Bear Briefs

Baylor Named to Latino Leaders Magazine “Top 50 Colleges and Universities for Latinos”

Baylor University has been named to the Latino Leaders Magazine list of the top 50 colleges and universities for Latinos, published in the magazine's November-December 2017 issue. The Latino Leaders ranking focuses on universities that have exceeded traditional practices and continue to provide Latino students with helpful guidance and support to pursue their career aspirations.
Baylor’s student body continues to reflect the broader demographic shifts that have occurred in Texas and the United States, with the University’s enrollment from underrepresented groups rising to 35.3 percent of the overall student body in fall 2017. More than 14 percent of the University’s student body identifies as Hispanic/Latino. Baylor welcomes U.S. and international students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries.
Baylor supports Latino students with such resources as the Hispanic Student Association, which focuses on enriching the experience of Hispanic culture, heritage and traditions on Baylor’s campus as well as in the Waco community; Latino-based sororities and fraternities; and the Latinx Council of Latino Student Organizations.

Baylor Law School Launching Executive LL.M. Program

Beginning in the fall of 2018, Baylor Law School will offer the first Executive LLM. in Litigation Management in the nation. The master’s degree program was created to address a critical problem facing professionals in the legal field: how to strategically manage litigation to control the continued escalation of litigation costs.
This unique online and in-person program is led by a group of the nation’s leading attorneys and judges. Courses include instruction on the fundamentals of 21st century litigation management and strategy, proving and attacking damages, data analytics and cyber security, managing e-discovery, regulatory issues and practical strategies for successfully navigating through trial.
Baylor Law’s Executive LLM. in Litigation Management has been designed with the working legal professional in mind.
With benefits for both employers and prospective students, the launch of the Executive LLM. in Litigation Management is eagerly awaited. Baylor Law is now accepting applications for the inaugural class, set to begin in fall 2018.

Baylor Commemorates Fallen Vietnam Soldiers

In observance of National Vietnam Veterans Day, the names of seven Baylor students killed in action in the Vietnam war were added to the Waco Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
The names added to the wall were Robert Russell Barnett, Lowell E. Morgan, Benjamin Steve Fordham, Jack A. Whetsel Jr., William Thomas “Billy” Hale, Richard E. Latimer Jr., and Orville Curtis Rogers Jr.
Prior to the unveiling of the memorial, Waco Citizens for a Vietnam Veterans Memorial hosted a ceremony at the Waco Convention Center to honor these fallen alumni and their families. Michael Dewlen, a Baylor student whose name was added to the memorial several years ago, was also remembered in this ceremony.

Baylor Law Earns Highest Ultimate Bar Passage Rate in the U.S.

One-hundred percent of Baylor Law’s 2015 graduates passed the bar exam within two years of graduation, the highest rate of all 204 ABA-approved law schools, according to the Managing Director’s Office of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. The ABA released its data on first-time passage rates on March 22, and for the first time, “ultimate” passage rates for those students who passed within two years of graduation.
Baylor Law Dean Brad Toben said the achievement reflects the effectiveness of the Law School’s program.
“We are so pleased and proud of these results. This ultimate bar passage rate underscores, once again, the remarkable commitment of Baylor Law’s faculty and staff to educate and train our students as they prepare to serve in the legal profession. They have a genuine interest in seeing each student succeed. We also are thankful for our University administration, which is enthusiastically supportive of Baylor Law,” Toben said.
The news comes on the heels of the announcement that Baylor Law climbed into the Top-50 in the U.S. News & World Report “Best Law Schools” list for 2019.

Baylor Graduate Programs Ranked in U.S. News & World Report 2019 Edition of Best Graduate Schools

Baylor University graduate programs in law, business, nursing and health disciplines, education, engineering, the sciences and social sciences and humanities were among those nationally ranked in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings, released in March.
The rankings in business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing, including specialties in each area, are based on two types of data: expert opinions about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students. The data for these rankings come from statistical surveys of more than 2,012 programs and from reputation surveys sent to more than 20,500 academics and professionals, conducted in fall 2017 and early 2018.
Beyond the six major disciplines ranked annually, U.S. News also periodically ranks programs in science, social sciences and humanities, health and many other areas based solely on academic experts’ ratings.
This year, U.S. News has published fresh academic reputation rankings of doctoral programs in criminology and criminal justice; master’s degree programs in social work and public affairs and related specialty areas; and doctoral programs in the sciences, specifically in biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, mathematics, physics and statistics.
For more information about Best Graduate Schools, visitwww.usnews.com. To learn more about the methodology and data research, visit www.usnews.com/gradmeth.