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Almost 120 years ago, Baylor hosted the first collegiate homecoming celebration in the nation.

This week (Nov. 2-7, 2026) we renew that tradition. Baylor Homecoming is the biggest Baylor Family reunion of the year — all about seeing old friends, recalling fond memories, sharing those stories with the next generation, and celebrating together as one.

Whether you’re a Homecoming regular or this is your first trip to campus in years, you’ll want to start your Baylor Homecoming experience this year (Nov. 6-7) at the Hurd Welcome Center.

The Hurd will serve as “Homecoming headquarters” for visitors, with Baylor staff on hand Friday and Saturday to answer questions and help you connect with school/college/campus events — plus a host of kids’ crafts and activities, Baylor history exhibits, photo ops, and more.

Baylor is known for its classic Texas culture and traditions. From wearing cowboy boots at home football games to enjoying floats and fellowship at the weekly Dr Pepper Hour, Baylor has long been a favorite choice for college students wanting a true Lone Star State experience.

Lovers of Homecoming mums can thank Baylor for having been the first college in Texas to popularize this symbol of school spirit. That’s because, even though the mum tradition began in Missouri circa 1911, it became bigger and better after Baylor’s Homecoming queens began wearing mums in the 1930s. (Check out 1935 Baylor Homecoming Queen Marguerite Joyce above.) From Waco, the Homecoming mum tradition quickly spread to colleges and high schools across the state. 

New faces, same high expectations.

That’s the TL;DR for Baylor basketball this year, for both the men’s and women’s teams. Fans at Foster Pavilion will have several new players to get to know this year — and a lot to like — as head coaches Scott Drew and Nicki Collen have prepared their programs for life in the Big 12 — the nation’s best basketball conference — this year.

During COVID, we all learned the term “supply chain” as we tried to understand why items like toilet paper and disinfectant wipes were suddenly so hard to find.

Years after the pandemic, most of us again take for granted that the products we want will be available whenever we need them. Behind the scenes, however, intricate supply chains make that convenience possible. Multiple Baylor researchers are making an impact on the field — work that eventually helps all of us.

As simple tributes to those who have gone before us, they are easy to miss or take for granted. But 140+ of the red granite lampposts scattered across Baylor’s campus are more than just utilitarian lighting — they are memorials to those who have served our country, including many who gave their lives in action.

These lampposts have now been a part of campus for 80 years. The first were dedicated in a ceremony at Waco Hall on Oct. 25, 1946, just a year after the conclusion of World War II. More than 4,000 Baylor men and women served during WWII, and 125 of them lost their lives doing so. Baylor psychology professor Anna Martin suggested honoring the fallen with lamps.

When the Banana Ball 2027 World Tour was announced earlier this month, there was McLane Stadium — right alongside a host of NFL and MLB stadiums.

Yes, Banana Ball is coming to Baylor and Waco on May 7-8, 2027. Tickets are available only through Banana Ball’s online ticket lottery — and that lottery closes Oct. 31, so sign up now. Standard tickets start at $35, with no hidden fees or taxes.

At Baylor, our Christian faith is not just a thing we do, another box to be checked — it’s a part of everything we do. Even as Baylor has grown over the last 175+ years, our faith remains the “why” behind what we do — from academics to student life and beyond.

Here are seven examples of how Baylor infuses Christian faith into everyday campus life:

Baylor junior Isabelle Morin is on a mission to become the person — the expert, the advocate, the champion — that she needed seven years ago when Crohn’s disease abruptly changed her world.

At Baylor, Morin has found her place. Here, she’s able to contribute to microbiome research in an elite Baylor laboratory, join national student leadership for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and advocate for her cause (both close to home in Texas, and on Capitol Hill in Washington).

For over a decade now, Baylor Traditions Ornaments have helped add a little green and gold to Christmas trees across the Baylor Family. Each year offers a unique design celebrating Baylor spirit, from classics like Sailor Bear (2018) and the interlocking BU (2019) to special offerings like 2023’s Indy and Belle ornament.

This year offers two new ornaments, plus one returning option:

For Dr. Elesha Coffman, election as president of the American Society of Church History (ASCH) marks both a significant professional honor and a reflection of a career devoted to the study of faith and its role in society.

Nominated by fellow scholars and elected by the society’s membership, Coffman — a Baylor history professor since 2016 — now leads one of the nation’s premier organizations for the study of Christianity and religious history. In the role, she will oversee the society’s annual conference, guide council meetings, and help shape decisions related to the organization’s future direction and operations.

Self-driving cars (and other vehicles) are quickly moving from science fiction to present reality. As such technologies leap from research labs to roadways, Baylor’s Dr. Liang Sun is focused on what comes next.

Sun is a leading researcher on autonomous transportation, developing technologies that could power future air taxis, autonomous aircraft, intelligent drone networks and more.

