New faculty, fundraising among dean's goals
— By Darren Schenck
Armed with only a mic and his wits, Dean Robert K. Rasmussen invited questions from all USC Law students who packed into Room 7 on October 23 for the school year’s first “Conversations with the Dean” event. The Q&A session was hosted by Student Bar Association President Marc Berman, who, after summarizing the dean’s career accomplishments, opened with the question: “What are you going to dress up as for Halloween?”
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| 3L and SBA President Marc Berman interviews Dean Robert K. Rasmussen Oct. 23. |
Noting that Rasmussen has been at USC Law for just three months, Berman and many of the students in attendance asked the dean about his impressions of, and aspirations for, the law school.
“The most concrete thing I’ve learned is that the faculty is too small for the size of our student body,” said Rasmussen. “My goal is to expand its size by 10 faculty within five years.”
He also said he is assessing the need for a new building for the school and that he plans to meet with each class year individually.
“I don’t have all the answers to everything, and I’ll steal ideas shamelessly,” he said. “If you have ideas about ways in which we can make our law school better, I would love to hear them.”
Dean Rasmussen said that he would like for 2Ls and 3Ls to have more interaction with the rest of the USC campus, so that these future attorneys can learn more about the fields in which they may work, such as business, communications, cinema and entertainment.
Other questions from students focused on the need to strengthen the school’s reputation nationally, particularly among judges.
“One of our challenges is to get the rest of the country to realize that this is truly one of the world’s great law schools,” said Rasmussen. “We have to get this message out. Historically, because we live in such a desirable area, a large number of our graduates have stayed here, which has meant that a lot people in other areas of the country haven’t had the chance to interact with USC attorneys.”
Perhaps inevitably, a student asked what the dean could do to keep the cost of attending USC Law “under control.”
“It’s expensive, but I think we’re worth it,” said Rasmussen. “Tuition covers only 75 percent of our operating costs.” The dean then spoke about the school’s fund-raising aspirations, saying, “I’m getting out and introducing myself to friends and alumni who have been great supporters of us in the past. I will ask them for money once they trust me and know I’ll be a responsible steward for the money they give.”
Describing his meetings with alumni, the dean said two themes have come through: the sense of community that alumni feel as part of the Trojan Family, and their recognition of the value of a top-flight legal education.
Rasmussen also said that, after meeting with alumni from eight decades, he has learned how the school has evolved over the years to meet society’s changing needs.
“We need to continue to evolve,” he said. “The way to make USC a better law school is for all of us to be invested in it.”
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