Dean offers sounding board

Students bring questions, comments to open forums

—By Lori Craig

In his fourth open-ended talk with the entire USC Law student body this semester, Dean Robert K. Rasmussen stood at the front of the room with arms open.

Dean Robert Rasmussen

“You have a unique perspective on the law school because you’re almost there: you’re about to transform from people who live and breathe here every day, to shareholders,” Rasmussen said to about 50 third-year students.

“I want to hear whatever you have to say.”

For the next hour, Rasmussen answered questions that touched on diversity at the law school, grading policies and faculty hires.

Rasmussen, who joined USC Law six months ago, in January began holding lunchtime forums with students to get their viewpoints, questions and concerns on any topic. (Read about the 1L and 2L forums here.) He met with Graduate and International Programs students on Feb. 13 and with 3Ls on Feb. 20.

When asked at both forums this month about the long-term direction of the law school, Rasmussen looked to one of the aspects that makes USC Law distinct: being a part of the University of Southern California.

“One of the opportunities we have is to integrate ourselves more into the whole university community,” he said. He recently has talked about partnering with the USC schools of business, communications and cinematic arts to expose students to the disciplines of their future clients. “We want to make sure we have an experience here that is not only a first-class education, but also a unique education.”

Adjunct professors who practice in Los Angeles are another unique asset, he said.

“This is one of the world’s great legal markets, and by bringing practitioners in, our students really get a sense of what it is like to practice,” Rasmussen said. “It’s an enhancement to the curriculum.”

Students also asked for more details about full-time faculty hiring. Rasmussen said USC Law administrators look at both entry-level professors, who have the potential to become “superstars,” and experienced professors.

“We look for the best people, and those are the best teachers and the best scholars,” Rasmussen said. He seeks to improve the school’s presence in several areas with future full-time hires, including international and environmental law.

In response to a question about how the school ensures diverse faculty appointments, Rasmussen said professors are selected from a pool of people with varied personal and professional backgrounds.

“We are mindful of it at every step in the process,” he said.

As the most diverse Top-20 law school, USC will continue to bring in students from all different backgrounds as well, he said.

“We believe law school should look like the legal practice,” Rasmussen told the G&IP forum. “And law firms are made up of people from all over the world. It is a community because it makes everyone better off.”