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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 554
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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 |
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distinction of being the first fully online law degree program |
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that has been 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 |
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university law school with full-time faculty and a stronger |
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curriculum, and in 1934, the law school acquired its current name |
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and its Catholic and 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 |
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at the direction of Dean Patricia Roberts to explore the |
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viability of an online program, and on January 15, 2021, the |
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school applied for acquiescence from the ABA to change its |
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part-time residential program to a completely distance education |
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program consisting of synchronous and asynchronous online |
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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 |
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law school without having to forfeit their employment; they will |
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have access to the same opportunities and resources as full-time |
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students, without the costs usually associated with relocation |
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and long commutes; the fall 2022 online cohort consists of 27 |
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inaugural students who were matriculated from a lengthy list of |
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797 applicants, and together they represent 9 different states |
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and 20 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 |
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its 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 State of Texas, 88th |
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Legislature, hereby commend the online juris doctor program at |
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St. Mary's University School of Law and extend to all those |
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associated with the program sincere best wishes for continued |
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success; and, be it 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 from |
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the Texas Senate. |
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Menéndez |
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| Bettencourt |
Hinojosa |
Parker |
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| Campbell |
Johnson |
Schwertner |
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| Eckhardt |
Kolkhorst |
Springer |
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| Gutierrez |
Middleton |
Whitmire |
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Patrick, President of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on May 11, 2023. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |