecard

Overview

The Roger Williams University School of Law Equity Scorecard was designed to measure the performance of our diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives outlined in the law school’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan (2018). Our goal with this scorecard is to measure different elements related to the experience of our diverse student population. The measurements included in this scorecard include the following: admission and demographic information, retention and graduation data, bar passage, academic performance, job placement, and faculty and staff hiring. The different data points collected are intended to give us a view into our progress in creating a diverse and inclusive environment at the law school related to enrollment management, student support, campus climate, and representation within our law school community.

The information collected in this report is meant to provide an overview of diversity and inclusion at RWU Law. The equity scorecard is not meant to provide answers; this report is meant to prompt us with questions about how we are walking towards the goals that we outlined in the Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan and help us identify priority areas for action. Each year, consistent with our regular reporting about our progress, we will release an updated Equity Scorecard which will benchmark our progress towards these goals.

One only has to look at the lack of representation within the field of law to recognize that there are flaws deeply embedded into our systems. From admission to the bar exam, to pre-law advising, to who is represented on the bench. We also recognize that the information shared in our report is typically not made public by other law schools around the country. We wish to be transparent.

We cannot begin to make the kinds of changes needed at RWU Law if we are not measuring ourselves consistently and reporting out our progress to the community. When we do not measure ourselves authentically, we cannot hold ourselves accountable in the way that pushes our work forward. We value what we measure, and we measure what we value.

We stand with this report and the data represented within it. As much as we have been able to accomplish over the past several years since the strategic plan was released, the numbers tell us that there is still a great deal of work ahead.

Scorecard Overview

 

Applicant Data

 

Applicant Data (2)

 

Acceptance Data

 

Acceptance Data (2)

 

Enrollment Data

 

Enrollment Data (2)

 

Attrition

 

CL23 GPA Race

 

GPA Above 2.5 Black/African American

 

GPA Above 2.5 LatinX/Hispanic

 

GPA Above 2.5 Asian American/Pacific Islander

 

CL23 GPA Gender

 

CL23 GPA 2.5+

 

CL23 Gender 2.5+

 

Graduation Data

 

Graduation Data (2)

 

Graduation Data (3)

 

Graduation Data (4)

 

CL19 Employment

 

CL18 Employment

 

Ultimate Bar Passage

 

Ultimate Bar Passage (2)

 

Full Time Faculty

 

Tenured Faculty

 

Adjunct Faculty

 

Staff/Administration

 

Close Course Type Descriptions

Course Types

We have classified RWU Law classes under the following headers. One of the following course types will be attached to each course which will allow students to narrow down their search while looking for classes.

Core Course

Students in the first and second year are required to take classes covering the following aspects of the law—contracts, torts, property, criminal law, civil procedure, and constitutional law, evidence, and professional responsibility.  Along with these aspects, the core curriculum will develop legal reasoning skills.

Elective

After finishing the core curriculum the remaining coursework toward the degree is completed through upper level elective courses.  Students can choose courses that peak their interests or courses that go along with the track they are following.

Seminar

Seminars are classes where teachers and small groups of students focus on a specific topic and the students complete a substantial research paper.

Clinics/Externships

Inhouse Clinics and Clinical Externships legal education is law school training in which students participate in client representation under the supervision of a practicing attorney or law professor.  RWU Law's Clinical Programs offer unique and effective learning opportunities and the opportunity for practical experience while still in law school.