News

At least one Baylor Bear has brought home the gold in seven of the last eight Summer Olympics. Seven different Bears will look to extend that run this summer in Paris.

Those Bears will be representing four different nations: Brittney Griner (BSED ’19, basketball) and Avery Skinner (volleyball) for Team USA; current Baylor student-athletes Nathaniel Ezekiel (400m hurdles) and Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi (javelin) in track & field for Nigeria; John Peers (men’s tennis – doubles) and Kristy Wallace (BSED ’18, basketball) for Australia; and Nuni Omot (BSED ’18, basketball) for South Sudan. Baylor track and field head coach Michael Ford (BBA ’97) will also be in Paris as men’s sprints/hurdles coach for Team USA.

As the world’s largest Baptist university, it only makes sense that Baylor would be a part of the Baptist World Alliance.

The group, founded in 1905 and numbering more than 250 Baptist organizations across 134 countries and territories, officially welcomed Baylor as a full Member Partner at its annual gathering earlier this month. Among the Alliance’s members are the Baptist General Convention of Texas (with which Baylor will continue its longstanding relationship), two other Texas Baptist universities (Dallas Baptist and Howard Payne), and Baylor’s Truett Seminary (which was also approved as a full member this month).

In just a few weeks, Baylor’s Class of 2028 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 #BU28:

Yes, it’s true — no victories, let alone titles, are earned in college basketball in the month of July. That may be what teams are building toward as they go about their offseason workouts and recruiting, but it’s way too early to think about rankings. Right? Okay, maybe not.

With the caveat in the very title, ESPN’s annual “Way-Too-Early” rankings are out — and both Baylor’s men and women are ranked in the Top 10. Head coach Scott Drew’s team came in at No. 6, while Nicki Collen’s squad is ranked No. 9 nationally.

Since 1851, Baylor’s motto has begun with “Pro Ecclesia” — for the Church. A host of Baylor academic programs are designed specifically to build up and support pastors, congregations, theologians, and other parts of the body of Christ — but one effort is far more direct.

For years, Truett Seminary has worked to connect churches with current seminary students and alumni, benefitting both congregations and individuals. At its core, the goal is to make sure the matches made serve both the church and the pastor.

In the world of sports cards, a “Future Star” or “Rated Rookie” means you’ve got a card of someone who merits paying attention to — someone whose career looks like it’s about to take off.

In the world of higher education, early career awards function in a very similar fashion — recognizing up-and-coming faculty who have already shown indications of excellent research and scholarship, with the potential to be future leaders in their fields.

Among research universities, Baylor is distinct — a Christian R1 university. Faculty are engaged in high-level research that addresses challenges in health, engineering, and other fields. Solving these problems is the ultimate goal, but along the way, Baylor researchers are competing for — and winning — competitive grants that other top institutions strive to attain.

Here are just a few recent examples of significant projects where you’ll find Baylor faculty and students hard at work:

After 40 years as one of the faces of San Antonio’s KSAT, Jessie Degollado (BA ’72) is stepping out of the spotlight.

Degollado was one of a host of KSAT veterans to retire July 1, ending an era in San Antonio. Whether reporting on issues affecting San Antonio, South Texas or both sides of the Rio Grande, Degollado used her journalistic nose, her knowledge of Hispanic culture and language, and just plain hard work to keep the people of San Antonio informed for four decades.

Baylor is regularly named among the most beautiful college campuses in the United States — but sometimes, you just want to get off campus and into more natural settings.

Thankfully, Waco has plenty to offer those looking for a serene getaway. From hiking trails near the Brazos River to sunsets in Woodway Park, here are six of our favorite places to escape the daily grind and enjoy the beauty of Central Texas!

It’s become commonplace to hear Baylor names called in the first round of the NBA Draft. But to hear two of them called in a three-pick span? That’s raising the bar even further.

Ja’Kobe Walter and Yves Missi became Baylor men’s basketball’s first pair of teammates ever drafted in the first round of the same draft. Walter was selected with the 19th overall pick by the Toronto Raptors, while Missi went two picks later, at No. 21, to the New Orleans Pelicans.

