Celebrating 10 Years in Fort Worth - Texas Wesleyan School of Law ...

feature story
Attracting the Best
Just as important as the increased activity
in student programs was the addition of
numerous faculty members. The size of
the faculty at Texas Wesleyan University
School of Law has increased steadily
throughout the school’s existence, as
well as from its relocation to Fort Worth.
From 25 faculty members in 1997 to 34 in
2007, the law school has never failed to
attract teachers of an outstanding caliber.
Law schools represented by the faculty’s
degrees include American University,
Columbia, George Washington, Harvard,
Texas, and the University of Southern
California, with graduate law degrees from
such schools as Chicago, Georgetown,
Notable Visits
March 1999 – Supreme Court
of Texas
August 2003 – Former U.S.
Attorney General Janet Reno
April 2005 – Second District Court
of Appeals of Texas
October 2005 – U.S. Supreme
Court Justice Anthony Kennedy
October 2006 – Second District
Court of Appeals of Texas
March 2007 – Texas Court of
Criminal Appeals
October 2007 – Second District
Court of Appeals of Texas
Justice Anthony Kennedy speaks about the importance of law
in our society at the dedication ceremony at Bass Hall.
(From left to right): Justices Holcomb, Keasler, Womack, Meyers, Keller, Price, Johnson, Hervey, and Cochran of the Texas Court of
Criminal Appeals at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law on March 1, 2007. Occasionally, the state’s highest criminal court travels to
law schools around the state to give students a chance to see how appeals are handled in the state’s criminal justice system.
Photo by Dane Porter
Harvard, New York University, and
the University of Virginia. Nonlaw
doctoral and master’s degrees include
Stanford, Michigan, Chicago, Columbia,
and Harvard.
“More and more candidates express
serious interest in coming to Texas
Wesleyan University School of Law,”
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Vickie Rainwater said. “They know we
have a genuine interest in accessibility.
Over the years we have continued to place
a high value on the closeness of students
and teachers, on a relationship that’s free
and comfortable. Additionally, our faculty
members have published an increasing
number of articles and participated in more
conferences over the years. The numbers
continue to increase every semester, which
raises our visibility.”
That accessibility Rainwater mentions
received widespread attention in 2003
when a Texas Lawyer magazine survey
ranked Texas Wesleyan University School
of Law’s faculty No. 1 in classroom
instruction and faculty accessibility
in a survey of students at the state’s
nine law schools.
“An exceptional level of interaction occurs
between faculty and students at Texas
Wesleyan University School of Law,”
Fountaine said. “Being able to speak oneon-one
with professors is an important
element of a law student’s education.
Learning takes place in many ways – both
inside and outside of class. As a faculty,
we think it is very important to maintain
an open and friendly environment
for our students, rather than a closed,
intimidating environment.”
Growth Spurt
Programs and faculty recognition were
not the only parts of the law school that
experienced growth in the new millennia.
When Fred Slabach took the role of Texas
Wesleyan University School of Law’s fourth
dean in 2003, he soon found himself in the
midst of a capital campaign to raise funds
for an expansion that would provide the
school some room for physical growth.
25
“The community as a whole was
extremely supportive,” Slabach said of
the fundraising efforts. “The city of Fort
Worth was very generous. There is no
doubt in my mind that the community
has adopted the law school.”
The $6.5 million renovation project
was kicked off in March 2004, with two
phases incorporating over 40,000 square
feet of additions and updates. Phase one
involved the transformation of the second
floor – a space which had previously been
occupied by the Internal Revenue Service
– into a 40,000 square-foot space that
included the 248-seat Amon G. Carter
Lecture Hall, the Bernie Schuchmann
Conference Center, four 100-seat
Former United States Attorney General Janet Reno visited
Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in August 2003.
classrooms, one 70-seat classroom, four
seminar classrooms, and office space for
administration. Phase two saw the Dee
J. Kelly Law Library grow from 14,222
square feet to 30,021 square feet, plus
space for librarian offices.
Upon completion of the renovation
and expansion in October 2005, United
States Supreme Court Justice Anthony
Kennedy visited the law school and was
welcomed as the keynote speaker for the
dedication ceremony.
“We were honored to have Justice
Kennedy dedicate our new building into a
new era of legal education,” Slabach said.
“It symbolized the way in which Texas
Wesleyan was moving to the forefront of
legal education.”
Photo by John M. Veilleux