Concordia U. letter says all workers will lose jobs. Here’s what Boise law dean says
Concordia University in Portland has notified Oregon officials that all of its employees will be laid off as the university closes, including its 12 full-time professors, 20 other staff members, 48 part-time faculty members and 17 part-time student workers at Concordia’s Boise law school.
But the law school dean says that’s not so.
In a letter dated Wednesday, the Lutheran university notified the Oregon Dislocated Worker Unit and the city of Portland of the layoffs. The university told students and staff on Monday that it will close its doors at the end of spring term, after 115 years.
At the same time, the school said it was in discussions to keep the School of Law in Boise operating.
In a statement emailed to the Idaho Statesman on Friday, interim Concordia Law School Dean Latonia Haney Keith said the filing of the notification by Concordia “is standard practice” and in accordance with the law for colleges or universities announcing shutdowns.
“I am on record in stating our intention that there be no layoffs of faculty or staff at Concordia School of Law because we are, in fact, in serious and productive talks with a new parent institution,” Haney Keith said. “Additionally, I have advised Concordia Law faculty and staff that there are no layoffs in the immediate future nor when we move forward in our affiliation with a new parent institution.”
Haney Keith, who would also lose her job under the layoff announcement, said she hopes to “make an announcement about our future very soon.”
The law school, at 501 W. Front St., opened in fall 2012 with 75 students. The student population has since doubled. Students pay about $30,000 a year in tuition.
Generally, when companies with 100 or more workers shut down or have mass layoffs, they must give at least a 60-day notice under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.
Concordia’s WARN notice said all affected employees on both the Portland and Boise campuses had been given written notification of their layoffs. Haney Keith said Friday that a new agreement for the law school would negate the WARN notification.
Concordia said the university will lay off 1,518 workers in Portland after spring term classes end in April, although some employees will continue to work through September. The Portland Business Journal reported it would be one of the largest layoffs in Oregon in the last decade.
The Idaho Department of Labor has not received a similar letter, Deputy Director Georgia Smith said by phone.
The Boise layoffs will take place Aug. 28, according to the notice.
Concordia has not said who might take over the law school.
The Statesman contacted local colleges and universities, including:
College of Idaho: Spokesman Joe Hughes said he could not say whether the Caldwell liberal-arts college has had discussions with Concordia about its law school.
“Even if we were in discussions with Concordia or not in discussions with them, it would not be appropriate for us to communicate publicly about confidential matters regarding their school,” Hughes said in a phone interview.
The college has offered to review Concordia students’ scholarships and match them. The college is also offering to waive admission fees, reimburse students for transcript costs, make an admission decision within two weeks and provide a full credit evaluation within one week of admission.
Northwest Nazarene University: Rob O’Donahue, spokesman for the Nampa Christian institution, said by phone that he wasn’t aware of any conversations his school has had with Concordia.
He said NNU is working to offer assistance to any undergraduate or graduate students from Concordia’s Portland campus who need to find another school to attend.
University of Idaho: The U of I operates law school programs at its main campus in Moscow and in Boise, but its law school dean, Jerry Long, said the university did not even know about Concordia’s closure until a Statesman reporter called seeking comment Monday.
Boise State University: A spokesman did not return a call asking whether Boise State has any interest in pursuing the law school. Concordia is three-fourths of a mile on foot from Albertsons Library on the Boise State campus.
Because the University of Idaho already has a law school, it might be an uphill climb for Boise State to persuade the Idaho State Board of Education to allow a competing program.
This story was originally published February 15, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