About a decade ago, Baylor set out to complete major renovations of each of its legacy residence halls. Each would go offline for a year, during which time it would receive a head-to-toe update.

That project is now complete. The new-look Kokernot Residence Hall was unveiled at the start of the semester, just in time for Move2BU. The renovation was extensive, including updates to all bedrooms, bathrooms and common areas, revamped community spaces (both inside and outside the building), plus a new roof, new landscaping, and more.

Baylor once again stands among the nation’s top 50 private universities and top 100 national universities, according to new U.S. News rankings for 2026-27.

Baylor ranks No. 48 among private colleges and universities, and No. 90 among national universities (both public and private). For context, that puts BU at the top of the Big 12 for the third straight year, tied with TCU and ahead of Colorado (No. 109), BYU and Iowa State (tied at 116), and the rest of the conference. Baylor is again a top-five university in Texas, along with Rice, Texas, Texas A&M, SMU and TCU.

Can you believe it? Baylor Homecoming is already just a month away — Nov. 2-7 — so it’s time to make your plans to join the nation’s oldest collegiate homecoming (if you haven’t already)!

Here’s a round-up of what you’ll want to work into your schedule:

Topgolf, global sports entertainment leader, is bringing its Topgolf Live Stadium Series to Baylor University, transforming McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas, into a one-of-a-kind golf and fan experience from Oct. 29 through Nov. 1. `

Since 1962, Howdy has served as Baylor’s official Texas welcome to new students. With the opening of the Hurd Welcome Center in 2023, the event — presented by Pi Beta Phi and Baylor University — has evolved into a Friday night block party outside the Hurd, anchored each year by a concert from an up-and-coming country artist.

This year’s event featured line dancing, food trucks, a Ferris wheel, cornhole and more on Friday night, topped off with a concert by CMA New Artist of the Year nominee Carter Faith. (Faith followed in the footsteps of such other recent Howdy performers as Bailey Zimmerman and Ty Myers.)

Earlier this month, Baylor University asked on Facebook and LinkedIn: “Which Baylor professor changed the way you thought about your future?”

Nearly 2,000 (!!) comments later, the impact Baylor faculty have on students is evident in both the quantity and quality of the responses.

Baylor’s rise as a nationally recognized Christian research university continues to attract exceptional scholars, teachers and innovators from across the country and around the world. This fall, a new cohort of faculty — think of them as the Class of ’26 — joined the Baylor Family, bringing expertise that ranges from quantum materials and artificial intelligence to bioethics and sports nutrition.

It’s impossible to spotlight everyone, but meet four of these new faculty members who offer a glimpse into the people choosing Baylor to begin, continue or grow their careers:

Baylor has always been about family — so it was a joy to welcome thousands of BU parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and more to campus this past weekend for Family Weekend 2026.

From the new “Wake Up!” coffee crawl, “Meet the Faculty” Welcome Hour, Taste of Waco, After Dark, and Old Dominion concert on Friday, and on through the Family Tailgate and Baylor Football’s win Saturday, the weekend was a joyful celebration of our Bears and their biggest fans.

While cheering on the sidelines at Baylor’s first home football game this fall, Baylor Spirit Squad member Brooke Walker couldn’t help but feel a cascading swirl of emotions. A little over three years ago, the Baylor junior and competitive cheerleader didn’t know if she would ever be able to cheer or tumble again.

During her junior year at Rockwall-Heath High School near Dallas, Walker experienced a persistent pain in her left leg, which turned out to be an arterial blood clot above her ankle. Surgeons tried to save her foot, but complications arose, and doctors had to amputate her left leg below the knee.

For 75 years, Baylor’s Armstrong Browning Library (ABL) has been a leading destination for Browning scholars from all over the world as a research library devoted to the study of the lives and works of Victorian poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

The library is noted for both its breathtaking beauty and for holding the world’s largest collection of books, letters, manuscripts, and memorabilia pertaining to the Brownings, as well as a substantial collection of primary and secondary materials related to 19th-century literature and culture.

Earlier this year, a group of Baylor football student-athletes visited some of the pediatric patients at McLane Children’s Medical Center in nearby Temple, Texas. During the visit, the players and kids colored their own versions of the Baylor bear head logo — and this Saturday, one of those designs will adorn the Bears’ helmets when they take the field.

The artwork was created by 6-year-old ILaria Ramirez of Cameron, Texas (about an hour south of Waco). Ramirez, who was diagnosed with leukemia last year, titled her design “Helmet of Hope.” Her art also features the words “faith,” “victory,” and “strength.”

Twenty-five years after watching the Twin Towers fall, Dr. Marilyn Rhames, a Hankamer School of Business professor, traces how God’s calling led her out of a New York City reporting career and into teaching in Chicago public schools, a faith-based teaching movement, two White House visits — and now to a Baylor podium teaching storytelling.

