Fundraising is a top priority during the 2006-07 year, Dean Edward McCaffery told third-year students during a “Meet the Dean” pizza lunch on Aug. 30.
“We’ve got a vision of making this a top-10 law school,” said McCaffery, who will teach during the spring semester. “We’re all going to benefit if we get this fundraising done, and I think we can do it.”
Part of a longer-term plan is almost certain to involve a new building. A larger building would not only provide needed space, he noted, it would also be more aesthetically pleasing.
In response to student questions, McCaffery said fundraising also would help bolster USC Law’s ranking in a number of ways:
• the school could hire more full-time faculty and thereby lower the student-to-teacher ratio
• faculty could receive higher salaries, allowing the school to recruit and retain additional respected faculty
• additional space and resources mean students would have more clinical opportunities to serve the community
Several questions about the timing of commencement (scheduled on Mother's Day for the second year in a row) prompted McCaffery to say that students, administrators and event-planning staff may look into having the 
ceremony a day or two later.
McCaffery also gave the 3Ls some advice for their last year at USC Law.
He told them not to stress too much, too early about taking the bar exam, to get their moral character determination completed, and to give any job offers a lot of thought.
“Take advantage of the resources we have here,” McCaffery said. “Do externships, join student organizations, and socialize with your friends. When you look back on your time here, the time you spent with your friends is a big part of what you’re going to remember.”
Dean McCaffery will host two additional events to meet the rest of the USC Law student community. The Dean’s New Student Welcome Party at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, will include 1Ls, transfer students, visiting students and the graduate and international program students. A 2L Meet the Dean is scheduled for 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12 in Room 3.
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