Guru Mantra: Prof. Jane Schukoske, University of Baltimore

Prof. Jane E. Schukoske
University of Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Former Executive Director, USIEF

After nine years in New Delhi, India, Jane E. Schukoske returned in summer 2009 to the University of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, to direct and teach in a Masters degree program in the Law of the United States for lawyers who received their first degree in law outside the United States. From 2000-08, she directed USEFI, now named the U.S.-India Educational Foundation, the binational Fulbright Commission with offices in Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai.  In 2008-09, she advised the sponsoring body of the private, non-profit O.P. Jindal Global University and Jindal Global Law School established in 2009 in Sonipat, Haryana, in the National Capitol Region of Delhi.  At University of Baltimore School of Law from 1988-2000, Prof. Schukoske taught Contracts and a seminar in Law and Social Reform, among other courses, and established and directed the Community Development Clinic.  Previously, she practiced law in legal services offices in Virginia and directed the Virginia Poverty Law Center.  Her education includes a Bachelor of Arts in French from Boston University, a Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University, and a Master of Laws from Georgetown University.
Prof. Schukoske’s experience in legal education in South Asia dates to 1995, when she taught in a month-long Refresher Course at National Law School of India University prior to her work as a Senior Fulbright Scholar at University of Colombo Faculty of Law, Sri Lanka, in 1995-96.  She has taught legal education training sessions in Bangladesh, India and Nepal, and has visited law colleagues in Pakistan.

Her scholarship is in the areas of international education, community development law and housing law.  Her article, “Legal Education Reform in India: Dialogue among Indian Law Teachers,” was published in Jindal Global Law Review in 2009. Her articles have been published in Iowa Law Review, South Carolina Law Review, New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, Hastings Women’s Law Journal, and International Legal Perspectives, among others. She wrote several books chapters and articles while in India.

RC: What excites you most about your transition back to the University of Baltimore School of Law as the director of the LL.M. Program on Law of the United States (LL.M. LOTUS) for foreign lawyers?

JS: The challenge of applying my perspectives from international education to enhance the design and delivery of this graduate program for lawyers educated abroad is exciting.  I enjoy teaching Introduction to the Law of the United States to my LL.M. students who have earned law degrees in Cameroon, China, Dominican Republic, Germany, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey and U.K., as well as our exchange students from Brazil and Netherlands.  The course demands that I research the legal developments that occurred during my time in India.  I have learned new classroom technologies and ways to engage students outside of class on our course website.  The website for my course offers discussion forums and ways to provide students practice exercises through Computer Assisted Legal Instruction and other internet resources.

As an administrator, I find the university's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), implemented since I left, a valuable tool for program monitoring and development.  In my work last year as advisor for the O.P. Jindal Global University and Jindal Global Law School, I was part of a team designing the broad contours of a new institution.  Movement between these two universities at different stages of development and with a variety of international education activities is giving me a robust understanding of how higher education, particularly legal education, is rapidly adapting to globalization.

RC: Given that you have deep professional experiences both in the US and Indian education systems, what advice do you have for Indian educational institutions who are aspiring to achieve global excellence?

JS: Begin with Mission:  An institution must be clear about its mission in order to identify relevant standards of “global excellence” and to pick “aspirational peer” institutions.

Teaching, research and scholarship, and the institution’s community service are three key aspects of an institution’s mission. For many institutions, the primary mission of the institution may be to educate the youth of the region to be responsible citizens and enjoy career opportunities. The academic community must ask itself, what is the setting in which the institution is operating and what are the societal needs in that region?  How do similarly situated aspirational peer institutions in India and abroad connect university education with regional development and understanding?  Striving for “global excellence” requires a shared, realistic vision and the capacity to bring about ongoing, measurable institutional improvement that benefits student learning.  “Global excellence” in India, as anywhere, must certainly be defined considering the needs of the students and society.

Teach writing: All educational institutions would state excellence in teaching as part of their mission.  In that regard, curriculum development, criteria for selection and professional development of teachers, teaching material development, revamping of assessment methods, and review of the learning outcomes of students are key.  Many education and industry leaders in India have called for graduates with better communication and analytical skills.  That suggests that specific focus on the research and writing curriculum is important.  Indian professors educated abroad often see the benefit of a strong writing program and can contribute significantly to curricular innovation in this area.

Engage the institution in “self study” using benchmarks:  Higher education leaders in India have identified crucial systemic and institutional issues — equity and access; relevance; quality and excellence; governance and management; and funding.  For U.S. institutions, quality control, governance and management are maintained through accreditation processes for both institutions and professional programs.  A key benefit of the process is the “self study” by the faculty and administration of the institution using accreditation benchmarks.  The institution conducts this study prior to the visit by an accreditation team from other institutions. The self study provides a framework for internal assessment and goal-setting, and the collaborative process can have a beneficial effect on institutional focus and growth.

RC: In your experience, what do you believe are the top competencies required to be a successful education administrator?

JS: A successful education administrator needs vision and the ability to motivate a team to strive for excellence in student learning.  To create a positive educational climate, he or she needs excellent communication skills, the abilities to make decisions, encourage team action, and manage conflict. An education administrator should be curious about best practices and new initiatives, and should know the institution and system in which the institution operates.  He or she needs to mobilize necessary resources, set measurable goals and periodically assess progress.  He or she needs to be alert to the changes in the educational environment and to help colleagues to change with the times.

Two articles readily available on the internet that discuss these and other aspects in the context of higher education are Mary Ann Wisniewski, Leadership in Higher Education: Implications for Leadership Development Programs (1999) and David H. Smith, Higher Education Leadership Competency Model: Serving Colleges and Universities During an Era of Change (2003).

My vision for educational administration in India is to equip Indian youth to meet the challenges India faces - including equitable access to education, employment opportunity and community development - and to contribute to addressing the issues of the region and the world.  India's rich cultural heritage and diversity, strategic location, thriving economy and huge pool of talent are tremendous assets.  Education administrators have great responsibility and opportunity to positively influence the growth of the nation.