College is about education, of course — but it’s just as much about the experience.

Thankfully, Baylor excels in both areas — and that’s the message behind the University’s new 30-second television spot, which debuted last weekend on social media and national television:

At least one Baylor Bear has played in the NFL every year for the last 90 years. You have to go all the way back to 1936 to find the last time an entire NFL season was played without a Baylor Bear.

This year, there are 15 Bears in the league to start the season: nine on active rosters, one on the injured list, and five more on practice squads. Here are the Bears we’ll be cheering on Sundays:

As CEO of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Danbury, CT, George Gilliam, M.B.A. ’14, M.H.A. ’14, is helping shape the future of inpatient rehabilitation. Since the hospital’s opening in 2025, Gilliam has led the organization with a combination of clinical expertise and operational leadership, drawing on more than 21 years of healthcare experience.

Taylor Houser, D.N.P. ’18, B.S.N. ’12, CNM, and her mother Carla Morrow, D.N.P. ’10, always dreamed about practicing together as nurse-midwives. That dream became a reality in 2013, and today the mother-daughter duo operates a thriving hospital-based midwifery practice in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex that supports close to 1,800 births annually.

Ahmad Jenkins, B.S. ’11, M.E. ’13, M.B.A. ’13, built his career on solving complex problems and creating impact — a mindset shaped during his time as a student-athlete for Baylor Football.

For almost a decade now, single-digit numbers have told a story for Baylor Football, and it’s one Baylor fans easily recognize: Single-digit guys are leaders, voted on each year by their teammates. It’s a badge of honor, like a helmet sticker, embodied by past stars such as Jalen Pitre and Terrel Bernard.

As the 2026 season kicks off, a new group of Baylor players have earned the nod from their teammates — six of whom made their presence known quickly, receiving the honor in their first year with the program. On the field and off, get to know the players who will be counted on to lead this year’s team:

We all knew it. Now the nation knows it, too. In a national vote conducted by USA Today, the Baylor Line run was named the No. 1 pregame walk-out tradition in all of college football, beating such other traditions as Auburn’s War Eagle flight, Colorado’s running Ralphie and Virginia Tech’s “Enter Sandman.”

Baylor ranks among the top 20% of universities in the world, according to two recent rankings.

Yes, you read that right. In the first ranking, U.S. News — perhaps best known for its annual evaluation of America’s top colleges and universities — looked around the globe at more than 2,000 universities, and placed Baylor among the top 20% on the planet.

DJ Lagway is finally home.

The former five-star prospect grew up around Baylor, thanks to his dad, Derek Lagway (BSED ’01), who played running back for the Bears between 1997-2001. A generation later, the bright lights of the SEC initially drew DJ to the University of Florida. But after two years as the starter there, Lagway traded the orange and blue for the green and gold in January, and he will be Baylor’s starting quarterback this fall.

Lagway’s bloodline and high school rankings have been the headlines. But before the Bears kick off this fall, get to know the junior quarterback who seemed destined to play at Baylor:

For Baylor Volleyball, the 2026 season is the next step in the best era in program history. For 10 straight years, the program has reached the NCAA Tournament — a decade filled with postseason runs, program firsts, all-conference performers, and consistent national recognition under head coach Ryan McGuyre.

The last 10 years includes a Final Four finish in 2019 and four Sweet 16 appearances. This year’s squad begins the year in position to continue those superlatives, beginning the season ranked No. 21 nationally and picked to finish in the upper echelon (No. 4) of the competitive Big 12 Conference.

USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards selects Baylor Line as best tradition among group of 20 nominees. Running strong for over five decades, the Baylor Line sees all incoming first-year students rush the field at McLane Stadium to form a human tunnel ahead of the football team's entrance. Each student wears a gold jersey that displays their graduation year and chosen nickname on the back. Once the team has taken the field, The Line takes their seats in an exclusive section behind the opponent's bench to cheer on the Bears.

When he was an English major at Baylor, classmates knew the man who would go on to become one of radio’s most prolific interviewers and storytellers as Bob Lewis (BA ’57) — but to generations of Texans, he’s known only by his radio stage name: Tumbleweed Smith.

For 57 years (!!) — until his retirement earlier this year — Bob/Tumbleweed was the host of The Sound of Texas, a program airing on stations across the state. It featured interviews with everyone from movie stars to everyday Texans, and chronicled the depth and breadth of life in Texas. The Baylor alum (and native Wacoan) served as a conduit for unique Texas stories through interviews, as well as his own unique storytelling ability.

What a week! From Move2BU to Welcome Week and then the first day of classes, Baylor and Waco are once again buzzing with activity!

