HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE, LEGAL EDUCATION EDITION: Applications to UNM law school dip sharply.

A steep decline in applications has the University of New Mexico’s School of Law re-evaluating its future while putting faculty expansion on hold, administrators say.

The school, under the direction of new dean David Herring, is conducting a strategic planning process in response to what has been widely reported as a declining value of a law degree, and a resulting decline in admissions applications.

The UNM law school has had a drop in applications from 1,200 in 2007 to about 650 this year, according to figures provided to the Journal. The school admits 115 to 120 students a year, most of whom are New Mexicans. . . .

The decline in enrollment, along with a shrinking law workforce, has administrators looking at different ways the law school should proceed, UNM provost Chaouki Abdallah said.

I wouldn’t want to be on the new-faculty job market this year.