UMass president rips law school opponents

The president of the University of Massachusetts yesterday accused the staff of the state Board of Higher Education of conspiring against the proposed UMass law school by distributing negative reports about the project in ''apparent collusion" with private law schools that oppose the plan.

In the testiest and most public skirmish yet between the university and the state board over the controversial law school proposal, Jack Wilson, the UMass president, said the staff's review of the law school plan has been politicized and unprofessional. The state board plans to vote on the proposal to merge UMass-Dartmouth and Southern New England School of Law on March 31.

''I'm very concerned about the unprofessional actions of the other law schools and the apparent collusion by the Board of Higher Education staff," Wilson said in an interview. ''What really bothers me is, the victims of this behavior are the students of Massachusetts who won't be able to go to law school or who will graduate with thousands of dollars in loans."

The university wants to acquire the 260-student law school in Dartmouth, which is not accredited by the American Bar Association, and double its enrollment while refocusing its program on public service. The most vocal opponents of the plan are two private Boston schools, Suffolk University Law School and New England School of Law. Both have hired consultants to promote their view that the new school would cost taxpayers millions while burdening the state with more law schools than it needs. UMass leaders say the schools are afraid of competition.

Wilson pointed to two recent reports on the UMass plan that the private law schools commissioned, at least one of which was sent to Board of Higher Education members who, Wilson said, were not told of the reports' origins. Wilson said Higher Education Chancellor Judith Gill told him that the board staff, which she oversees, sent one of the reports out without disclosing that it was paid for by the private law schools.

The university was not sent the reports or asked to respond, said Wilson, who added that he received phone calls from board members who thought at least one of the reports was an independent analysis.

''Never before have I seen private institutions pay high-powered lobbyists and commission misleading reports in an attempt to pervert standard academic processes," Wilson wrote to the board members. He added that university lawyers were examining whether UMass could take any legal action against the private law schools.

Gill referred questions yesterday to board chairman Stephen Tocco, who disputed Wilson's assertions. He said leaders at the private law schools sent at least one of the reports on the law school plan to him and other board members and that it was accompanied by a letter signed by the two schools' deans.

''Board members knew where the information was coming from, and I haven't had any calls from members who were confused or upset," he said. ''I have faith in the board staff, and I'm not troubled by anyone who wants to weigh in on the proposal. Taxpayer dollars are at stake, and I think more information is helpful."

Every report or opinion submitted on the law school plan comes with some bias, Tocco said. ''The university has bias. Everybody brings bias to the table."

Tocco said the university has long objected to scrutiny of the proposal, which went to the board for a comprehensive review after Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly ruled last year that the oversight was necessary, giving the board the opportunity to approve or reject the plan. UMass leaders had argued for a more streamlined approval process.

''They've had problems with anyone taking a hard look at this," Tocco said.

Several board members who are appointed by the governor, did not return phone calls yesterday.

To date, three reports have examined the university's assertion that the new law school will support its own operations and the cost of improvements needed to win ABA accreditation. An analysis by an independent review panel, jointly appointed by UMass and the board, included a two-day site visit in Dartmouth and was part of the board's formal review. Released earlier this month, the analysis found no significant financial risk in the law school plan but cautioned that UMass will have to tighten admissions standards if it plans to win ABA accreditation.

Leonard Strickman, dean of Florida International University College of Law, conducted another analysis at the request of New England School of Law dean John O'Brien, who said yesterday he hired Strickman because the Florida campus was the last public law school to win ABA accreditation. In an eight-page letter to the state board last week, Strickman found that accreditation costs would exceed UMass estimates.

''It seems to me any great public university should want to encourage public debate, not suppress it," O'Brien said. ''I'm not denying there's self-interest, but that doesn't change the reality. The taxpayers have a right to know this is going to cost tens of millions of dollars."

O'Brien, a former chairman of the ABA's accreditation committee, said he has not seen a bill yet from Strickman, but expects to pay the dean's ''normal consulting fee." He said he was not sure if the report was distributed directly to members or sent via board staff.

A third report, jointly commissioned by New England School of Law and Suffolk, was written by Charles Chieppo, a former policy analyst for Governor Mitt Romney who now runs a consulting firm. The law schools sent the report directly to board members last week, according to a Suffolk public relations consultant. The review described in 50 pages how UMass officials ''dramatically underestimated" the costs of the merger. Chieppo said it would cost taxpayers up to $39 million.

Wilson called that assertion wildly inaccurate and said that Chieppo never contacted the university to ask about the plan or request documents.

UMass plans to keep the law school's tuition close to the current rate of $19,000 per year, cheaper than private law schools, and plans to offer 25 half-tuition scholarships each year to students who promise to work as public defenders and prosecutors after graduation.

The Board of Higher Education staff's analysis of the UMass proposal is not finished, but is expected this week, officials said yesterday. Board members are scheduled to review the staff report at a meeting Thursday.

Tocco said yesterday that the board will focus on the cost of the project.

Jenna Russell can be reached at jrussell@globe.com.