We’re less than a month from Baylor Football’s 2026 home opener (Sept. 12 vs. Prairie View A&M, 7 p.m.) — and fans at McLane will find a host of improvements to the gameday experience this fall.

Dr. Jon Eckert believes that he and his team in the Baylor Center for School Leadership have the best jobs in education. The Center, whose goal is to be “the most effective Christian leadership catalyst for educators worldwide,” steers Eckert and his colleagues toward the positive in an ever-changing field that presents its share of challenges for those who teach.

Baylor is known for its incredible student experience, especially for first-year students. A look at what students can expect during their first 100 days on campus illustrates that beautifully:

What happens when a Baylor geologist makes a career pivot to build an apparel and lifestyle brand? You end up with Sendero Provisions Co. — an outdoor lifestyle and apparel brand offering a modern take on Western wear that’s popular with millennial and Gen Z shoppers.

The geologist-turned-entrepreneur? That’s Hunter Harlow (BS ’10), who thought his love for the outdoors would lead him into the oil and gas industry (hence the geology). Instead, he found his calling with a western wear store in downtown Waco that has since exploded into popular culture, partnering with brands like Whataburger.

On some level, all research promotes human flourishing. Whether it be scientific research leading to new cancer drugs or cleaner water, engineering research developing new technologies or exploring the final frontier, or ethicists applying insights to address key ethical questions, all research aims to make life better in some fashion — and, clearly, Baylor advances these causes a great deal.

But there’s also research that is specifically about human flourishing — for humanity as a whole, groups of people, specific professions, and more. It’s research that gets to the root of how to help people thrive in multiple dimensions: physical and mental health, spiritual wellbeing, relationships, finances and more. And in higher education, no one else is doing what Baylor is doing in this area:

Many Baylor students use summer as a time to broaden their horizons, to grow both personally and professionally. Right now, thousands of Baylor students are taking part in internships, fellowships, research opportunities and more at elite companies and academic institutions. These positions are highly coveted and very competitive, and Baylor students shine as they enjoy experiences that further shape them in their academic and career journeys.

Here are just four examples of that — Bears representing Baylor in our nation’s capital and at Harvard, MD Anderson, and a construction-and-design firm for Fortune 500 companies:

Why do sports matter so much? Why do fans invest so much of themselves in their favorite teams? And why do faith and sports so often intersect?

Those are the kinds of questions Dr. Paul Putz loves to explore as a historian of religion, sports and American culture. It’s also why national media outlets have Putz on speed dial for his expertise on the intersection of sports and Christianity, including how sports provide unique opportunities to explore timeless questions about faith, purpose and community.

Over the last 75 years, a partnership between Baylor and the U.S. Army has educated thousands of Army officers and federal health officials — and some of these joint programs are ranked among the very best in the nation.

Since 1951, the U.S. Army and Baylor University have shared a proud heritage in health-related graduate education. Today, the partnership includes multiple graduate programs, in areas ranging from nursing to physical therapy to business.

In just a few weeks, Baylor’s Class of 2030 (!!) will arrive on campus for Move2BU, Welcome Week and the start of classes. But we can’t wait; here’s your first look at some of the members of #BU30:

As Baylor’s Board of Regents holds its regular summer meeting this week, six new Regents are taking their seats at the table to start new terms. They’ll be led by a new Board Chair, Todd Patterson (BS ’90), and a new Vice Chair, Jack F. Harper II (BBA ’93).

It’s no surprise that Baylor faculty are leaders in their fields. From prestigious national fellowships to coveted grants, Baylor professors are highly decorated for their research and scholarship. One thing that makes Baylor different: Those same researchers can also regularly be found in the classroom, teaching undergraduate students.

At Baylor, research and teaching go hand-in-hand. (That’s why Baylor regularly appears on the short lists of universities with the best undergraduate research and teaching.) That combination provides Baylor undergraduate students with the chance to study under and know professors who are actively impacting their disciplines.

Baylor has a long history of sending alums to the big leagues, but in recent years, its record of producing Major League Baseball all-stars has grown dramatically — thanks to the two Bears chosen for this Tuesday’s 2026 All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

Max Muncy and Shea Langeliers were both elected as starters in this year’s game. Not surprisingly, Baylor is the only college or university with two starters in this year’s All-Star Game.

At first glance, it’s not a pleasant image to consider: Billions of bacteria, fungi and viruses live in the gut of every human. While that may sound bad, these collections — unique to every human — play an oversized role in human health. Their sheer scope makes them challenging to study, but the benefits of understanding them can help individuals with ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, cancer and more.

All year long, Cameron Carr was Baylor Men’s Basketball’s most electric and reliable scorer, and last night he was rewarded for that productivity — with a first-round selection in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Carr was selected by the New York Knicks with the 24th overall pick, but he’ll play for the Los Angeles Lakers; reports have him going to Los Angeles via a trade which would become official when the new league year officially begins July 1.