In 22 seasons as head coach of the Baylor women’s tennis program, Joey Scrivano has built a record of success as the winningest coach in program history. This spring, he added a new title to his resume: Baylor graduate.

Scrivano walked the stage at Commencement in May after earning his master’s degree in sport pedagogy. For a coach who consistently encourages his players to be lifelong learners, it was a chance to live out what he preaches — and it provided a deeper appreciation for the experience his student-athletes receive at Baylor.

Endowed faculty positions, especially endowed chairs, are a big deal in the academic world. They come with a certain level of prestige, and help universities attract professors at the top of their game.

That’s why it’s so important that, during the Give Light philanthropic campaign, the Baylor Family’s generosity enabled the university to create an eye-popping 48 new endowed faculty positions, including 23 new endowed chairs. (For context: When Give Light began, Baylor had just five endowed chair positions; generous giving has quintupled that.)

Once again this summer, Baylor students can be found around the globe, ministering and serving in 10 countries across four continents on Baylor Missions trips.

What makes Baylor’s mission trips distinct is the blending of service and calling. These trips are discipline-specific: students with similar career goals or interests come together for trips that allow them to further develop in areas like healthcare, business or music as they meet significant needs wherever they travel.

Earlier this month, the Baylor Facebook page asked its nearly 250,000 followers a simple question: “What’s the most random place you’ve met another Bear?”

More than 500 answers later, a couple of things became clear:

Something special happened in April when the Texas Rangers hosted the Oakland Athletics. Former Baylor standout Davis Wendzel had just been called up, joining a Baylor teammate, Cody Bradford, on the Rangers. In the opposite dugout, another of their former teammates, Shea Langeliers, was preparing to play for the Athletics. This is believed to be the first time three Baylor alums were all on active rosters in the same game.

That series highlighted just how special of a time this is for Baylor baseball fans, as five Bears have played in the big leagues this year, tying the single year high-water mark for Baylor alums.

Almost six years ago — Nov. 2, 2018 — we wrote about the public launch of “Give Light,” Baylor’s new fundraising plan aimed at helping the university reach some of its strategic, long-term goals.

The goal: $1.1 billion to support increased student scholarship support, more endowed faculty positions, area-specific funds for research and other projects, and capital projects such as renovating Tidwell Bible Building, expanding Memorial and Allen halls to grow the Honors Residential College, a new welcome center, a new basketball arena, and a new football operations center.

Earlier this month, the university announced the successful conclusion of Give Light. So, how did the campaign do?

Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) is getting a new space on Baylor’s campus!

This spring, Baylor deeded over land for a new BSM center to the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which is working to complete fundraising for the new facility. The new center (see the rendering above) will be built at the corner of South Fourth Street and Daughtrey Avenue — near East Village and the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation.

For two decades now, Baylor’s Mayborn Museum has been a beacon of curiosity and discovery, illuminating the path to knowledge for Bears and Wacoans alike with its unique blend of history, science and education.

It was 20 years ago this summer — May 14, 2004 — that the Mayborn was officially dedicated in its new home along University Parks Drive. But the museum’s history dates much further back — almost to the university’s very beginning.

I know Baylor has a beautiful campus. You know Baylor has an incredible campus. But it’s always fun when others recognize the allure of Baylor’s campus, as well.

This spring, two notable sources — Architectural Digest and U.S. News — each included Baylor on their lists of the nation’s most beautiful college campuses.

In 2019, Baylor set a school-record with seven Fulbright scholarship recipients — part of the nation’s flagship program for international graduate study and education. In 2022, Baylor doubled that record with 14 Fulbrights.

Now, just two years later, a new school record has been set — again — as 18 (!!!) Baylor students and recent alumni have won prestigious Fulbright awards for 2024. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Though summer’s only just begun, it won’t be long before students are streaming to Waco for the start of a new school year.

