Contact: Darren Johnson, Director of Communications
(631) 421-2244, ext. 383, djohnson@tourolaw.edu

September 13, 2004

Touro Law School Welcomes Record-Setting Class

Burgeoning Campus Increases Test Scores, Selectivity

and Minority Enrollment; Students Offer Testimonials

Huntington, N.Y. – Touro Law School welcomed a record-setting entering class this year. Selectivity and test scores for the 24-year-old Huntington institution are at all-time high. Add to that an enrollment boom, also including an increase in minority enrollment, and positive momentum is being built as Touro embraces a physical and academic renaissance.

Touro Law students Spencer Horn, Paula Ladd and Denise Shanley with Touro College President Dr. Bernard Lander and Law Center Dean Lawrence Raful at the Donor Thank You Party at the home of Dr. Steven and Jennifer Gittelman.

Touro is currently undertaking a bold, multi-million-dollar strategic plan that includes a cutting-edge new curriculum and a move to a new home in Central Islip by fall 2006, adjacent to and working with state and federal courts. This modern “law campus” will be the first of its kind anywhere and a national model.

The 2004-2005 entering class is one of the best ever, with more than 275 new students joining the campus, increasing total enrollment to the largest number in years: 808, up from 706 in the spring. LSAT scores are above the national average, 12 percent better than last year's scores, and selectivity is also the best ever, with only 29 percent of this year's applicants accepted. Touro has also maintained its commitment to diversity, with 25 percent of students from minority groups, much higher than the national average.

At an event honoring donors on Wednesday, students offered testimonials as to why Touro Law School was their first choice.

First-year student Paula Ladd, a Yale graduate from Shirley, noted, “I’ve been truly impressed with Touro, from the admissions process to enrollment to classes. I really feel that I am part of a community at Touro with the tremendous support I get from the faculty, staff and my fellow students.”

Ladd, a lifelong Long Islander, felt sidetracked after receiving her B.A. “I married, had a child and ‘one year off’ became ‘six years off,’ but Touro has made it easy for me to realize my dream of going back to school and getting my law degree.”

Denise Shanley, a third-year student named to the prestigious position of Editor-in-Chief of The Touro Law Review, said that she, too, was given a second chance 15 years after receiving her B.A. Married with two children, she worked as a deli cook at her family business. “My only experience with the law was watching ‘Judge Judy’; it was hard for me to go back to school,” Shanley said. “But Touro meets the unique needs of students like me, fostering constant interaction between administration and faculty with the students.”

Spencer Horn, a third-year student who is President of the Student Bar Association, knew he was not visiting the typical law school during his first trip to Touro. “They spoke with me for two hours. They really cared about meeting my needs,” he said. “While the campus building itself is currently in transition, it’s the people in the building that helped me decide that’s where I wanted to study law. Everyone was so helpful and accommodating.”

Touro Law Center, known for its expert faculty and excellent programs, was established in 1980 as part of Touro College, which has campuses in New York, California, Nevada, Germany, Israel and Russia. The Law Center is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Touro Law Center, with a graduate student body of over 700, offers the degrees of Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) in U.S. Legal Studies for foreign law graduates. Also, students may combine the J.D. degree with a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), a Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) in Health Care, and a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.). Touro Law Center is one of only a handful of law schools in the country with a pro bono service requirement for graduates.

For more information about Touro Law Center’s full- and part-time academic programs, call (631) 421-2244.

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