When it comes to preparing compassionate leaders in maternal and newborn care, Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing continues to set the standard — and that’s being noticed on the national level.

This spring, LHSON’s online Doctor of Nursing Practice nurse-midwifery program jumped six spots in U.S. News’ latest rankings, all the way to No. 16 in the nation.

For more than two decades, Don Carpenter (BBA ’81) has made it his mission to invest in Baylor students’ lives.

The lessons he teaches in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business certainly matter. But ask former students what they remember most, and many will point not to a lecture or exam, but to a conversation or a word of encouragement from a mentor who believed in them when they needed it most.

Baylor is annually recognized among the nation’s best universities for undergraduate teaching and learning communities — ranking No. 27 and No. 9, respectively, in U.S. News‘ latest survey of higher ed.

One key component of Baylor’s success is the well-rounded education students receive — which, once again, has been recognized among the best offerings in the country. This spring, Baylor was one of just 19 universities in the United States to get an “A” for its core curriculum from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), putting Baylor among the top 2% nationally.

Since 1970, Baylor’s Institute for Oral History has been preserving (and sharing) the memories of history’s eyewitnesses. Today, more than 4,500 interviews are available online, many with the original audio files as well as a complete transcript for easy searching.

Among the collection are interviews with Texans from various eras who share their memories of Juneteenth — from June 19, 1865, when enslaved Black Americans in Texas first received news of their emancipation, to celebrations of that anniversary over the years.

There’s a Baylor experience that bridges high school debaters and aspiring basketball players, and connects future engineers with burgeoning musicians. That experience? Summer camps, on campus at Baylor.

For generations now, the Baylor campus has remained lively over the summer as camps like the Summer Debate Workshop or the Moody School of Education’s Talent Identification Program camps (just to name a couple) welcome future college students. Here, they get a taste of college life, from classrooms to dining halls to residence halls.

If you’re looking for law school education that truly prepares you for the courtroom, you can’t do much better than Baylor Law School. Earlier this year, U.S. News ranked Baylor Law’s trial advocacy program No. 3 in the nation — the program’s 17th straight year among the top five in the country.

In the science community, being named as a fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is one of the more prestigious professional nods a researcher can achieve — not unlike election to a hall of fame in the world of sports.

Past AAAS Fellows include names like Thomas Edison and W.E.B. DuBois, along with a roster of scientists who have made significant contributions to their field. That list includes four current Baylor faculty, two of whom — Dr. Dwayne Simmons (biology) and Dr. Samuel Urlacher (anthropology) — were named among the 2025 class of AAAS Fellows.

Baylor already ranked No. 1 in Texas for most Fulbright scholars — and this year, 12 more BU students get to add their names to that list.

Each of those Bears is headed overseas as part of the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program, studying and teaching in countries ranging from Germany and France to South Korea and Taiwan. Two more BU students earned similarly prestigious Rotary Global Grant Scholarships, which will fund their graduate studies in the U.K.

And that’s not all… Three Baylor professors have also earned Fulbright recognition, with awards providing them unique research experiences in South Africa, Antarctica, Slovakia and Brazil.

To understand why scientists are interested in white dwarf stars, it helps to think of fossils, or rings on a tree.

Dr. Barbara Castanheira, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Baylor, has long studied white dwarf stars — the dense, collapsed core of a dying star. White dwarf stars are of interest to scientists, perhaps somewhat counterintuitively, because they can tell us about early star formation despite being in the final stages of their life cycle — a cycle which lasts billions of years, beyond the scope of human study from start to finish. As opposed to the bright stars visible in the sky, white dwarf stars have shrunk in size and no longer actively produce energy. As their remaining energy burns out, they have a story of great interest to science.

Every spring, the Baylor Family bids happy retirement to professors and staff who have dedicated their professional lives to the university and its students. It’s always a bittersweet mix — sadness in seeing them go, happiness for a well-deserved next step — but we wish them all well in the next phase of their lives.

Here, we honor some of the longest-serving and most recognizable professors who are retiring this year — men and women whose faces will be missed, but whose impact will not be forgotten:

The academic year is complete: finals graded, books returned, students graduated — and Baylor faculty honored! Congratulations to this year’s Baylor professors of the year:

A lot of great players have come through the Baylor Baseball program since Charley Carter (BBA ’98) set the program’s single-season home run record of 21 back in 1998 — David Murphy, Max Muncy and Shea Langeliers, just to name a few. But great as they are, none of them accomplished what Tyce Armstrong has done in 2026.

Entering the Big 12 tournament, Baylor’s first baseman has already mashed 24 home runs this season, breaking a record that stood for nearly three decades. A season that began with a bang in the season opener, when Armstrong became just the second player in NCAA history to hit three grand slams in one game, has somehow managed to grow even more historic from there.

