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Nov. 19, 2015

 
 

Who produces the most 'Super Lawyers'? Yale, Harvard -- and Baylor

Posted in Academics, Alumni, Honors

Super Lawyers

Traditional law school evaluations focus on criteria such as acceptance rates, student-professor ratios, and bar passage rates, but often fail to measure the quality of lawyers a school produces. A new ranking, however, has attempted to take the latter approach, judging lawyers based on peer review, awards received and community service undertaken; the best of this group are dubbed "Super Lawyers."

National Jurist magazine then took things a step further, calculating which law schools have the highest percentage of Super Lawyers among their alumni. The top three on their list: No. 3 Harvard, No. 2 Yale, and No. 1 Baylor.

How's that for a trio? The research found that 23% of Baylor Law alumni have been named Super Lawyers; Baylor was the only school to join Ivy League peers Harvard and Yale above the 20% line.

Baylor Law School Dean Brad Toben, JD '77, says such success comes from preparing graduates who leave with "a commitment to public service and leadership within one's community and profession." He also noted that the Princeton Review has called Baylor Law "the Marine Corps of law school" for its focus on discipline and workload demands.

The long list of Baylor Law alumni includes Texas governors, U.S. Congressmen, federal judges, Texas Supreme Court justices, ambassadors, Texas legislators, even two former FBI directors. Super Lawyers, indeed!

Sic 'em, Baylor Law!

Continuing a family tradition -- as the Baylor mascot

Posted in Alumni, Just for Fun, Student life

Andy & Deanna Spencer

Baylor sophomore Deanna Spencer, an elementary education major from Austin, always knew that she was destined to follow the family tradition. But that didn't just mean attending Baylor. You see, Deanna is a second-generation bear of an extra sort; like her father before her, Deanna is one of a select group of students who don the Bruiser costume as part of the Baylor Spirit Squad.

Deanna's dad -- Andy Spencer, BBA '87 -- was the first official two-legged Baylor mascot, back in the mid 1980s. A costumed bear debuted at Baylor basketball games in the fall of 1981, sponsored by Wendy's. Andy became the Wendy's bear three years later, and then was the first person to be the costumed mascot when Baylor took over from Wendy's -- the first bear to wear a Baylor jersey.

Known only as "Mr. Bear," the mascot (with Andy inside) won first place at a national mascot competition in 1986. A year later, Andy wore the costume during a slalom ski race in Colorado, finishing 13th out of 36 university mascots. He has since donated the original Baylor bear suit to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

Deanna claimed her own spot in Baylor history as one of the Bruiser mascots at the first game in McLane Stadium in 2014, also her first game as a Baylor freshman. Later in the season, she was featured on ESPN's College Gameday when the show broadcast live from the Baylor campus.

Spencer says she loves interacting with kids as Bruiser. "As Bruiser, you're a celebrity. You own the room; everybody wants to hug you, hold your hand, touch you, have a photo. Sometimes when I'm around kids as myself, it surprises me that they are not fascinated by me."

The proud Papa Bear approves.

"Deanna is a great mascot; she is a much better mascot than I ever was," says Andy, who is now president of En Gedi Group, which serves churches and pastors. "I am a very proud 'Papa Bear' and look forward to every game that she is Bruiser; her ability to connect with kids is one of her best qualities. Deanna has great rapport with kids. I think it's because they see how much she loves kids."

She also loves teaching, a passion she developed at an early age, as she spent hours teaching her stuffed animals in the classroom that she created in her childhood bedroom. As she entered high school and volunteered for the daycare at her church, her desire to study education took root. "I have a real passion for kids and helping them learn," Spencer says. "There's nothing better than seeing that light bulb go off when they finally get it.

"I feel like I made the perfect choice coming to Baylor," Deanna continues. "All of the different experiences I've had as Bruiser -- and meeting my absolute best friend in my roommate -- have really helped me find my place here at Baylor."

Sic 'em, Deanna!

At last, a fountain is back on Fountain Mall

Posted in Alumni, Pro Futuris

Rosenbalm Fountain at Baylor University

Thanks to a generous Baylor graduate, Fountain Mall finally has its fountain back.

The Rosenbalm Fountain (pictured above) was dedicated at Homecoming last month. Despite the heavy rains of late, skies above Waco cleared just long enough for Dr. Thomas Rosenbalm, BS '50, MS '51, to get to see his fountain in action before the dedication ceremony moved indoors to the McMullen Faculty Center. Dr. Rosenbalm's $8 million gift to Baylor led the way in creating the fountain (named in honor of his parents) and a new-look Fifth Street.

[SEE PHOTOS of the Rosenbalm Fountain on Fifth Street]

The Rosenbalm Fountain is the most prominent part of a Fifth Street renovation that turned the long-closed-off street into a walkable plaza from the SUB down to Burleson Quadrangle. (The plaza is designed for pedestrians, though it can still be driven on by emergency vehicles and Homecoming parade floats.)

Next time you visit campus, make sure to check it all out. FYI, the fountain bubbles quietly during most of the day, but lights up green from 5-10 p.m.; it also shoots roughly 30 feet into the air (like in the picture above) on odd-numbered hours.

Sic 'em, Dr. Rosenbalm!

You might also like:
* A field guide to Baylor fountains, past and present (June 2015)
* Construction begins on Fifth Street renovation -- including new fountain on Fountain Mall (April 2015)
* A fountain back on Fountain Mall? Major Fifth Street update coming (July 2014)

Baylor alum now among Fortune's 50 Most Powerful Women

Posted in Alumni, Honors

Kim Lubel

Thirty years ago, Kim Lubel, MA '87, chose graduate school at Baylor over joining the CIA. Today, she is CEO, chairman and president of CST Brands -- and one of Fortune Magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women (again).

But first, the CIA story. After earning her bachelor's in Spanish and international studies from Miami of Ohio, Lubel applied to join the CIA. But she never heard back, and when Baylor offered her a full scholarship, she said yes. Shortly before school started, the CIA called with an offer -- but she decided to stick with Baylor.

She earned her master's in international relations here, then went on to law school at UT. She eventually found her way into Valero's legal services team, and from there, worked her way up to become CEO of CST Brands when it was spun off from Valero Energy in 2013.

That was the first time Lubel made Fortune's top 50 list. Since then, CST Brands has grown to become the second-largest publicly traded fuel and convenience retailer in North America. Those "Corner Stores" you see attached to more than a thousand Valero and Diamond Shamrock stations nationwide? That's CST. (The company also includes 800+ Ultramar stations across Canada.)

When asked how her experience as a female leader influenced her business decisions, she had some good advice for aspiring businesswomen. "What is most important to me is to be a good CEO, not a good female CEO," she told BizJournals. "However, there is no denying that my experience as a woman, as a mother, and as a wife helps to influence the decisions that I make as well as the approach I take to making those decisions. I am grateful that I can be a role model to my daughters and to the women in our company and at our stores. I try to be humble and mindful and to be a good listener. Are those feminine characteristics? If so, they influence my experience as a female leader and decision maker."

Sic 'em, Kim!

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