But an article appearing in The Wall Street Journal serves to remind us that being on the vanguard can potentially be embarrassing when changes do not work as planned. The article argues that the university's attempt to link the law and business schools more closely together has been a failure.
The university's program was conceived because businessmen and lawyers must work closely together but often fail to understand each others' fields. The university's solution was to make the programs more interdisci-plinarian in nature to promote understanding and improve working relations between the groups. Law students were encouraged to take business classes, and vice versa. The schools also would be joined together under the roof of the Worrell Professional Center. A lounge was even built for students from the two schools to share what they had learned with each other.
According to the article, however, not much has changed during the program's three years. Most students have not ventured from their chosen fields. Likewise, professors have been slow to change their curricula much.
We disagree with the article's implication that the program has failed. It certainly is not surprising that deep-seated educational traditions have not magically changed overnight. In fact, it's probably wise to move slowly so that the students' education do not suffer because of hasty changes.
On the other hand, the university should not be surprised when the media and students critique their lack of progress. Students too must guard their own educational and monetary interests when they choose schools.
If nothing else, the slow rate of change over at Worrell should be a reminder that programs often do not offer all they promise in the first few years of their existence. For example, the university has promised much with the computer part of the Plan for the Class of 2000. Nevertheless, the program has already received media attention, not all of it positive.
Of course, problems are to be expected. But with the school's reputation and so much student money at stake, the university had better make sure the program lives up to its expectations. Otherwise, bad press may not be their only concern.