Last Thursday night was a memory decades in the making, as Willie Nelson returned to his alma mater and took the stage at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark.

Almost 75 years after he attended Baylor, the legendary country artist — at age 93 — performed for nearly an hour and a half on a picture-perfect evening. The sold-out crowd of more than 6,000 spanned virtually every age, from kids and college students on up — all brought together by a historic night.

Congratulations, Class of 2026 — you did it!

This weekend, more than 3,100 Bears celebrated earning their degrees, the culmination of the Baylor experience. Thousands of their friends and family filled the Ferrell Center for each of the four ceremonies, and countless more watched online and joined in the celebration via social media to honor BU’s newest graduates.

When Margo Paluch (BSED ’26) walks across the stage this weekend during Baylor Commencement, the senior elementary education major from Lake Geneva, Wisc., will experience a historic first as a member of the inaugural graduating class of Baylor’s newly named Moody School of Education. But she will also carry another first very close to her heart.

As a third-grade student teacher at Hewitt Elementary School just outside Waco, Paluch spent a day substituting in a self-contained special education classroom. That experience sparked an idea — a deeply personal one — about creating opportunities for her third graders to include others, be kind, and form friendships.

Alan Lenz had heard all the stories about Baylor from his wife, Allison (BA ’94). Then the couple sent two of their kids to BU, and he heard even more incredible stories — enough that Alan felt he was missing out as the only non-Baylor member of his family.

This weekend, Alan and his youngest son, Robbie, will both walk the Ferrell Center stage at Commencement. Robbie (BA ’26) will receive his degree in communication, while Alan (EdD ’26) will receive his doctorate in education (learning and organizational change).

All year long, the Baylor Softball team challenged themselves by playing one of the nation’s toughest schedules, and they were rewarded for that effort by once again earning a selection into the NCAA Tournament — the program’s 17th in 23 seasons!

For a generation now, Baylor men’s tennis has set the standard for excellence in the Big 12 Conference. This year's Bears not only made the NCAA tournament, but have once again reached the Round of 16. Hosting NCAA early rounds for the 16th time in program history, No. 11-ranked Baylor swept Tulsa in the first round, then beat No. 22 Auburn 4-1 in the second round last week to advance.

In the Sweet 16, head coach Michael Woodson’s squad will host No. 27 Pepperdine on Friday (6 p.m.) at the Hurd Tennis Center. The winner will advance to the NCAA quarterfinals, hosted again this year by the University of Georgia.

On a campus of nearly 20,000 students — and with 160,000+ living alumni — there’s no shortage of great stories to tell from within the Baylor Family.

Baylor Magazine and BaylorProud share many of them in a written format, and Baylor Connections does the same in audio/video form. Now 19 episodes into its latest season, Connections this year has featured guests ranging from President Linda Livingstone and new Director of Athletics Doug McNamee to top Baylor researchers, student life leaders, and more.

For nearly 30 years now, it’s become a theme that never gets old for Baylor’s Men’s and Women’s Tennis programs: a selection to the NCAA Tournament.

Once again this year, both teams are back in the NCAAs — the 28th straight appearance for the Baylor men, and 27th overall for the women — nearly three decades of excellence.

On Saturday, Baylor Acrobatics & Tumbling won its 11th — yes, ELEVENTH!!!!!!!!!!! — straight national title! The win extends a run that dates back to 2015 (there was no championship in 2020 due to COVID). Over those 12 seasons, head coach Felecia Mulkey’s squad has gone a mind-boggling 122-2, including a current 62-meet winning streak.

Last fall, Baylor launched its first varsity esports team, led by Baylor alum Adam Stanley (MDiv ’12). Just a few months later, the Bears have their first conference championship — and with eyes on even bigger prizes as they head to nationals.

It’s been almost 150 days — nearly five months — since we gathered at McLane Stadium around Baylor football.

That’s far too long.

This Saturday, the Baylor Family is invited back to McLane for “Baylor Fan Fest,” a festival-style celebration presented by McLane Children’s, featuring live music, local food trucks, interactive fan experiences, and a free open Baylor Football practice inside the stadium.

What if bacteria could be a tool to better deliver cancer drugs?

How would heart transplants be improved if hearts were better preserved while waiting for transplant?

These are just two of the many questions being addressed these days by Baylor researchers — professors and students alike — in departments across campus. It would take far more than this blog post to adequately capture the scope of Baylor research, but we can share a few examples of the latest work at BU:

What if bacteria could be a tool to better deliver cancer drugs?

How would heart transplants be improved if hearts were better preserved while waiting for transplant?