Baylor is known for its incredible student experience — and a look at what students can expect during their first 100 days on campus illustrates that beautifully:

For almost 20 years, legendary music executive Mike Curb has supported what was previously known as the Sports Strategy and Sales (S3) program in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business. In honor of his longtime support, the S3 program has been renamed the Curb Sales Strategy in Sports and Entertainment (S3E) program.

Last week, business leaders and business researchers came together at Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business to dive into an important topic. They weren’t there to discuss revenue or industry disruptions; instead, they came to talk about faith — specifically, what it means to be a Christian leader in the workplace.

Over parts of two days, businesspeople of all levels took part in the first-ever Armes Family Christian Leadership in Business Summit, which featured presentations from a series of keynote speakers along with interactive panel discussions on the integration of faith and topics like innovation, inclusion, and ethics. Held May 16-17 inside Baylor’s Foster Campus for Business and Innovation, the event brought together CEOs, founders, leading researchers and others to talk about living out one’s faith in the workplace.

The Air Force ranks include more than 61,000 officers; only 108 of those have reached the rank of brigadier general. In December, Baylor graduate Randall Cason Jr. (BS ’95) joined that esteemed group — and he chose to return to his alma mater to mark the occasion.

For the seventh time in program history — all under head coach Glenn Moore — Baylor softball is headed to the NCAA Super Regionals!

The Bears are one of the last 16 teams standing after winning three of four games at the Lafayette Regional last weekend, including a pair of victories over the host team, No. 13-ranked Louisiana.

Looking to make it to the big leagues? Sure, you could be a first-round pick… or, you could earn a graduate degree from Baylor’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences.

Not one, not two, but three recent Robbins College grads have reached the pinnacle of pro sports just a few years after earning their Baylor diplomas — in athletic training, nutrition sciences and physical therapy:

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:

Baylor Law earns top national honors for practical training

Congratulations, Class of 2024 — you did it!

This weekend, more than 3,500 Bears walked the Ferrell Center stage to receive their hard-earned diplomas. Thousands of their friends and family filled the Ferrell Center for each ceremony, and countless more watched online and joined in the celebration via social media to honor Baylor’s newest graduates.

When the world came to a halt in Spring 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, high school students around the country lost the opportunity to walk the stage at graduation.

Four years later, having overcome countless unknowns and challenges, those students are ready to finally take that step as the Class of 2024 graduates from college. Kayla Carmer is one such student.

The first time Auldynn Chambers heard someone suggest he consider pursuing his doctorate after graduating from Baylor, his immediate thought was, “Only really smart people get Ph.D.s. I’m not smart enough to do that.”

Soon, Chambers will be doing just that, and pursuing a passion he discovered at Baylor — artificial organ development.

When Stephanie Mendoza (BBA ’21) was in high school at Waco’s University High, she had no idea where she wanted to go to college, or what she wanted to do when she got there.

The first question seemed solved after she attended a two-week overnight camp at Baylor — but unfortunately, her family couldn’t make the finances work, and she headed to McLennan Community College instead. There, she discovered her way into Baylor: a full-ride transfer scholarship from the Waco Foundation, given to three top MCC students each year.

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:

Yesterday’s news about Harrington House‘s time coming to an end got us thinking back on the home’s history, as it has a long and winding connection with Baylor (dating back even before it came to be Baylor property).

The two-story Victorian home has stood since 1894 on Eighth Street, just across from where Collins Residence Hall stands today.

Looking for practical training that will prepare you to practice as a lawyer? You can’t do any better than Baylor Law School — literally.

So says a new ranking from preLaw Magazine, which put Baylor at No. 1 in the nation for practical training.

Chances are, if you attended Baylor, you have memories of studying in Moody and/or Jones libraries. Maybe you remember late nights preparing for a paper or exam, or the fun of running into friends and then having to make yourself get back to work.

