■ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Tierney
Hoffman

Michelle
Taylor

portrait image of Tierney Hoffman, a woman of color with short, ombre, slightly loc'd hair, wearing a white lined black blazer and a black blouse, smiling; portrait image of Michelle Taylor, a woman of color with long, straight hair, wearing a green fern leaf patterned, short-sleeve button up shirt and small jewel earrings, smiling

Wayne Law awarded PLEDGE Fellowship to gain insight into best serving underrepresented students

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team from Wayne Law had its research proposal selected for the 2023–24 Professionals in Legal Education Developing Greater Equity (PLEDGE) Initiative. The nationwide program, launched in 2022, helps foster diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environments within law schools.

Each team is composed of two Fellows drawn from experienced law school administrators, faculty members, or other similarly situated professionals. Wayne Law’s team received $25,000 to design a program to create, administer, and assess student success programs.

Assistant Director of Scholarship Program and Assessment Michelle Taylor, Ph.D., and Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Tierney Hoffman, will study cohort learning and its impact on the academic success and socio-emotional experience of the law school’s first-year Damon J. Keith scholars. Taylor and Hoffman’s Fellowship team is one of three chosen for PLEDGE by a panel of academics, researchers, professors, and two nonprofits: the Southern Education Foundation and the AccessLex Institute, an organization dedicated to the betterment of legal education and critical issues facing education.

PLEDGE is committed to academic achievement and diversity, and to advancing equitable education policies and practices to benefit the underrepresented student population.

“This will be a valuable opportunity for Wayne Law to help gain competence in legal scholarship, bolster personal and academic confidence, and build a sense of community and belonging for underrepresented students,” said Hoffman. “We are looking forward to the important work ahead of us.”

Each team will design and assess programs using empirical research methods, focusing on one of three strands that will impact the success of students with underrepresented racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds: admission and access; academic performance; and bar exam performance. Wayne Law’s research project will focus on academic performance.

While students enter law school with strong academic achievement and a reputation for being engaged student leaders, minoritized students often face unique challenges like feelings of isolation and a lack of belonging, which can impact academic performance. This project will examine whether providing a holistic approach to academic support services will increase academic competence, confidence, and community among underrepresented student populations.

The 14-month Fellowship takes place from September 2023 through November 2024. Each team hosts multiple meetings and a two-day, in-person session at their own institution.

“With this Fellowship, we are looking forward to understanding the concepts and trends impacting racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity in the legal profession, and how we can utilize the data going forward,” Taylor said.

“I am excited for this work to be done by our colleagues, and confident the outcomes will assist us in making progress in our diversity, equity, and belonging efforts at Wayne Law and in the legal profession,” said Wayne Law Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Belonging Nancy Chi Cantalupo.

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