These are just two of the many questions being addressed these days by Baylor researchers — professors and students alike — in departments across campus. It would take far more than this blog post to adequately capture the scope of Baylor research, but we can share a few examples of the latest work at BU:

For almost a century now, Diadeloso has provided Baylor students with a much-needed day off just as the spring semester reaches its crescendo — a day to rest and relax, have fun with friends, and make memories on campus that will last a lifetime.

Gray skies threatened to dampen the Dia activities, but thankfully the rain held off, allowing for all the usual festivities to continue as planned. Traditional Dia activities like games, inflatables and a petting zoo were mixed with newer favorites like axe throwing, Nerf gun battles and a rock climbing wall — all served up in the heart of campus on Fountain Mall.

It may just be the biggest stage in sports sales for a student. Representing their schools at an NBA or NHL arena, students step up to the table with industry professionals (who may someday be their colleagues) and make their pitch. If it feels like an NCAA competition, that’s intentional — and it’s Baylor that makes it possible.

Baylor’s Center for Sales Strategy in Sports and Entertainment (commonly known as “S3E”) is the driving force behind the National Collegiate Business Championships. This series of sales competitions brings together college students from across North America to help them sharpen their skills and test themselves in front of industry leaders. Numerous in-person and virtual competitions comprise the championships in both the U.S. and Canada.

On March 9, 1954, Baylor University admitted a student from a small town near Waco — just in time to start the spring term. His name was Willie Nelson.

Now, some 72 years later, the University is welcoming Willie back to campus to celebrate his Baylor ties and his legendary career in music and public service. Highlighting the reunion will be an outdoor concert by Willie Nelson & Family on Thursday, May 14, at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark, just a few weeks after his 93rd birthday.

When it comes to speeches with an impact, TED Talks are the big leagues — and through their TEDx series, they allow grassroots voices to share their stories of overcoming obstacles, lessons learned, innovation and more.

Last fall, Baylor faculty, staff, students and alumni took the stage at the inaugural TEDxBaylor University event, where they presented speeches based on the theme of “Innovation in Deeds,” connecting to the University’s strategic plan through their own personal stories. (Those stories are now available online for a global audience.)

In the spring of 1945, a group of Baylor students prayed for spiritual renewal for 90 straight days. Their prayers led to a movement that helped inspire ministries on campus and around the world, from the Journeyman mission program to the Passion Conferences.

Last week, thousands of Baylor students again gathered in Jesus’ name for FM72, an annual 72-hour on-campus prayer and worship event coordinated by Baylor’s Office of Spiritual Life in conjunction with local churches and campus ministries.

Looking for one of the top college experiences in the nation? Then you’ve come to the right place.

Looking for a great education? Baylor ranks among the top 20% of national universities (U.S. News). It also ranks among the top 10 nationally in Fulbright qualifiers (U.S. Department of State), the top 40 nationally for best undergraduate teaching and research (U.S. News), and the top 40 nationally for “Most Innovative Schools” (U.S. News).

Yes, the calendar just turned to spring… But these 85+ degree days we’re having say summer will be here before we know it, and fall right on its heels.

Time to go ahead and put some important fall dates on your calendars (and possibly even start making plans):

One of Baylor’s own is now commander of the service’s oldest continuously serving numbered Air Force, the 5th Air Force, based in Japan.

Lt. Gen. Joel Carey (BA ’92), recently promoted to a three-star general, took command earlier this week at a ceremony in Tokyo. The move was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in January, the latest promotion in Carey’s distinguished career since he got his start at Baylor more than 30 years ago.

She’s been called the “Mother Teresa of Bangalore,” and her lifetime of service is the subject of two books — a biography published in 2008, and a children’s book published in 2021.

But before the books, before the recognition, before the lifetime of service, Rebekah Ann Naylor (BA ’67) was a Baylor Bear.

Only one school in Texas was named among the nation’s most beautiful college campuses by U.S. News, Architectural Digest, and Condé Nast Traveler.

That school would be Baylor University.

For the 22nd straight year (!!), Baylor women’s basketball is headed to the NCAA tournament!

To put that in perspective, only one player on the team — graduate student Jana Van Gytenbeek — was even born the last time the Baylor women missed the NCAA tournament. (That came in March 2003, when BU finished as WNIT runners-up; two years later, the program won its first national championship.)

When researchers complete a study and share their work, they hope it will have impact: to help people, advance understanding, develop technologies and more. 

Such impact is important — but can be hard to measure. There’s no one way to do it, but Stanford University has annually compiled a prestigious list that captures one important measure of impact: citations. And Baylor researchers do very well there.

There’s a lot to like about Baylor’s home here in Waco, the heart of Central Texas. A city recently recognized by Southern Living as undergoing a “creative renaissance,” Waco anchors a growing metro with over 300,000 people who enjoy the area’s outdoor activities, history and culture, job market and more.

While such factors alone have long drawn people to the area, there’s a growing focus on the burgeoning megaregion Waco calls home: the Texas Triangle.