Baylor’s libraries have long been a sort of academic community square, and that’s never been more true than today. As the ways students use libraries has evolved, Baylor Libraries has adapted to meet the needs of today’s Bears. Here are four examples:

On Saturday, Baylor Acrobatics & Tumbling won its ninth — NINTH!!!!!!!!! — straight national title! The win extends a run that dates back to 2015 (there was no championship in 2020 due to COVID). Over those 10 seasons, head coach Felecia Mulkey’s squad has gone a mind-boggling 98-2, including a current 38-meet winning streak.

High school students choosing a college are often looking for a school big enough to offer their desired major and extracurriculars, but small enough where they feel like a person, not a number.

That’s a niche Baylor fills in higher ed — a caring community regularly recognized for students’ academic and social experience and opportunities, all built on a foundation of Christian faith. That sort of support and care is a big reason why a recent national survey of parents named Baylor the No. 2 most-trusted major university in the country.

More than 2,000 Baylor students are the first in their family to attend college. Baylor’s “First in Line” program exists to help these Bears navigate all aspects of college — from academics to student life to finances and beyond.

Word of First in Line’s successes is getting out; the program was recently honored by NASPA, an international student affairs organization, with a 2024 Excellence Award for first-generation student success.

It only makes sense that a university whose motto reads “Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana” — “for the Church, for Texas” — would build programs designed specifically to serve the Church, both close to home and around the world.

And that’s exactly what you’ll find, all across Baylor’s campus — efforts designed specifically to build up and support pastors, congregations, theologians, and other parts of the body of Christ. Here’s just a sampling:

Last fall, Baylor was named among TIME magazine’s top 40 colleges for future leaders. In their research, the publication’s editors studied the resumes of 2,000 U.S. leaders to see where they got their start — with Baylor standing out among the nation’s best.

That’s certainly true in the field of education, where countless Baylor alumni are serving as principals, deans, superintendents, etc. In the world of higher ed, almost 40 Baylor Bears are the top executives at colleges and universities around the world; here’s a quick rundown of those currently serving as presidents and chancellors:

The demand for a Baylor education has never been higher. We saw that last fall, when the university received more than 56,000 applications for Fall 2024 — and we saw it again Saturday, when more than 6,000 prospective students and family members were on campus for Premiere.

During Eclipse Over Texas on Monday, 50+ representatives of Baylor’s Department of Physics were on hand at McLane Stadium to assist and educate those in attendance. We asked a couple of them — Dr. Lorin Swint Matthews (BS ’94, PhD ’98) and Dr. Barbara Castainheria Endl — to help us understand what we saw during the eclipse.

When Dr. Beth Lanning (BSED ’89, MSED ’91) first came to Baylor as a student, she wanted to become a large animal veterinarian. It seemed a natural fit for someone who grew up training and showing horses, but after some time in that course of study, she realized she didn’t want to be a veterinarian. So, she switched to engineering, then pre-health. It was a circuitous path that led her to her current role in Baylor’s Department of Public Health, where she combines aspects of all of these streams in her work.

Today, Lanning serves as professor and associate chair of public health, and the two-time Baylor grad has built a reputation as a leading researcher into the impact of human-animal interventions for children with autism, adults with PTSD, and more.

A total solar eclipse AND an annual campus-wide celebration? Diadeloso (the “Day of the Bear”) has been a Baylor tradition for almost a century now — but never like this.

Baylor sports fans who have driven around Waco recently have likely noticed some familiar names on signs outside buildings under construction, lots for sale, or other new developments heralding business growth in Waco.

Raynor Campbell (BSEd ’10), Clay Fuller (BBA ’15) and Gregg Glime (BBA ’10) all spent time in green and gold on the baseball diamond or gridiron. When it came time to pursue their next phases of life, each of them chose to call Waco home, and each found their niche in real estate. Today, all three are partners with Waco’s Cromwell Commercial Group and play a meaningful role in commercial development and new business growth in their adopted hometown.

This week is Graduate Student Appreciation Week, a chance to celebrate the 5,500+ graduate students who pursue their calling at Baylor. Although they comprise nearly a quarter of BU’s overall enrollment, their contributions can fly under the radar — but not to those with whom they serve.

