For the second consecutive year, Hispanic Business magazine has ranked the College of Law among the Top 10 law schools in the nation for Hispanics.
For the academic year 2004-2005, Hispanics made up 9 percent of the school’s 748-member student body and received 11 percent of the 205 law degrees awarded to the class of 2004.
The magazine surveyed 177 American Bar Association accredited law schools and ranked them based on the percentage of Hispanic students enrolled, the percentage of full-time Hispanic faculty, services for Hispanic students, Hispanic recruitment efforts and retention rates, quality of education and reputation. Reputation was based on the U.S. News & World Report rankings of the institutions’ programs in that magazine’s Best Graduate Schools edition.
FSU was noted by the magazine for hosting programs and events geared toward recruiting Hispanics and for striving to provide a supportive environment for current students. Organizations such as the Latino Graduate Student Association, Cuban American Student Association and the Puerto Rican Student Association provide mentoring and peer support for Hispanic students.
"Hispanic students and staff are an important and dynamic part of our community, and we try very hard to provide a welcoming environment to all of them, whether they hail from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba or Puerto Rico," said College of Law Dean Don Weidner.
Like last year, Florida State’s law school was ranked 10th by the magazine. The University of Miami ranked first and the University of Texas at Austin, second. Though both had a 15 percent Hispanic enrollment, Hispanic students earned 13 percent of Miami’s law degrees compared to 10 percent of the law degrees at Texas. Texas ranked first last year, and Miami, second. Stanford University ranked third this year.
Other law schools in the Top 10 include: University of Arizona, University of Southern California, the University of Florida, the University of Connecticut, Southwestern University and the University of California at Los Angeles.