When you think of the greatest moments in Baylor women’s athletics history, you likely think of highlights like Women’s Basketball’s three national championships, Acrobatics & Tumbling’s decade of dominance, and softball’s six Women’s College World Series appearances.

Not surprisingly, many of those moments have come in the last quarter-century, as Baylor’s increased investment in women’s sports has set a high bar for excellence. The story of women’s sports at Baylor, however, goes back more than a century.

Three months ago, Baylor Director of Athletics Doug McNamee (BA ’03, MSED ’05) made it clear at his introduction as AD that improving the fan experience would be an immediate priority.

True to his word, McNamee and Baylor Athletics this spring have rolled out a series of “Fan First” announcements aimed at “making the fan experience more vibrant and gamedays more accessible.” Baylor football fans this fall will find significant changes to the gameday experience, including:

After countless hours of planning, practicing and performing, All University Sing 2026 is in the books. Over the last two weeks, hundreds of Baylor students put their hard work on display performing for thousands of Baylor students, alumni and friends in Waco Hall (plus a streaming audience online for Saturday’s finale).

Congratulations to Beta Upsilon Chi, which won first place this year for their act, “Grill of Rights” (pictured above). Phi Kappa Chi took second for their act, “Cold as Ice,” followed by Delta Delta Delta in third for “When A Mouse Eats A Cookie.”

For a quarter of a century now, the Lake Waco Wetlands have provided a rich home for countless species of birds, deer, amphibians, and other animals, plus a wide variety of plants and trees indigenous to Central Texas.

From the wetlands’ very beginning, Baylor’s Dr. Robert Doyle (BS ’81, MS ’85) has played a key role — first in helping establish it, then in helping study, enhance and expand it. For his longstanding service, the City of Waco proclaimed Feb. 17, 2026, as “Robert Doyle Day.”

If you want to reach students, you can’t be afraid to try new things. Baylor has struck an incredible balance of holding on to what’s most important (our faith, incredible student experience, etc.) while growing and improving across the board (Exhibit A: R1 status).

Higher ed leaders across the country are noticing Baylor’s efforts — and that shows up in lists like U.S. News‘ “Most Innovative Schools,” where Baylor ranks among the nation’s top 40 national universities. That puts Baylor well inside the top 10% nationally when it comes to innovation.

If one goal of college is to get you a job in your chosen profession, then the Baylor men’s basketball program is one of the best job training programs in the nation.

For the second straight year, Baylor ranks among the top 10 universities with the most players currently in the NBA, one behind Kansas and ahead of such programs as North Carolina, Villanova and Texas. A school-record 11 Baylor alumni played in the NBA last year; this year, 10 Bears have seen time on NBA rosters.

In 2019, Baylor set a school-record with seven Fulbright scholarship recipients — part of the nation’s most prestigious international education exchange program. Just three years later, Baylor doubled that total, with 14 Fulbrights. And in 2025, Baylor jumped to 24 Fulbright student honorees.

Such success has catapulted Baylor up to No. 10 nationally in Fulbright qualifiers — No. 1 in Texas, and among Big 12 schools. Baylor also earned recognition this spring as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for the fourth straight year.

Baylor’s mission has long been to “educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service” — and for the third straight year, a survey by TIME magazine confirms Baylor’s doing exactly that.

Baylor once again ranks among TIME‘s list of the 100 Best Colleges for Future Leaders, coming in at No. 70 nationally for 2026 (No. 4 in Texas, No. 5 in the Big 12). This year, the publication studied the resumes of almost 5,000 U.S. leaders — pulling from business, government, academia and more — to find where today’s leaders got their start, with Baylor continuing to stand out among the nation’s best.

Among the many ways to measure the impact of a college education is a practical accounting: Are students finding opportunities to work or further their education after graduation? At Baylor, the answer is a resounding “yes.”

With the most recent numbers just released (covering Summer 2024 through Spring 2025), Baylor’s placement rate is 92%, and its success rate is 94% — numbers well above the national average, and emblematic of steady growth in this area at BU.

Few Christian programs have garnered the level of critical acclaim and multi-platform viewership as The Chosen. The show — a historical drama of the life of Christ through the eyes of those around him — has appeared on the IMDb Top 250 list, and reviewers have lauded the program’s storytelling and production. Such success made the chance to serve in professional roles on the show all the more appealing to Baylor Film & Digital Media (FDM) students.

As the 2026 Baylor Acrobatics & Tumbling season begins Friday, the Bears find themselves in a familiar position — ranked as the nation’s No. 1 team in the preseason poll for the 11th straight season.

For a program and coach accustomed to celebrating national titles, it’s hard to imagine that anything could match what’s become an annual thrill, but everyone involved — especially Coach Fee, as she’s called by her athletes — got just that last month.