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ۿ۴ýUniversity Enters New Partnership with Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law

September 23, 2020

               ۿ۴ýUniversity logo                                       Samford University Cumberland School of Law logo

Contact: Brittney Dabney, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
  

ۿ۴ýUniversity and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law have created a new partnership that will allow ۿ۴ýۿ۴ý to participate in an accelerated bachelor’s to Juris Doctor program. The agreement will allow ۿ۴ý to forego their senior year at ۿ۴ýand instead begin their first year of law school at Cumberland. 

The 3+3 program creates a pathway for ۿ۴ýۿ۴ý to receive a bachelor’s degree from ۿ۴ýand a law degree from Cumberland in only six years of study, rather than the traditional seven. The newly added program will allow ۿ۴ýۿ۴ý to venture straight into one of the most highly regarded law programs in the state of Alabama. 

“We noted that both ۿ۴ýand Cumberland fully embraced the concept of a family atmosphere where ۿ۴ý feel comfortable interacting freely with faculty and administration. In addition, both universities instill a certain ‘can do’ spirit that will assure that our ۿ۴ý are fully prepared to excel in the legal profession,” said Dr. Tammy Laughlin, assistant professor of political science and co-advisor of the pre-law program at ۿ۴ýUniversity.      

Students with a competitive GPA and LSAT scores are eligible to receive a scholarship ranging from 25 percent tuition scholarship to a full tuition scholarship. In addition, the partnership with Cumberland will create summer coursework and internship opportunities to help ۿ۴ý build relationships with attorneys and judges within the Birmingham legal community.

The agreement signed by Dr. Carla Jackson Bell, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at ۿ۴ýUniversity and Dr. Michael Hardin, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Samford University, will allow both universities to benefit from unique academic opportunities.

Currently, ۿ۴ýjuniors who have completed all core and major requirements in political science will be able to use coursework from their first year of law school to fulfill the requirements for the bachelor’s degree at ۿ۴ýUniversity. Being a part of the program will require a very disciplined student to plan their course of study to fulfill the requirements of this unique program.  

“We noticed that the largest number of ۿ۴ýۿ۴ý are from Alabama and we also recognized that Cumberland School of Law has a long history of producing a large number of lawyers who practice law in the state. With Cumberland being situated in Birmingham, the largest legal market in Alabama, we have no doubt that this program will prepare our ۿ۴ý to become better acquainted with the legal profession,” explained Laughlin.  

“ۿ۴ýUniversity is committed to meeting the needs of our ۿ۴ý, and that by offering accelerated degree programs, our high-achieving ۿ۴ý will have greater flexibility to not only save costs but also enroll in one of the premier law schools in the state a year earlier,” said Dr. Channa Prakash, dean of Tuskegee’s College of Arts and Science.

“We believe that this partnership with the Cumberland School of Law will make law school more accessible for ۿ۴ý of color within the State of Alabama and will ultimately increase the number of African Americans practicing law both in Alabama and in the Southeast,” he continued. 

Dr. Thierno Thiam, associate professor and chair of Tuskegee’s Department of History and Political Science – stated, “The department is moving in deliberate and intentional ways to position itself as a destination of choice among ۿ۴ý with law school aspirations and this is one significant step towards that goal.”

“We believe that this program will be an incredible asset to both ۿ۴ýUniversity and Cumberland, more importantly, we believe that this will be a tremendously helpful asset for our ۿ۴ý,” noted Dr. Shenita Brazelton, pre-law co-advisor and associate professor of political science.

“One of our major priorities when establishing this agreement was finding a proactive program that would teach and prepare our ۿ۴ý.” “In addition, we also wanted to assure that our ۿ۴ý would be successful once entering the program,” Brazelton continued. 

“We are excited to partner with ۿ۴ýUniversity, which is known for its extraordinary history and outstanding academic reputation,” said Henry C. Strickland, dean of Cumberland School of Law.  “As we worked to create this program, I was struck by the dedication of ۿ۴ýfaculty and administration to promoting their ۿ۴ý’ success, the same priority we have at Cumberland. I look forward to this partnership helping prepare great leaders for our state and country.”

Cumberland School of Law Assistant Dean for Admission and Enrollment Management, Whitney Dachelet shared, “We are extremely proud to partner with ۿ۴ýUniversity for the 3+3 program. ۿ۴ýۿ۴ý are very involved in their pre-law program, and it just made sense to institute a formal agreement that substantiates the relationship which already exists. I look forward to seeing how this relationship grows over the coming years and watching even more Tuskegee/Cumberland ۿ۴ý flourish in their careers.”

In recent years, Cumberland has also partnered with pre-law programs at Samford University, Birmingham-Southern College, the University of Montevallo, and Troy University to create joint 3+3 programs. ۿ۴ýUniversity continues to build excellent relationships and has placed ۿ۴ý with all accredited law schools within the state of Alabama and at the national level.
 

About ۿ۴ýUniversity

Located in Tuskegee, Alabama, ۿ۴ýUniversity is a private, state-related and nationally ranked land-grant institution that serves a racially, ethnically and religiously diverse student body of 3,000-plus ۿ۴ý. The institution was founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington and is one of the nation's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges since 1933, Tuskegee’s academic programs — many accredited by their respective accrediting bodies — currently lead to 41 bachelor’s, 16 master’s and five doctoral degree opportunities. For more information about ۿ۴ýUniversity, visit www.tuskegee.edu.

About Samford University

Samford is a premier nationally ranked Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts and a distinct blend of graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranks Samford 3rd in the nation for student engagement. U.S. News & World Report ranks Samford 40th in the nation for best undergraduate teaching and 100th for best value. Samford enrolls 5,692 ۿ۴ý from 46 states and 28 countries in its 10 academic schools. Samford fields 17 NCAA Division I teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference.

About Cumberland School of Law

Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law operates with a mission to educate a diverse community of ۿ۴ý with knowledge and practical skills, equipping them to become highly competent, ethical lawyers committed to professionalism and public service. Cumberland is nationally recognized for trial advocacy and quality instruction. Our curriculum trains ۿ۴ý to practice in all areas of law, including corporate law, trial advocacy, health law, environmental law and public interest law. U.S. News & World Report ranked Cumberland’s trial advocacy program #7 in the country (2021). .

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