A law school for Binghamton University may not be far off, as BU’s administration hopes to be able to secure all of the necessary approvals by the end of the academic year.

According to Mary Ann Swain, provost and vice president for academic affairs at BU, the law school proposal has already passed through all of the necessary stages within the University itself and is now waiting on approval from SUNY System Administration and the New York State Education Department (SED) on a list of potential consultants to review the proposal before they move forward.

“Before the campus can finish our formal proposal we are required to invite external consultants to campus and to ask them to review and comment upon our plans,” Swain said.

According to Swain, the reviewers, once chosen, will look at the proposed curricula and decide if the University has the ability to develop the program. If these consultants approve of the proposal then it will move on to be evaluated by SUNY and SED, as well as the Board of Trustees, the Board of Regents and the governor.

While Swain said she hopes the school will receive all of the approvals by the end of this year, she recognizes that it’s a long undertaking.

“The process is complex and we appreciate that others must evaluate this proposal carefully,” Swain said.

Swain also said that there is no specific time by which SUNY and SED must approve either the list of reviewers or the proposal itself.

The proposal passed through all of the necessary communities within the University last semester.

According to H. Richard Naslund, a geological science and environmental studies professor and chair of the Faculty Senate, the Faculty Senate approved the proposal by a vote of 39-0 with two abstentions on May 6.

“All proposals for new programs pass through the Faculty Senate before they’re sent to Albany for state approval,” Naslund said.

Both Swain and Naslund said that the proposal had passed through two committees within the Faculty Senate — the Educational Planning and Policy Committee, and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee — before coming to a vote on the floor of the full senate.

Naslun said the proposal was also passed through the Graduate Council before the Faculty Senate.

The proposal passed by “substantial margins” within each committee, Swain said. Naslund added that the University hadn’t needed to make any revisions as a result of the Faculty Senate’s review of the plans.

While BU administration is optimistic, SUNY Spokesman David Henahan said there is still a long road ahead.

“From our perspective, there’s still a number of steps that have to occur in this process,” Henahan said.