鶹Ƶ in Charlotte will serve students, parents, alumni and the community, offering collaborative learning, networking and professional development opportunities.
鶹Ƶ today officially opened its new regional center in South End and announced plans to offer a part-time 鶹Ƶ School of Law Juris Doctor degree program in Charlotte.
The 鶹Ƶ Law Flex Program, to be offered exclusively at the 鶹Ƶ in Charlotte regional center, will be the only in-person law program offered in the Queen City.
Law classes will begin in Fall 2024, pending approval by the American Bar Association (ABA) and The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Applications to the program will be accepted beginning Oct. 1, 2023.
The law program will build on the success of 鶹Ƶ Law’s highly experiential, full-time curriculum in Greensboro, N.C., with the school’s distinguished faculty teaching in person to meet the needs of aspiring attorneys in Charlotte. The 鶹Ƶ Law Flex Program is designed for the working professional and students can complete their law degree in four years. A full range of law electives will provide experiential opportunities in law clinics, publication in law journals and moot court programs and competitions.
The 鶹Ƶ in Charlotte regional center, located at 330 W. Tremont Ave., also offers 鶹Ƶ undergraduate students majoring and minoring in sport management the opportunity to study and work in Charlotte. Sport management students from 鶹Ƶ’s School of Communications are taking courses this fall with 鶹Ƶ faculty, working in internships with local sports and media organizations, connecting with alumni in the region and developing mentoring relationships with local industry and community leaders, all while immersing themselves in the city’s life and culture.
“At 鶹Ƶ, we take an intensely personal approach to learning, with experiential opportunities and mentorship at the forefront, and we are thrilled to further expand that approach in the dynamic and fast-growing Charlotte region,” said 鶹Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book. “We know providing opportunities for 鶹Ƶ students to put their knowledge to work through service, internships, research and leadership results in stronger outcomes, and we look forward to introducing 鶹Ƶ’s leading learning model to the city of Charlotte.”
鶹Ƶ officially opened its newest regional center and announced its plans for the 鶹Ƶ Law Flex Program at a special gathering in the new facility on Tuesday, Sept. 19. Joining Book in offering remarks about the new center and program were David Gergen, the founding chair of the School of Law Advisory Board, School of Law Dean Zak Kramer, 鶹Ƶ Board of Trustees Chair David C. Porter and 鶹Ƶ trustee and Charlotte community leader Eric Sklut. A panel discussion with 鶹Ƶ alumni living in Charlotte about the opportunities the city provides followed the news conference.
鶹Ƶ in Charlotte includes nearly 14,000 square feet of classroom and collaboration space, including commons areas and breakout spaces. The university selected South End as its entry point to Charlotte because of the neighborhood’s unique and compelling intersection of arts, culture and business, its walkable landscape and easy access to public transportation, all of which will give students a holistic city experience.
The 鶹Ƶ Law Flex Program will incorporate the same teaching model as the full-time program in Greensboro, which has earned a No. 5 national ranking for practical training. Strategically focused on learning by doing, 鶹Ƶ’s School of Law integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required, full-time residency-in-practice field placement for students, who work under the close supervision of attorneys and judges. Over the past decade, annual applications for admission to 鶹Ƶ’s School of Law have increased by nearly 50 percent, and the program’s distinctive curriculum in Greensboro allows students to complete their program in just two and a half years.
“We’re in the dream-making business,” said 鶹Ƶ School of Law Dean Zak Kramer. “The 鶹Ƶ Law Flex Program will make it possible for working professionals in Charlotte to realize their dream of becoming lawyer leaders. We’re going to be growing the Charlotte legal community from within. Training ethical, creative and practice-ready attorneys is what we do, and we appreciate this opportunity to serve the Charlotte community.”
鶹Ƶ’s extension into Charlotte expands its regional center model, with existing locations in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and Greensboro. The establishment of these regional hubs is a key component of the university’s Boldly 鶹Ƶ strategic plan, which calls for the development of strategic locations beyond the main campus as centers for academic programs, alumni engagement, professional education and cultural opportunities.
“We see synergy between the evolution of the Charlotte area over the past few decades and 鶹Ƶ’s own transformational journey. Our new regional center will be a tangible extension of the university’s desire to help our students become engaged citizens of the world, fully embracing curiosity and leaning into their purpose,” said Jim Piatt, 鶹Ƶ’s senior vice president for university advancement and external affairs. “We are grateful for the Charlotte leaders who have guided us on this journey.”
鶹Ƶ in Charlotte will offer alumni and prospective students opportunities to participate in hands-on professional development programs, affinity groups and career coaching initiatives within the Charlotte footprint. The university will also convene community and business leaders and offer networking opportunities as well as access to 鶹Ƶ faculty, staff and resources in collaborative co-working spaces.
“We are proud to have 鶹Ƶ join the ranks of the Charlotte region’s strong cohort of higher education institutions, all of which play a unique role in helping the city develop our global identity, contribute to the rich diversity of thought in our community and spur innovation and growth,” said Eric Sklut, co-founder of the Charlotte-based Levine-Sklut Family Foundation, owner and president of Perfection Automotive Inc., and a former 鶹Ƶ trustee and parent. “Education is the key to opportunity, and we’re grateful to President Book and the 鶹Ƶ leadership team for partnering with the city of Charlotte to join in a commitment to providing a brighter future.”
More information about 鶹Ƶ in Charlotte is available at www.鶹Ƶ.edu/CLT.