Pivoting with excellence: St. Mary's Law adapts in response to pandemic

Pivoting with excellence: St. Mary’s Law adapts in response to pandemic

Law

January 12, 2021

by Frank Garza

This year, the St. Mary’s University School of Law community joined together as never before to meet the needs of its student body and the San Antonio region.

Faculty, staff, students and alumni have adapted to new challenges not just at the onset of COVID-19 in the spring, but throughout the summer and fall semesters by holding virtual advocacy competitions, deepening classroom discussions online, embracing remote work experiences and providing pro bono legal aid to health care workers.

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More about how the St. Mary's University School of Law community responded to the pandemic:

Law

Pivoting with excellence: All-star professor leads the way for national virtual advocacy competitions

The day that A.J. Bellido de Luna, J.D., Hardy Director of Advocacy and Service Professor, was supposed to cancel the St. Mary’s University School of Law’s Lone Star Classic for the fall, three other advocacy competitions had been canceled.

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Pivoting with excellence: Law assistant dean forges new digital connections

In some ways, going virtual has made it easier for the Office for Law Student Affairs to meet with students, said Alan K. Haynes, J.D., Assistant Dean for Law Student Affairs. Setting up meetings with students before could be difficult, especially if they lived outside San Antonio. Even if it’s just a conversation, Haynes will use Zoom instead of the phone to talk to the student.

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Pivoting with excellence: Law associate dean brings legal topics into focus through online instruction

Even before COVID-19 hit, Colin P. Marks, J.D., Associate Dean for Graduate and Summer Programs and Ernest W. Clemens Professor of Law, was certified to teach classes online. So, when he pivoted his approach mid-semester last spring, his students continued to learn through short video lectures with quizzes and a once-a-week Zoom session to discuss learning objectives and questions.

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Pivoting with excellence: Law externship director helps prep students for virtual practice

Hustling to move the law school’s Externship Program online by summer, Amanda Rivas (J.D. ’09), Director of Externships, said her main focus was on supporting externship supervisors and externs as they switched to remote working environments, ensuring that students would continue to receive challenging work and feedback.

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Pivoting with excellence: Law associate dean hones sense of gratitude through online transition

This fall, Ramona L. Lampley, J.D., Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law, kept students engaged through a hybrid of synchronous and asynchronous components, coupled with multiple assessments and a flipped classroom model.

Law

Pivoting with excellence: Law students and alumni unite to provide remote services to health care workers

Several St. Mary's Law students and alumni joined an effort by the San Antonio Legal Services Association (SALSA) to draft wills for health care workers battling COVID-19 on the frontlines in San Antonio this summer.

Alumnus creates venture capital firm focused on the Southwestern U.S. and Mexico

Overcoming barriers. Closing deals. Rowing oceans. Whatever phrase you want to use for persisting through all manner of strenuous challenges, Andy Vargas-Hernandez (B.B.A. ’14) has done just that, though his favorite wording might be removing borders.

Faith and Service

Vice President for Mission to host show on Catholic TV

The fact that the Rev. John Thompson, S.M., Ed.D., isn’t on television already may be a surprise. The Vice President for Mission certainly has the personality for it. There’s always a smile on his face, a witty response ready to go and charisma to fill multiple rooms.

Science and Tech

New labs and programs offer a wellspring for innovation in St. Mary’s health care education

The new Nursing Program at St. Mary's University, along with other new and revamped degrees in Public Health, Medical Humanities, and Exercise and Sport Science, further the University's mission of teaching holistic health.

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Pivoting with excellence: St. Mary’s Law adapts in response to pandemic

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