Honors « Baylor Proud

Points of Pride — Honors

Nov

2009

Law students win moot court competition for fourth straight year

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Honors, Student life

Jennifer Salim and Wes LeRouax If practice makes perfect, then Baylor Law students are clearly well on their way to starting excellent careers.

For the fourth straight year (and the seventh time in 12 years), a team of Baylor Law School students won first place at the annual Mack Kidd Administrative Law Moot Court Competition. The team of Jennifer Salim and Wes LeRouax (pictured) claimed top honors at the event, in which students take place in simulated court proceedings.

In addition to winning the event, Salim and LeRouax were each recognized among the competition’s top speakers, finishing second and third, respectively. Their brief also won second place honors. Two other Baylor teams also performed well, with one pair reaching the semifinals and another reaching the quarterfinals.

Sic ’em, Baylor Law!

Nov

2009

Young grad honored as a healthcare ‘Up and Comer’

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Alumni, Honors

The day after he turned 30, George Gaston, BBA ‘93, learned from doctors that he had a major cyst on his brain. He underwent several surgeries. That process has helped Gaston — now CEO of Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital in Houston — relate to his patients and their families in a new way. That sort of caring, in addition to an approach that led one co-worker to describe him as a “servant leader,” is a large part of why Gaston was named a 2009 Up and Comer by Modern Healthcare Magazine.

Gaston is one of just 12 recipients of the honor nationwide, and the only one from Texas. After working his way up through the Memorial Hermann system since 1996, Gaston was named CEO of Memorial Hermann Southeast in 2007. He and his wife, Mary Robin Gaston, BA ‘94, BS ‘94, now reside in Sugar Land, Texas.

Sic ’em, George!

Nov

2009

Men’s and women’s hoops each sign national top-5 recruit

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Honors

Perry Jones Last year, the Baylor women’s basketball program received a commitment from the No. 1 high school player in the country, Brittney Griner, on National Signing Day. Griner, known for her 6-foot-8 height and ability to dunk, is now the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year as the 4th-ranked Lady Bears open their season Sunday at No. 9 Tennessee (4 p.m. CT, ESPN2).

This year, both the Baylor men and women drew national headlines on Signing Day. Three years after he first verbally committed to head coach Scott Drew’s Bears, Duncanville forward Perry Jones — a consensus top-5 recruit — made his commitment official Wednesday. The highest ranked recruit in program history, the 6-10 Jones is ranked No. 3 overall in the ESPNU Top 100, No. 4 by Scout.com and No. 5 by Rivals.com. This marks the fourth straight year the Bears have signed a top-50 national recruit, following LaceDarius Dunn, Anthony Jones and Nolan Dennis.

The women, meanwhile, followed up last year’s signing of Griner (part of the top signing class in America) with the commitment of the nation’s No. 2 player this year, point guard Odyssey Sims. The nation’s top high school point guard, Sims averaged 18 points, 7 assists and nearly 6 steals a game last year as a junior and was named district MVP for the third year in a row.

Baylor basketball has seen tremendous success in recent years, with the women coming off six straight NCAA tournament appearances (including the 2005 national championship) and the men having made back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time in 20 years. Adding talents like these should keep the good times rolling in the Ferrell Center.

Sic ’em, Baylor basketball!

Nov

2009

English prof honored for new look at Mark Twain’s thinking

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Honors, Research

Work that began three years ago as a potential journal article by English professor Dr. Joe Fulton has evolved into not just a complete book, but one worthy of the prestigious Landry Award, given annually to the best book on Southern studies published by LSU Press.

Fulton’s book, The Reconstruction of Mark Twain, takes an in-depth look at the famed writer’s evolving political allegiances, actions and writings during and after the Civil War. Unlike previous Twain scholars, Fulton found that Twain remained a Southern who opposed Lincoln and and the North for years after the Civil War ended, until he very gradually recognized the tragedy of racism and slavery.

Previous Landry Award winners include Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Robert Penn Warren, current Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust, and Presidential Medal of Freedom winner John Hope Franklin. The Reconstruction of Mark Twain will be released next fall, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of Twain’s death.

Sic ’em, Dr. Fulton!

Oct

2009

Student’s work recognized by Menlo Park research institute

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Honors, Research, Student life

Apple introduced the computer mouse to the masses in 1984 with the introduction of the Macintosh computer, but the invention was first demonstrated nearly 20 years earlier at a conference in San Francisco by its inventor, Dr. Douglas Engelbart. His presentation — which also introduced such features as hyperlinks, e-mail and video conferencing — has come to be known as “the Mother of All Demos.”

Today, the Doug Engelbart Institute (DEI) continues to bring together researchers “to explore how we can dramatically boost our ability to solve complex, urgent problems on a global scale collectively.” Baylor sophomore Philip Heinrich, a University Scholar from Kansas, was recently recognized by the DEI for a project he put together as a freshman last spring on Engelbart’s famous presentation for a class at Baylor.

