Professor Nancy Welsh's professorship is now named the “Frank W. Elliott, Jr. University Professorship” honoring Dean Emeritus Frank Elliott.
BULLETIN | FEBRUARY 2022
AGGIE DISPUTE RESOLUTION HONORS DEAN EMERITUS FRANK ELLIOTT
In March, 2021, Texas A&M University named Dispute Resolution Program Director and Professor of Law Nancy Welsh a University Professor. Her professorship will now be named the “Frank W. Elliott, Jr. University Professorship” in honor of Dean Emeritus Frank Elliott, who passed away in September, 2021.
Dean Elliott founded the Dallas/Fort Worth Law School in 1989, which became the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in 1992 and then the Texas A&M University School of Law in 2013. Dean Elliott and his wife, Professor Kay Elliott, also played pivotal roles in the field of dispute resolution in Texas, serving as dispute resolution neutrals themselves and introducing negotiation, mediation and alternative dispute resolution into the law school’s curriculum — thus laying the foundation for what is now the Aggie Dispute Resolution Program. The named professorship honors Dean Elliott’s legacy – which also lives on in Professor Kay Elliott’s successful coaching of Texas A&M Law’s student teams participating in client counseling, negotiation and mediation competitions.
Frank W. Elliott, Jr.
Kay Elliott
PROFESSOR REILLY RECOGNIZED FOR TEACHING IMPACT
Among law schools, Texas A&M is recognized as a leading provider of non-J.D. degrees, and Professor Peter Reilly is in the thick of it. He recently developed a new course – Doing Deals and Resolving Disputes – specifically for students enrolled in the M.Jur. program. Negotiation and mediation are usually taught in person to facilitate skill-building and experiential learning, but Professor Reilly was up to the challenge of designing this online course. “The key was to create variety for students through readings, recorded lectures, and small-group exercises in which students could participate via Zoom. I learned a lot in developing and implementing the course, and it’s a course I can now build upon for the future,” Reilly said. The course was clearly a success. In fact, one M.Jur. graduate picked Professor Reilly to honor with a specially-designed military appreciation coin, given by veterans to the faculty member who made the most significant impact on their time at Texas A&M. The student wrote, “Don’t be surprised. You’re a great professor and very memorable.” Well said! Professor Reilly is also in the midst of a writing project that examines whether mediation is offering the self-determination it promises. More on that in a future news bulletin.
