Dean's Reception Welcomes Entering Law Students
Entering law students received a friendly reception from Dean Brad Toben, left, and his administrative staff.
Ample supplies of chocolate brownies, cookies and Dr Pepper floats helped to launch a new tradition at Baylor Law School on May 17 when Dean Brad Toben and his administrative staff sponsored the first Dean's Reception to welcome entering students to the school.
The 30 first-year students were selected for a spot at Baylor Law School from a total of 492 applications. The entering class represents 12 degree-granting institutions, including Baylor, Texas A&M, University of Texas, Southern Methodist University, Trinity, Yale, William and Mary, and Pepperdine. The states they represent include Texas, Georgia, California, Virginia and Louisiana.
One entering student, Guoping Da, is originally from China. She attended Peking University in Beijing, and recently received her doctorate in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania.
"We wanted students to have the opportunity to come and meet the deans and the administrative staff," said Becky Chollett, admissions director and scholarship coordinator. "A long-standing tradition is that first-year students tend to shy away from the dean's suite. So, in early April, shortly after Law Day, we decided to implement the Dean's Reception to encourage students to feel comfortable with coming to the dean's suite and with meeting with either of the deans and the administrative staff."
Chollett also said the reception is a good way to introduce students who come from other schools to Dr Pepper floats, a longtime Baylor tradition. The popular floats are provided by ARA dining services.