The
Appalachian
School
of
Law’s
ledger
forecasted
a
troubling
financial
future.
As
if
low
enrollment
numbers
and
the
Trump
administration’s
capping
of
graduate
school
funding
weren’t
enough
of
a
hurdle,
the
school
mathed
out
that
they’d
need
millions
of
dollars
if
they
planned
on
surviving
long
term
in
Buchanan
County,
Virginia.
They
entertained
the
idea
of
merging
with
Roanoke
College
to
meet
their
financial
needs,
but
doing
so
would
mean
moving
the
campus
three
hours
away.
The
merger
would
allow
them
to
keep
doors
open,
but
it
would
also
betray
one
of
the
school’s
founding
purposes
—
prepare
locals
to
meet
the
legal
needs
of
their
community.
The
school
still
needs
to
figure
out
how
they
can
afford
to
operate,
but
a
recent
pool
of
funding
will
give
them
some
breathing
room
for
a
while.
Cardinal
News
has
coverage:
The
Buchanan
County
Board
of
Supervisors
and
the
Buchanan
County
Industrial
Development
Authority
plan
to
grant
up
to
$6
million
to
the
Appalachian
School
of
Law
to
get
it
through
a
short-term
financial
crisis.
…
Following
comments
from
more
than
20
people
at
a
public
hearing
Monday,
the
board
voted
6-1
to
form
a
committee
with
representatives
from
the
board
of
supervisors,
IDA
and
law
school
to
draw
up
a
contract
for
the
additional
funding.
The
agreement
is
expected
to
be
signed
at
a
joint
meeting
on
Feb.
10.
Gotta
spend
money
to
make
money!
Whatever
long-term
strategy
the
school
takes
on
will
have
to
focus
on
increasing
student
enrollment.
They’re
currently
at
~180
of
the
300
students
they
could
be
teaching
—
that’s
a
lot
of
money
not
going
to
the
school’s
coffers.
Buchanan
County
To
Provide
Short-Term
Funding
For
Appalachian
School
Of
Law
[Cardinal
News]
Earlier:
Regional
Law
School
Explores
Long-Distance
Merger
Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s
.
He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
is
learning
to
swim, is
interested
in
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected]
and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.