FIU College of Law among the most diverse in nation

MIAMI (June 18, 2009) – The Princeton Review has placed Florida International University’s College of Law second on its list of schools with the most diverse faculty.

The rankings, included in the Best 174 Law Schools 2009 edition, a guidebook, are based on feedback from 19,000 students. The 80-question survey asks students about their school’s academics, student body, campus life, themselves, and their career plans.

“Our diversity, both in the student body and the faculty, is one of our strongest assets,” said Dean Leonard Strickman. “Our goal is to provide a quality legal education in a diverse, vibrant and dynamic learning environment. That we are achieving this mission is further demonstrated by the outstanding performance of our graduates on state bar examinations.”

Other schools that topped the list include Temple University, University of Hawaii-Manoa, Southern University and Howard University, which ranked first. The Princeton Review’s list can be found at http://www.nationaljurist.com/content/most-diverse-faculty-0.

The ranking follows a December 2008 assessment by The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education that concluded that the college has the highest percentage of Hispanic law students in the nation, at 44 percent. In addition, the 2009 U.S. News and World Report Best Law Schools: Law Schools Diversity Index placed the College of Law total student population as fifth most diverse in the nation.

Media Contact: Jean-Paul Renaud at 305-348-2716.                          

-FIU-

About FIU College of Law
The Florida International University College of Law meets an important need in the community by providing a quality, affordable legal education for South Florida residents. The student body, while principally from South Florida, is diverse in racial, ethnic, and professional background.  FIU College of Law graduates have consistently passed the Florida Bar Exam at rates exceeding the statewide pass rate.  At the most recent examination, in February 2009, FIU graduates passed at the highest rate when compared to graduates from all law schools in the state of Florida. The College was fully accredited by the American Bar Association in 2006 and granted membership into the Association of American Law Schools in 2009.

About FIU:
Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, FIU graduates more Hispanics than any other university in the country. Its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University.” In 2006 FIU was authorized to establish a medical school, which will welcome its first class in 2009. FIU’s College of Law recently received accreditation in the fastest time allowed by the American Bar Association.