The Domino's Theory: Could the Ave Maria School of Law form the core of a St. Francis Law School?

Over the weekend, a Catholic weblog raised the possibility that the Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor might move to Fort Wayne's University of St. Francis. 

Intertwined with this scenario is speculation that many faculty of Ave Maria may not wish to move the school to the Florida campus Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan is building.

From the Fumare weblog:

The University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana has been exploring the possiblity of establishing a law school. The school announced its plans to explore the possibility in December 2006 and discussions on the issue have proceeded in earnest throughout January.

Dominic Aquila, a good Catholic gentleman and scholar and former official at Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti is the Dean of the university's College of Liberal Arts and is heading up the exploratory committee.

Fumare's sources have reported that Dr. Aquila has been in talks with Dean Bernard Dobranski and AMSL Board Member Professor Gerard Bradley on the creation of the new law school. So what's going on? Are members of the Board exploring other options for the viability of AMSL? Perhaps they are seeking a viable alternative to the Florida venture?

Most importantly, perhaps Dobranski and Bradley (and one may suspect, the Board) are seeking to distance themselves from Mr. Monaghan and the Ave Maria Foundation. This would be good news indeed! If the economic forecast for the school remaining in A2 is as bleak as some have projected, let's explore the possibility of this opportunity!

[... ]

This is a constructive and intelligent alternative that would provide the law school more stability and tools for its mission than a yet untested and speculative Florida venture that is in the middle of nowhere. The school would still be in the "hub" of a great legal community (access to Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, D.C.) and would benefit academically from the resources and competition provided by, among others, The University of Notre Dame.

There are numerous interesting comments posted in response to the post on the "Fumare" weblog.  Some are complimentary to Fort Wayne; others are not.