Prof. Calderon:
     I apologize for not responding sooner to your request for information
on other schools' undergraduate business law curricula.  Here at the Univ.
of Tenn. we are undergoing "downsizing" as a result of state budget
tightening in light of Medicare/TNCare budget demands coupled with a
Republican Governor's promise to give "excess" monies to education (this
year we are receiving our first raise in 5 years--1%.  We have lost two b.
law profs in the past 3 years--one a resignation by a minority woman I
really recruited hard to get and the other a woman who simply "burned out"
from the demands teaching in an MBA program which UT uses to get national
visibility for the school and in which faculty are evaluated by the students
WEEKLY on the internet.  The "hidden" agenda seems to be to induce full time
business law faculty to resign so the administration can use released funds
to hire several part-timers who can cover sections.
     I offer this aforementioned, which I do not believe is unique, as
background to discussion of our present law offerings.  We have one required
core undergraduate business law/legal environment course and one graduate
course required of MAcc students.  We have a part-timer teaching 400
undergrads per semester and I teach the grad offering to the MAccs in the
summer.  Additionally, I now teach in the MBA offering following the
resignation of my colleague.
     Perhaps the Carnegie Foundation Report will be some ammunition
university administrators can use to strengthen their case for increasing
budgets in the future.  Given the popularity of law courses with
undergraduates, it would appear that we have a strong case for improving our
undergraduate offerings at all schools.
     As a former president of the ALSB, I hope that you are successful in
drumming up support for our discipline.  If you need someone to add to your
panel to provide a longer term perspective, feel free to call on me.  I plan
to go to San Diego.
                            Prof. Bruce D. Fisher
                            Univ. of Tenn.
>June 2, 1998
>
>Dear ALSB Colleagues:
>
>        As many of you know, a recent report from the Carnegie Foundation
>concluded that undergraduate students are being shortchanged by major
>research universities that put research ahead of teaching and treat students
>as passive receivers of information rather than as active participants.  It
>is fortuitous that in October 1997, the faculty of the NYU Stern School of
>Business approved new curricular initiatives for the undergraduate college
>that directly address and meet the teaching and curriculum concerns
>discussed in the Carnegie Foundation Report.  Stern's new undergraduate
>curricular initiatives also elevate the importance of business law by
>transforming it from an elective to a core course required by all
>undergraduates.
>
>        Stern's business law faculty is in the process of revamping the
>current courses.  Professors Rachel Kowal, Marissa Moran and I submitted a
>paper to the ALSB for presentation at the August conference entitled
>"Business Law's Heightened Role in the integrated undergraduate Business
>Curriculum Initiative at the Stern School of Business (NYU)."  A section of
>the paper is titled "Requirements and/or Prerequisites of Other Business
>Schools."  In it, we briefly discuss what several other business schools
>require of their undergraduates with respect to business law.  Several weeks
>ago several of you responded to my request regarding your schools' required
>undergraduate business law courses.  I included such information in the
>paper.  If anyone else is willing to provide me with information about their
>schools' programs, I would be very pleased to receive it.  Prior to the
>August meeting, we intend to revise the paper.
>
>        Also, in conjunction with the paper presentation at the August
>conference, we would like to organize a panel dealing with the general issue
>of curricular/pedagogical initiatives in undergraduate business law courses
>since we are sure that many other schools are taking steps similar to Stern's.
>
>        With respect to our paper, Part I generally describes Stern's new
>undergraduate curricular iitiatives which embrace a four year integrated
>liberal arts/business approach to undergraduate business education and
>emphasize the development of critical thinking ad communication skills.
>Part I also enumerates the role of business law as a core component in the
>new four year integrated undergraduate business curriculum.  Part II
>delineates the prior role played by business law in Stern's undergraduate
>education.  Part III surveys the business law curricula at several other
>undergraduate business schools.  In Part IV, the challenge of making
>business law a core course is met by proposed recommendations for course
>content and teaching initiatives.  If anyone is interested in receiving a
>copy of the paper draft prior to the August meeting, please contact me.
>
>        It's best to e-mail me at my home address: [log in to unmask] or fax
>me at 914-234-3959 or call me at 914-234-7496.  My mailing address is P.O.
>Box 256 Bedford, New York 10506.  Thanks so much.  I look forward to seeing
>all of you in San Diego.
>
>Jeanne Calderon
>New York University
>Stern School of Business
>
>