Location. Location. Location. And demographics...
...was the main factor in
Cooley Law School's decision to open a third Michigan location in Auburn Hills. "Location is one the five leading factors in law school selection, and Oakland and Macomb Counties were the number one area in the country without a law school" says president and dean Don LeDuc. "Overall metro area demographics are very strong as well. Part of competition is being there when others aren't."
Cooley recently purchased the building from Daimler-Chrysler and renovations are expected to be completed in 2008. Once that happens, construction on an addition will begin in earnest (ETA: January 2009). It's an ambitious $35 million game of musical construction sites with the completed addition freeing up the original portion of the building to become the school's law library. All told, the structure will be a whopping 133,000 square feet.
And as if that weren't enough, Cooley plans to install a green roof on the addition and seek LEED certification. Sustainability is the name of the game, as the renovation includes a reflective roof, energy efficient light bulbs and a LEED-compliant heating system.
Cooley currently operates a partner program with Oakland University and will continue to do so. Starting January 2008, however, students taking law classes at OU will move to the Auburn Hills campus.
"We like to say that we are moving off campus, but not out of the neighborhood," says LeDuc. "We hope to build on and expand our relationship with Oakland." Joint degree programs will still be offered and amenities like housing and the recreation center will be available to Cooley students.
Approximately 80 new students will matriculate in January, bringing the total enrollment to nearly 650.
Initially, the Auburn Hills location will offer the same programs as those offered at the school's Lansing and Grand Rapids campuses (with the exception of the OU joint business and public administration degrees). LeDuc, however, sees the potential for an evolving curriculum. "Gradually, the programs in taxation and intellectual property might eventually grow a little more pronounced," he says. "Because of the building, I could see it head a little bit more in the environmental law area than we have."
Source: Cooley Law School
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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