UH Law Center recognizes standout students and faculty during streaming edition of 2020 Dean's Awards

University of Houston Law Center Dean Leonard M. Baynes, left, and Associate Dean of Law Alumni and Community Relations Sondra Tennessee, right, commended students and faculty who excelled in the past academic year in a Zoom video conference.

April 23, 2020 - University of Houston Law Center students and faculty were recognized for their outstanding achievements on Tuesday during the Dean's Awards Ceremony, which took place virtually.

The event was co-hosted by Dean Leonard M. Baynes and Associate Dean of Law Alumni and Community Relations Sondra Tennessee.

"I want to thank everyone who attended our first virtual Dean's Award ceremony," Baynes said. "The events of the past few weeks have precluded us from having this event live in person like we normally do, but we wanted to make sure we honored our students and faculty who have excelled over the course of the past year.

"It's really important for us at this time to not let go of our traditions and the things that we have done before."

Approximately 150 students received recognition for scholarships and awards. LEX Awards recognized students who ranked highest in courses that included Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Procedure, Property, Torts, Lawyering Skills and Strategies, Intro to American Law, Statutory Interpretation & Reasoning.

Four faculty members received the following distinguished accolades:

• 2020 Ethel M. Baker Faculty Award: Leah R. Fowler, Research Director and Research Assistant Professor, Health Law & Policy Institute
• 2020 Order of the Barons Professor of the Year: Dave Fagundes, Baker Botts LLP Professor of Law and Assistant Dean for Faculty Development
• 2020 Student Bar Association Full-Time Professor of the Year - Full-Time: Meredith J. Duncan, the George Butler Research Professor of Law and Assistant Dean of Diversity, Inclusion and Metropolitan Programs
• 2020 Student Bar Association Professor of the Year - Part-Time: Victor B. Flatt, the Dwight Olds Chair in Law & Faculty Co-Director of the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Center

“I want to thank all of our recipients, our faculty and our students,” Baynes said in his closing remarks. “Keep up the good work. I also want to thank our donors for scholarship support, especially in this time where your support is even more crucial than it’s been before.

“Our students are incredible. They’re very, smart, talented and diverse. We’re very proud of their accomplishments; we send out into the world serving as great representatives of the Law Center.”

“It was very important for us to honor you,” added Tennessee. “For our graduating students, you endured Hurricane Harvey and now a pandemic. But we have to work together, and we are a community that continues to support each other. I’m excited to be on the Alumni Relations team so I can continue to work with you after you graduate.”

Click here for the complete 2020 Dean’s Award Powerpoint presentation.

Click here for the complete 2020 Dean’s Awards program.

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