Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR554 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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1	1	SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 554
2	2	WHEREAS, The online juris doctor program at St. Mary's
3	3	University School of Law in San Antonio has earned the
4	4	distinction of being the first fully online law degree program
5	5	that has been accredited by the American Bar Association; and
6	6	WHEREAS, St. Mary's University School of Law dates back to
7	7	1927, when the San Antonio School of Law was founded by the local
8	8	bar association as a part-time institution that met at night;
9	9	shortly thereafter, St. Mary's offered to make it into a
10	10	university law school with full-time faculty and a stronger
11	11	curriculum, and in 1934, the law school acquired its current name
12	12	and its Catholic and Marianist mission; and
13	13	WHEREAS, In summer 2020, an ad hoc committee made up of
14	14	full-time tenured, tenure-track, and clinical faculty was formed
15	15	at the direction of Dean Patricia Roberts to explore the
16	16	viability of an online program, and on January 15, 2021, the
17	17	school applied for acquiescence from the ABA to change its
18	18	part-time residential program to a completely distance education
19	19	program consisting of synchronous and asynchronous online
20	20	instruction; and
21	21	WHEREAS, In an effort to make a legal education more
22	22	accessible, particularly for those who are typically
23	23	underrepresented, the St. Mary's online juris doctor program was
24	24	designated as a part-time program so that students could attend
25	25	law school without having to forfeit their employment; they will
26	26	have access to the same opportunities and resources as full-time
27	27	students, without the costs usually associated with relocation
28	28	and long commutes; the fall 2022 online cohort consists of 27
29	29	inaugural students who were matriculated from a lengthy list of
30	30	797 applicants, and together they represent 9 different states
31	31	and 20 undergraduate universities; St. Mary's benefits from the
32	32	leadership of its president, Tom Mengler, and its provost and
33	33	executive vice president for academic affairs, Jason Pierce, and
34	34	the law school is led by Dean Roberts and associate deans Ramona
35	35	Lampley, Colin Marks, and Zoe Niesel; and
36	36	WHEREAS, For nine decades, St. Mary's University School of
37	37	Law has diligently prepared generations of attorneys with the
38	38	highest standards of skill, knowledge, and professionalism, and
39	39	its online juris doctor program is a testament to its ongoing
40	40	commitment to excellence and innovation; now, therefore, be it
41	41	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th
42	42	Legislature, hereby commend the online juris doctor program at
43	43	St. Mary's University School of Law and extend to all those
44	44	associated with the program sincere best wishes for continued
45	45	success; and, be it further
46	46	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be
47	47	prepared for the law school as an expression of high regard from
48	48	the Texas Senate.
49	49	Menéndez
50	50	Alvarado Hancock Nichols Alvarado Hancock Nichols
51	51	Alvarado Hancock Nichols
52	52	Bettencourt Hinojosa Parker Bettencourt Hinojosa Parker
53	53	Bettencourt Hinojosa Parker
54	54	Birdwell Huffman Paxton Birdwell Huffman Paxton
55	55	Birdwell Huffman Paxton
56	56	Blanco Hughes Perry Blanco Hughes Perry
57	57	Blanco Hughes Perry
58	58	Campbell Johnson Schwertner Campbell Johnson Schwertner
59	59	Campbell Johnson Schwertner
60	60	Creighton King Sparks Creighton King Sparks
61	61	Creighton King Sparks
62	62	Eckhardt Kolkhorst Springer Eckhardt Kolkhorst Springer
63	63	Eckhardt Kolkhorst Springer
64	64	Flores LaMantia West Flores LaMantia West
65	65	Flores LaMantia West
66	66	Gutierrez Middleton Whitmire Gutierrez Middleton Whitmire
67	67	Gutierrez Middleton Whitmire
68	68	Hall Miles Zaffirini Hall Miles Zaffirini
69	69	Hall Miles Zaffirini
70	70	Patrick, President of the Senate
71	71	________________________________
72	72	President of the Senate
73	73	I hereby certify that the
74	74	above Resolution was adopted by
75	75	the Senate on May 11, 2023.
76	76	________________________________
77	77	Secretary of the Senate
78	78	________________________________
79	79	Member, Texas Senate
80	80
81	81	Alvarado Hancock Nichols
82	82
83	83	Bettencourt Hinojosa Parker
84	84
85	85	Birdwell Huffman Paxton
86	86
87	87	Blanco Hughes Perry
88	88
89	89	Campbell Johnson Schwertner
90	90
91	91	Creighton King Sparks
92	92
93	93	Eckhardt Kolkhorst Springer
94	94
95	95	Flores LaMantia West
96	96
97	97	Gutierrez Middleton Whitmire
98	98
99	99	Hall Miles Zaffirini