Baylor law alums well on their way to success
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Honors
For a young lawyer, graduating from law school and passing the bar exam are keys 1 and 1A to getting started on a successful career. Those same moments are important for the law school itself, too.
After learning several days earlier that Baylor had led the state once again in bar exam pass rate, Baylor Law School graduated 70 students in early May.
Two of those graduates, Josh Fogelman and Jeff Watters, will join two other recent law grads, Katy Boatman and Ashley Franklin, as clerks for the Texas Supreme Court in 2008-09. Only 18 clerks were hired by the state’s highest court, and Baylor Law School has four of them.
To top it off, a Baylor Law alumnus, Roland Johnson (pictured), finds himself well on his way to the aforementioned “successful career.” Johnson (BA ‘73, BS ‘76, JD ‘79) was voted president-elect of the State Bar of Texas. He will serve as president in 2009-2010, following another Baylor lawyer, Harper Estes (JD ‘79), who will begin his term as president of the State Bar of Texas in June.
Sic ’em, Baylor law alums!
Students learning international relations through model organizations
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, Academics, Student life, Honors
I was never much for model cars, model airplanes or any other sort of model. I lacked the coordination to keep things together and in the right places, and everything always came out not quite right.
Thankfully, Baylor students involved with a different sort of model aren’t having those troubles. Baylor students have enjoyed success competing in Model United Nations, Model Arab League and Model Organization of American States (MOAS) competitions.
In April, Baylor’s Model UN team received honorable mention at the National Model UN conference in New York, placing among the top 15% of the 290 colleges and universities competing at the prestigious event. Senior Will Masters received the top award in his committee.
Meanwhile, Baylor’s Model Arab League team was honored with one of two Outstanding Delegation awards at the Southwest University Model Arab League competition in Fort Worth. The Secretary General of the conference said afterward, “While I was speaking to Baylor delegates, I felt as if I was speaking to students who had lived in the Arab world and saw the culture, history, and passion of the Arab people first-hand. Their dedication to this competition and their desire to learn about the Arab states makes them one of the most respected and feared teams at the conference.” Four Bears (Tim Semons, Eric Headstream, Ryan Holder and Joji Suzuki) won Outstanding Delegate Awards.
Finally, the Baylor MOAS team’s co-head delegate, Seth Reed, was elected as the general assembly’s president during the Washington MOAS conference in Washington, D.C. Over 30 schools from nine different countries participated, but for the fourth time eight years, it was a Baylor student who was elected president. Three other Bears (Cassidy Ford, Manny Munoz and Joshua Hyles) earned positions of leadership during the competition.
Imperative XI of Baylor’s Vision 2012 recognizes the need to emphasize global education. I think these students have got it.
Sic ’em, model organization participants!
Law students lead Texas students in bar exam pass rate — again
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, HonorsFor the sixth straight time and the 11th time in the past 14 offerings, Baylor law students have claimed the top pass rate on the Texas State Bar Exam.
During the February exam, 46 of 48 Baylor students passed on their first try — a 96% success rate. Totalling up the last 14 bar exam offerings, dating back to 2001, 926 of 980 Baylor students (94.5%) have passed the test the first time. Compare that to a state average closer to 80% over that same time period, and you’ll see why Baylor Law stands out. (For more on the law school’s approach and success, check out this feature from the last issue of Baylor Magazine.)
Sic ’em, Baylor law students!
A look ahead at this fall’s freshman class
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, Academics, Student life
Part of Baylor’s Vision 2012 has been to attract a top-tier student body by “recruiting students with strong academic records and characters consistent with Baylor’s mission” — outstanding students like Alana Akers, Miriam Garcia and Andrew McCleskey. These three students have each chosen Baylor and are just a sampling of the 3,000-plus students who will begin classes this fall.
* Akers, an incoming freshman from Beaumont, Texas, is a National Merit finalist and an aspiring doctor who has already been shadowing a pediatrician on a weekly basis (pictured at right). The Beaumont Enterprise profiled her here.
* Garcia is one of four El Paso-area students who received Gates Millennium Scholarships, given to top minority students with financial need. Garcia is the No. 2 student in her class and chose Baylor over schools like Notre Dame, Texas Tech and TCU. The El Paso Times wrote about her and the other local Gates Millennium Scholars.
* McCleskey, a Richardson, Texas, native, was highlighted by The Dallas Morning News in their ongoing series of “Good Kids.” An Eagle Scout and mission work volunteer, McCleskey plans to major in film and digital media at Baylor.
We are truly blessed at Baylor to have student after student with backgrounds like these entering year after year.
Sic ’em, incoming freshmen!
Former dean honored for his return to the classroom
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Honors
Longtime Baylor professor Dr. Wallace Daniel is this year’s Cornelia Marschall Smith Professor of the Year. As such, Daniel will receive $20,000 and will present a public lecture on campus later this fall.
If you’re thinking, “Didn’t we just hear someone else named professor of the year?”, the answer is “sort of.” Dr. Mona Choucair, an English department lecturer, won this year’s Collins Outstanding Professor Award as voted on by this year’s senior class. To my way of thinking, it’s wonderful that we have more than enough great teachers to have multiple awardwinners every year!
