Purdue Global trustees approve renaming law school

Concord Law School to become Purdue Global Law School in late 2023

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Global Board of Trustees voted Friday (Aug. 4) to change the name of its law school to Purdue Global Law School, effective in November.

Currently known as Concord Law School, the renaming to Purdue Global Law School will better position the law school’s long-term marketing and accreditation efforts and align the school with Purdue Global’s overall branding. It will also meet an expectation of the Indiana Supreme Court, which is reviewing a bar licensure petition to allow the online law school’s graduates to be eligible to sit for the Indiana bar exam and become licensed to practice law in the state.

“While the outcome of that petition is still undecided, the court has made it clear from the beginning that one of its prerequisites would be changing the name of the law school to better align with Purdue,” said Martin Pritikin, dean and vice president of the law school. “It is clear that having Purdue Global more prominent in the name and logo would be advantageous in the long term. Plus, given Purdue Global’s recent rebranding efforts, this is an ideal time for the law school to better align itself with the rest of Purdue Global.”

Several faculty bodies, including the Purdue Global Faculty Senate and the Academic Administrative Council, have approved the name change. Following approval from the Board of Trustees, Purdue Global leadership and staff can begin making the change and submit paperwork to various higher education and accrediting groups.

“The rebranding from Concord Law School to Purdue Global Law School builds upon Purdue Global’s overall strengths and commitment to help working adults, in this case those who want to pursue a law degree,” Purdue Global Chancellor Frank Dooley said. “The law school’s strength is helping those who live in rural or underserved areas become lawyers without having to leave their community. This helps us in that next step.”

The law school is celebrating its 25th anniversary as the nation’s first online law school. One of the school’s goals is to expand access to legal education to increase the availability of legal services, particularly in areas and populations that are underserved.

“The Purdue system is excited to officially welcome a law school to be associated with our name: Purdue Global Law School,” Purdue President Mung Chiang said. “In the age of online learning, America’s first online law school will continue to grow in scale, excellence and impact.”

In additional business, trustees approved the annual ratification of vice presidents and academic officers and received annual census and financial reports.

About Purdue Global

Purdue Global is Purdue’s online university for working adults who have life experience and often some college credits. It offers flexible paths for students to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, military service and previous college credits, no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and backed by Purdue University. For more information, visit https://stories.purdue.edu/purdue-global/.

Sources: Frank Dooley

Martin Pritikin