Appalachian School of Law receives county funding while in merger talks
The Appalachian School of Law will receive funding from its home county, as the Grundy, Virginia, law school continues merger discussions with the Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia.
On Monday, the Buchanan County, Virginia, board of supervisors agreed to form a committee that includes representatives from the board, the county industrial development board and the law school to write the agreement worth $6 million.
“The $6 million commitment from the Buchanan County board of supervisors, together with a transformative $1 million private gift, represents an extraordinary vote of confidence in Appalachian School of Law,” David Western, the dean of the law school, told the ABA Journal. “These investments strengthen our long-term financial stability and ensure that ASL will continue to serve students, the region and the legal profession well into the future.”
While Western would not comment on merger talks, Alicia Petska, a communications specialist at Roanoke College, confirmed the discussions in an email to the Journal.
“We believe in their mission, and although there are many details to consider, we remain eager about what could be possible together,” Petska wrote. “At this time, no formal agreement has been met.”
The law school’s issues stem from 2013, when the law school was down to less than 100 students, WCYB reports.
The rural school reported 182 students in its 2025 Standard 509 Information Report to the ABA. The school’s break-even point is 300 students, according to a post on the Admissions Consultants website, but it has received over 400 applicants for the upcoming year, according to WCYB.
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