The Cornelia Marschall Smith Award honoree is selected by a faculty committee based on the nominees’ teaching, research and service. Daniel came to Baylor in 1971 as an assistant history professor and since then has led the Honors Program, chaired the department of history, and served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences before returning to the classroom in 2005.
Sic ’em, Dr. Daniel!
Senior class elects this year’s Collins Outstanding Professor
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Alumni, Student life, Honors
When I heard that Dr. Mona Choucair won this year’s Collins Outstanding Professor Award, I was both overjoyed and completely unsurprised. For the senior lecturer with dual appointments in the English Department and the School of Education, it was only a matter of time.
Dr. Choucair (BA ‘86, PhD ‘00) is the epitome of what it means to be a Baylor professor: knowledgeable, professional, a great communicator, a superior listener. Every semester, students fight tooth and nail to get into her classes. She brings dynamic energy to the classroom, starting off almost every period by asking students about their other classes and often offering a timely pep talk. And though Dr. Choucair’s classes are challenging, her fairness and consistency is remarkable. She inspires her students to work hard every single day. I should know; I was one of them (and I didn’t even make an A).
Above all, Dr. Choucair cares deeply about her students, whether that means helping them with schoolwork, sharing meals, writing recommendation letters, or just talking with them about life. She welcomes all visitors, and on most days, a line waits outside her office door. As busy as she is, Dr. Choucair always makes time for one more.
I have often been the “one more” Dr. Choucair made time for. She is a big reason I switched my major to English after taking her American Literature course. She even helped me locate a home, find the right graduate school and land three jobs! Baylor is extremely blessed to have more than our fair share of people like Dr. Choucair who literally change the direction of our lives. May we always remember how fortunate we are to be surrounded by professors who devote themselves to the students of this university. Track down those favorite professors of yours and let them know how much you appreciate them. Professors like these make me proud to be part of the Baylor family.
Sic ’em, class of ‘08, for making an excellent choice, and Sic ’em, Dr. Choucair!
Multiple graduate programs named among U.S. News’ best
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Honors
Several Baylor programs were named among the nation’s best in U.S. News & World Report’s 2009 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” released in late March.
The Baylor-U.S. Army doctoral program in physical therapy ranked fifth nationally, while the Baylor-U.S. Army master’s degree program in health administration ranked 20th. On the school’s main campus, Baylor Law’s trial advocacy program rose to No. 8 in the nation.
The biggest jump of any Baylor program came in the School of Social Work, as its master’s degree program has jumped from 87th in 2004 to 60th this year. As has become standard for Baylor, multiple other graduate programs were also honored among the nation’s best: law (55th out of 195), speech-language pathology (60th of 244), business (71st of 425), nursing master’s program (72nd of 395), biological sciences doctoral program (77th of 249), clinical psychology doctoral program (83rd of 209), and the school of education (103rd of 278).
Sic ’em, Baylor educators!
Four Baylor-related books among Christianity Today’s favorites
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Research, Honors
As the world’s largest Baptist university, it stands to reason that Baylor would be among the leaders in the study of religion. Recognition from outside the University — like the recent honors from Christianity Today — just confirms the standing of Baylor and its faculty nationwide.
Christianity Today, the nation’s leading evangelical Christian magazine, named books by three Baylor professors and one alum among the winners of its 2008 Book Awards:
* Questions to All of Your Answers: A Journey from Folk Religion to Examined Faith, by Truett Seminary professor Dr. Roger Olson;
* The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America, by history professor Dr. Thomas Kidd;
* Discovering God: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief, by Dr. Rodney Stark, co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion; and
* Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite, by Dr. D. Michael Lindsay, class of 1994.
Sic ’em, Drs. Olson, Kidd, Stark and Lindsay!
Theatre profs earn rave review for their own performances
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Honors
Through its productions and events like the semi-annual Horton Foote American Playwrights Festival, Baylor’s theatre department is making a nice name for the University in the world of theatre. Last week, the Dallas Morning News gave an excellent review to “The Unseen,” a play starring three Baylor theatre professors (Steven Pounders, Stan Denman and Thomas Ward) and directed by a fourth (Lisa Denman).
The performance was produced by the American Actors Company, in cooperation with Baylor. The Company was originally created by theater legends like Horton Foote, Jerome Robbins and Mary Hunter and ran from 1938-45. With Foote’s blessing, Baylor’s department of theatre arts picked up the mantle several years ago to carry on the mission of the original group.
Besides “The Unseen,” the American Actors Company also recently produced Foote’s “The Traveling Lady” at Baylor. The play ended up with a successful off-Broadway run, earning great reviews and a Drama Desk award nomination.
Sic ’em, Baylor theatre!
Geology chair elected president of international society
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, Academics, Research, Honors
The chair of Baylor’s geology department, Dr. Steven Driese, can now add another title to his name. Driese was elected president of the Society for Sedimentary Geology, an international organization “dedicated to the dissemination of scientific information” in various geological fields.
Driese has been an active member of the organization for over 30 years, most of that time as a professor at the University of Tennessee before coming to Baylor as chair in 2004. He has published more than 75 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has served as associate editor for two of the Society’s journals.
Part of Baylor’s Vision 2012 is “developing a world-class faculty;” the explanation under that imperative describes professors who are “recognized as leaders in their respective disciplines.” I think being elected president by your peers fits that description, don’t you?
Sic ’em, Dr. Driese!
