Co-director of the Center for Law and Intellectual Property (CLIP) and Faculty Director of the Entrepreneurship Law Clinic and the IP and Technology Law Clinic at Texas A&M University School of Law, Professor Megan Carpenter, is one of 24 recipients ​of Texas A&M University’s 2016 Distinguished Achievement Award.

Since 1955, the award, presented by Texas A&M and The Association of Former Students, recognizes deserving faculty and staff, and is one of the university’s highest professional honors. 

The recipients are recognized for their stellar performances in teaching, research, student relations, administration, outreach and professional development, staff service and graduate mentoring.

Carpenter, the only law school recipient, is being recognized for graduate mentoring. 

She is humbled to receive the award and proud of her work as a professor, especially at a university that values the student experience so highly. 

“Students sit at the heart of everything I do, and they have been the driving force of CLIP,” she said. “Having the opportunity to work with such talented and dedicated students, to help guide them to be competent and conscientious lawyers, is truly an honor.”

Prof. Megan Carpenter (on far right) with her IP & Technology Law Clinic students and staff participate in “A Day at the U.S. Patent & Trade Office” in Washington D.C.
Braxton Bragg (‘14), CLIP Program Coordinator, ​submitted a letter to the law school nominating committee on behalf of Carpenter and said he cannot think of a more deserving member of the law community to receive this award.

“From her personal mentoring in my life, to the mentorship and professional guidance she gave my classmates, to her persistence at introducing student-focused programming to new members of the School of Law, Megan has continuously helped students gain a passion for the law, develop professionally, and achieve their goals,” he said.

Law Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Maxine Harrington, ​drafted the official nomination letter of the committee. She said that Carpenter’s dedication and tireless efforts on behalf of law students and students in the larger University community demonstrate her strong commitment to student learning and professional development.

“Students are front and center of everything Professor Carpenter does,” she said. “Perhaps the best way to demonstrate her enthusiasm and effectiveness as a mentor is from the words of a student, ‘You can really tell she loves what she does and wants us to be successful’.” 

In 2014-2015, Carpenter was one of three faculty members selected university-wide for exemplifying the Presidential Grand Challenge of Texas A&M University, “Building Entrepreneurship and Improving Economic Development.” She was honored during a halftime ceremony at Kyle Field. See the video below.

Carpenter will be formally presented with a cash prize, an engraved watch and a commemorative plaque on April 25 at the Rudder Theatre in College Station. 

Click here for the full list of the recipients. 

- The Association of Former Students contributed to this report. 
- Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law