“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” – Albert Einstein
“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin
Tomorrow is the law school version of March Madness- the annual release of the U.S. News & World Report Law School Rankings. So this week I am writing both a Monday and a Tuesday Morning Message. Tomorrow I will report on the results, and my prediction is below.
While many academics and most law school deans are justifiably critical of the U.S. News ranking methodology, the main advantage of the rankings competition is that it helps motivate, mobilize, focus, and accelerate action that can show measurable progress on critical success levers.
Research shows that measurable progress, or “moving the needle,” accelerates movement on important goals. It is based on a simple but profound premise - the power of progress- or what Harvard Professor Teresa Amabile calls the “progress principle.” Her extensive research has found that the single most important motivator and catalyst of positive action is making progress and showing forward momentum in meaningful work.
So tomorrow we will look not only at our national ranking, but also our progress.
Ultimately, the value of these rankings is that they further focus our attention and introspection on what is important to us as a great law school. The true measure of a law school is an institution that is able to take stock of its challenges and opportunities, focus on continuous improvement, and strategically approach its future with a sense of urgency and optimism.
If we further invest in attracting and enrolling the best students, teaching them to be great lawyers, advocates, and leaders, supporting their academic success, and placing them in meaningful careers, the rankings will follow.
I want to thank our great staff and faculty for your untiring work on behalf of our great students, and our fiercely loyal alumni and friends for your steadfast counsel and support. We depend on each other for our continued progress and success.
Here is my prediction…..
No matter where we rank, we will not be satisfied. We always can do better, and we will. That’s what progress is all about.
Have a great week.
For copies of past messages, please go to this link: Monday Morning Messages.
My best,
Lee
My views in all my Monday Morning Messages are my personal views alone and do not reflect the views of our Law School or our University.