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

Countless women have come through the halls of Baylor before going on to do amazing things. Here’s a look at some Baylor Bears who have made big impacts in education — at Baylor and beyond:

Baylor women’s basketball is headed back to the Sweet 16, thanks to a pair of big NCAA tournament wins this weekend in Blacksburg, Virginia. Head coach Nicki Collen’s squad dominated Vanderbilt on Friday, 80-63, then beat Virginia Tech in front of a feisty home crowd, 75-72, on Sunday night.

Countless women have come through the halls of Baylor before going on to do amazing things. Here’s a look at some Baylor Bears who have made names for themselves in the arts — locally, nationally and internationally:

For the ninth time in the last 10 postseasons, both the Baylor men’s and women’s basketball teams are going dancing!

It never takes long in any conversation about “great Baylor teachers” for the name “Ann Miller” to surface.

As a two-time Baylor graduate (BA ’49, MA ’51), a Baylor English professor for more than 40 years, and part of Baylor’s first class of Master Teachers, Miller was Baylor through and through.

Think about the community you call home. Does its setup encourage you (and those around you) to be active? Is there a track or walking path for adults, or a playscape for kids? Can you ride your bike to work or the store? Is the area walkable?

Dr. Renée Umstattd Meyer (BSED ’00) has built a nationally recognized research career thinking about questions like these, and has put that research to work helping communities across the country better support the health of their residents.

Countless women have come through the halls of Baylor before going on to do amazing things. Here’s a look at some Baylor Bears who have made lasting changes in the world of politics and law — at the local, state and national level:

U.S. News recently recognized Baylor’s learning communities among the top 10 in the nation — just behind schools like Yale, Michigan and Princeton, and ahead of, well, just about everyone else. (The honor ranked Baylor No. 1 in the Big 12, No. 1 among large private universities, No. 2 in Texas and No. 2 among Christian universities.)

When Baylor was chartered in 1845, it was one of the first coeducational colleges or universities west of the Mississippi River — about 10 years before any public institution of higher learning would introduce mixed-gender learning, and a full 75 years before American women were guaranteed the right to vote.

Each year, the Collegiate Day of Prayer unites college campuses all over the country in a day of prayer for revival and awakening, concluding with an evening service of prayer and worship on a college campus that is broadcast around the world. This year, Baylor University served as central host site for the Collegiate Day of Prayer service.

After countless hours of planning, practicing and performing, All University Sing 2024 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).

When he came to Baylor from the Philippines in the 1990s, Peter Gape (MA ’91, MA ’94) knew broadly that he wanted to serve internationally. But his time in Waco helped focus that desire, and sparked a calling that led him to leadership in one of the globe’s largest international service organizations — World Vision.

If you read The Wall Street Journal last week, you likely saw not one, but two stories on the performance of Baylor’s endowment — one on how Baylor’s returns are beating even the Ivy League’s, and a second one on how Baylor’s culture has made this possible. (The first even ran on the front page of last Thursday’s print edition!)

When the College Football Playoff Selection Committee gets together this fall to pick the teams for the sport’s first-ever 12-team playoff, there will be two Baylor Bears in the room where it happens — one past, one present.

The past Bear is former interim head coach Jim Grobe, who was named to the committee in 2022. But the current Bear is the one who has fans in the green and gold fired up: Baylor Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades.

Dr. Stephen Newby describes the opportunity to serve as the inaugural Lev H. Prichard III Chair in the Study of Black Worship as his “dream job,” and you don’t have to look very far down his path to Baylor to see why.

Bears have been playing in the NBA since the Association’s early days shortly after World War II, and there’s been a Baylor alum on an NBA roster every year since the 1979-80 season — but there’s never been more than there are this season.

Coming off the program’s first 40-win season since 2017 — the last time the Bears reached the Women’s College World Series — and returning all but one player from the 2023 roster, the Baylor softball team has big plans for the 2024 campaign, with eyes on a return to Oklahoma City to compete for a national championship.