Heinrich took audio from the speech and created animated video to match, using the video to briefly demonstrate the progress of computer screen interfaces since 1968 and to emphasize not just the technology presented but also Engelbart’s vision of collaborative progress through technology. The DEI was impressed enough to feature Heinrich’s work on their website this summer, even creating a new section of the site to feature student works in line with the institute’s mission.

Sic ’em, Philip!

Oct

2009

Midway through season, Baylor volleyball leads the nation in wins

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Honors

Head coach Jim Barnes While Baylor football (Saturday at OU, 2:30 p.m., ABC), soccer (Friday at Nebraska, Saturday at ISU) and tennis (men and women both at the ITA All-American Championships) are all on the road this weekend, the 17th-ranked Baylor volleyball team is here in Waco, hosting Texas A&M at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Head coach Jim Barnes’ Bears enter the match second in the Big 12, just a half game behind Texas, and with a 17-1 record (6-1 Big 12) that has earned them the highest ranking in program history at No. 17. Baylor is tied with two other squads for the national lead with 17 wins this season, and the squad’s .944 winning percentage is fourth-best in the nation behind the nation’s top three teams, each of which are undefeated (Penn State, Texas and Washington).

Sic ’em, Baylor volleyball!

Oct

2009

Baylor debate ranked 5th nationally

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Honors

Baylor debaters John Cook and Alex McVey The reason we trumpet rankings on this blog is that they give some outside validation of where Baylor programs stand compared to others across the nation. Thus, we’re always excited to see Bears grab top-25 rankings, whether they’re academic or athletic.

Baylor’s debate team is the latest to grab headlines, coming in at No. 5 in the country after a pair of fall tournaments. We’ve talked about Baylor debate’s illustrious history before, but I think this paragraph sums things up nicely:

“Established in 1851, the Baylor debate team is one of the oldest extra-curricular organizations on campus. Since the beginning of the modern era of intercollegiate debate in 1947, Baylor has won three national championships, appeared in nine Final Fours, and qualified for the national tournament a stunning 50 times.”

Sic ’em, Baylor debate!

Oct

2009

Baylor alums top list of best-selling Christian albums on iTunes

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Alumni, Honors

iTunes top 10 Christian & Gospel albums We’ve seen the iTunes folks highlight other Baylor grads in the past like Addison Road and Erin McCarley. Now this week, folks visiting the iTunes Christian & Gospel page found offerings from two Baylor alumni groups among the top three best-selling albums nationwide.

Most folks know that the David Crowder Band hails from Baylor/Waco, as they still lead worship at University Baptist Church when not on the road. Their recent release, Church Music, holds down the top spot (and is even spotlighted with an ad in the top center of the page). But at No. 3 sits another Baylor-related group, Dutton, with their CD All Things Fade.

Lead vocalist Logan Walter (BA ‘07), drummer Nathan Jennings (BBA ‘03) and guitarists Brian Patterson (BA ‘08) and Shane Wilson (BBA ‘04) are all Baylor alums. The band began as the fill-in group at UBC when the David Crowder Band was on the road; they later moved to The Heights Baptist Church in Richardson, Texas, where they lead worship now (when not on the road themselves).

Sic ’em, Dutton!

Sep

2009

Accounting, entrepreneurship programs again among nation’s best

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Honors

Accounting and entrepreneurship students in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business received some nice recognition this week on the national level.

For the fourth straight year, Baylor graduate students ranked among the top five in the country in pass rate on the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. Baylor undergraduates also did well, finishing among the top 20 universities nationally. Baylor’s entrepreneurship program, meanwhile, was ranked fourth in the country among all undergraduate programs by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review.

Of course, such honors are nothing new for either program; for instance, Baylor’s accounting program was ranked among the top 10 in the nation this spring, while the entrepreneurship program has quickly jumped up on the national stage, rising from 23rd two years ago to 12th last year to fourth this year.

Sic ’em, Baylor business!

Sep

2009

Perfect start moves Baylor volleyball into top 25

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Honors

Anna Breyfogle Even after their bye week, Baylor football continues to receive votes in this week’s AP Top 25 poll. Baylor volleyball, however, has gone one better, breaking into the top 25 after beginning the season a program-record 11-0!

Head coach Jim Barnes’ team received votes in this season’s first three AVCA polls before jumping to No. 24 this week, thanks in part to wins over Purdue (then ranked No. 24) and Pitt (previously receiving votes). The Bears are among the top 25 for the first time since 2001, but the ranking will be put to a stiff test Wednesday as Baylor travels to Austin to face No. 2 Texas. The match will be nationally televised on ESPNU at 6 p.m.

With the Bears earning a spot in the top 25, 14 of Baylor’s 18 varsity sports have now ranked among the nation’s top 25 during the last 12 months. The rundown, with the team’s highest rank in parentheses: equestrian (1st), women’s basketball (3rd), women’s tennis (3rd), baseball (5th), men’s tennis (5th), men’s golf (7th), men’s outdoor track & field (7thj), women’s outdoor track & field (8th), men’s indoor track & field (10th), women’s indoor track & field (15th), men’s basketball (19th), women’s cross country (19th), softball (24th), and now volleyball (24th).

Sic ’em, Baylor volleyball and all of Baylor athletics!

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