Appalachian School of Law has recently made headlines over its financial straits. The school was so pressed for money that it floated the idea of merging with a college hours away, but that would betray the school’s mission of making lawyers in the community. There was talk of the County granting the school $6M to keep the doors open, but recent developments suggest that number has been dialed down quite a bit. Cardinal News has coverage:
Buchanan County supervisors have tentatively agreed to provide $3.4 million to help keep the Appalachian School of Law afloat.
The county board had previously been asked to consider providing $6 million to the small private school.
…
[S]upervisor Trey Adkins — who was recently appointed to the law school’s board of trustees — moved to provide $3.4 million to the county Industrial Development Authority to help boost the school’s struggling finances.
An important factor in the push to keep Appalachian Law open is job preservation. Faculty and staff aren’t the only beneficiaries — nearby businesses and landlords benefit from the foot traffic and lodging students getting their degrees. As important as it is to consider the economic benefits that spill over from having the law school, the school’s reluctance to be transparent about its funding can’t inspire much faith in investors:
The law school got a loan from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, but it was not paid back, [Craig] Stiltner noted. He complained that the law school has been reluctant to provide financial documents to the county without signing a non-disclosure agreement.
What? Did the school secretly stake Tom Goldstein or something? Showing a bit of paperwork should be a small ask when millions of dollars in funding on the line.
Given the school’s recent fiscal history, Stiltner would rather see the school ask for donations or work on their headcount than rely on county funding to stay above water. As for the $3.4M on the table, the Industrial Development Authority and the School Board still need to sign off on it. The school also needs to cough up a financial plan by March 2nd to receive the first half of the money.
Best of luck!
Buchanan County Tentatively Agrees To Give $3.4 Million To Struggling Law School [Cardinal News]
Earlier: Regional Law School Receives $6M Grant To Stay Afloat
Regional Law School Explores Long-Distance Merger
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
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