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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The online juris doctor program at St. Mary's |
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University School of Law in San Antonio has earned the distinction |
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of being the first fully online law degree program that has been |
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accredited by the American Bar Association; and |
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WHEREAS, St. Mary's University School of Law dates back to |
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1927, when the San Antonio School of Law was founded by the local |
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bar association as a part-time institution that met at night; |
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shortly thereafter, St. Mary's offered to make it into a university |
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law school with full-time faculty and a stronger curriculum, and in |
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1934, the law school acquired its current name and its Catholic and |
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Marianist mission; and |
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WHEREAS, In summer 2020, an ad hoc committee made up of |
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full-time tenured, tenure-track, and clinical faculty was formed at |
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the direction of Dean Patricia Roberts to explore the viability of |
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an online program, and on January 15, 2021, the school applied for |
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acquiescence from the ABA to change its part-time residential |
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program to a completely distance education program consisting of |
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synchronous and asynchronous online instruction; and |
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WHEREAS, In an effort to make a legal education more |
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accessible, particularly for those who are typically |
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underrepresented, the St. Mary's online juris doctor program was |
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designated as a part-time program so that students could attend law |
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school without having to forfeit their employment; they will have |
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access to the same opportunities and resources as full-time |
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students, without the costs usually associated with relocation and |
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long commutes; the fall 2022 online cohort consists of 27 inaugural |
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students who were matriculated from a lengthy list of 797 |
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applicants, and together they represent 9 different states and 20 |
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undergraduate universities; St. Mary's benefits from the |
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leadership of its president, Tom Mengler, and its provost and |
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executive vice president for academic affairs, Jason Pierce, and |
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the law school is led by Dean Roberts and associate deans Ramona |
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Lampley, Colin Marks, and Zoe Niesel; and |
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WHEREAS, For nine decades, St. Mary's University School of |
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Law has diligently prepared generations of attorneys with the |
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highest standards of skill, knowledge, and professionalism, and its |
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online juris doctor program is a testament to its ongoing |
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commitment to excellence and innovation; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature |
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hereby commend the online juris doctor program at St. Mary's |
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University School of Law and extend to all those associated with the |
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program sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the law school as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas Senate. |