Dr. Scales took part in the formation of two mentoring groups for women. In the early 2000s, she collaborated with Baylor’s Dr. Leah Jackson to re-launch the Texas Women in Higher Education (TWHE), hosting the first meeting on Baylor’s campus in 2006. Then in 2011, she worked with graduate student Megan Ossler to create the Women in the Academy Program, sponsored by the Baylor Graduate School. The Women in the Academy Program, now in its 17th year, aims to develop graduate students spiritually, emotionally, and professionally. Yearly conferences and a mentoring program grew out of this work and its current activities may be found here:
Personal mentorship of women administrators, faculty and graduate students is an important part of Dr. Scales’s ongoing academic life. This work underscores her commitment to strengthening women’s growing leadership in the academy.
Testimonials
From Faculty
“Laine was both a teacher and mentor for me early in my career when I participated in the Summer Faculty Institute (SFI). She guided me and was a role model as I became faculty-in-residence on campus and recently, we worked together as we mapped out our summer study abroad programs, being more intentional about the time that we spend with students abroad and how students might reflect on and be transformed by that experience. We presented together on these models and our experiences in a Seminar for Excellence in Teaching (SET) program….I count Laine Scales as one of my most important influences as a teacher and mentor at Baylor University, and I know from colleagues that I am not unique in that experience. I have no doubt that Baylor is different today because of her contributions and her deep care for students and colleagues.”
Jennifer G. (Associate Professor, Modern Languages)
From Graduate Students
“When I completed my graduate degree at Baylor in 2010, I fully expected to move away from the university and gradually lose the ties I made there. This has gladly not been the case in my contact with Dr. Scales… She continues to encourage me in my writing and provides a helpful link to the academic world that I love and respect. From the classrooms of Baylor to the tranquil footpaths of the Hampshire countryside, from the busy streets of Oxford to the quiet ones of Fredericksburg, walking and talking with Dr. Scales stimulates me to exemplify the good listening and dynamic teaching which she herself has modeled for me and for countless other Baylor students.”
Emily B.
“My relationship with Dr. Scales began as a result of research, but it has since flourished due to our shared passion of women in higher education as well as a connection that I would characterize as “once in a lifetime.” Whether we talked over coffee in her home, met for a formal meeting, or spoke candidly at a committee meeting for Women in the Academy, I have been inspired by Dr. Scales as both a student and a woman. I am thankful to call her a mentor and now, a lifelong friend and co-author.”
Chelsea C.
“While I learned the nuts and bolts of leading a discussion in her class, Dr. Scales’ encouraging and supportive presence during this semester gave me the confidence to teach in an authentic manner. Again, for the first time, I was not trying to lecture or teach like some great mentor or model I admired: I was trying to teach the way God intended and wanted [me] to teach. This may have been the greatest gift that Dr. Scales could have given me.”
Jessica R.