Baylor fans have come to count on seeing BU among the top 25 each year, with Bears competing with the nation’s most prestigious programs for national recognition.

That applies to athletics (like our currently No. 13-ranked men’s basketball and No. 18-ranked women’s basketball programs), and to academics — like the Baylor entrepreneurship program, which once again ranks among the best in the nation according to multiple sources:

Every two years, Baylor’s Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching brings one of the nation’s best professors not already here at Baylor to Waco for a semester, allowing BU students to benefit from his or her excellence in the classroom. First awarded in 1991, the honor remains our country’s largest national award presented by a college or university for exceptional teaching, and carries with it an exceptional monetary reward for both the professor and his or her school.

For more than 65 years, Collins Residence Hall has been the beginning of Baylor stories for thousands of women — a tradition that continues today.

After closing throughout 2022-23 for a yearlong renovation, Collins reopened last fall to welcome a new class of Bears. There’s plenty that’s new, from plumbing to security — even a new main entrance on 7th Street, pointing towards campus. But there’s plenty of the old, as well — from the memorable 8th Street steps (preserved as a back entrance) to the memories of former Collins residents that are literally embedded in the walls.

January is now busier than ever on the Baylor campus, as we quickly jump from students’ return for the spring semester to celebrating not one, not two, but THREE birthdays — those of our beloved live bears!

Baylor graduates make an impact in virtually any field you can think of; this year’s Baylor Alumni Award winners are no different, with recipients leading the charge in areas ranging from financial stewardship to fighting hunger and poverty to chaplaincy.

From Line Camp to Welcome Week to the Baylor Line and the on-campus living experience, Baylor goes above and beyond to help new students feel like they are truly a part of the Baylor Family.

Eyes across the nation are taking notice — the most recent being U.S. News, which this year ranked Baylor in the top five nationally for “first-year experience.”

Before finding his current passion, Omari Head (MDiv ’12) interned for the Seattle Seahawks as an athletic trainer, then worked in student life, earned his master’s of divinity from Truett Seminary, and served as a college pastor and worship leader at a local church. But entrepreneurship was always in his blood — and now he shares his joy right here in Waco through a series of local favorites.

Another year has flown on by… As the calendar turns, let’s take one last look back at 2023, through the lens of our favorite photos from Baylor’s official Instagram account.

Here are our top 10 Baylor Instagram photos of 2023:

Baylor’s new Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion made its debut this week, hosting a pair of facility-opening wins as the No. 18-ranked Baylor men defeated Cornell and the No. 6 Baylor women blew past No. 23 TCU.

But the play on the court was secondary to the awe and wonder felt by Baylor fans who filled the arena for both games, and by the coaches and players experiencing the new gameday atmosphere.

Baylor’s mission has long been to “educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service.” A new survey by TIME magazine says Baylor’s been doing exactly that.

As the Ferrell Center prepares to host its final regular season Baylor basketball game — Dec. 22, when the men host Mississippi Valley State — a couple of posts on social media got the Baylor Family rolling sharing their favorite memories from 35 years of basketball at the Ferrell.

Not surprisingly, a few themes came up over and over:

There’s no shortage of great stories that emanate from the Baylor campus. All across the university, the people who make Baylor what it is are doing big things in virtually every arena — from classrooms and labs to student life, athletics and more. And for nearly six years now, many of them have provided first-person accounts of those stories on the Baylor Connections radio program and podcast.

When the State of Texas seeks to honor the state’s top student teacher, they often find that young educator at Baylor. That’s the case again this year — the fifth time in the last seven years!

A month into the college basketball season, only one school in America has both its men’s and women’s teams ranked in the AP Top 10 — and that school calls Waco home.

The most wonderful time of the year has finally, officially arrived!

Monday night, Baylor kicked off the Christmas season with the beloved tradition Christmas on 5th Street. (Originally scheduled for last week, the event had been pushed back due to weather.) From pictures with Santa to musical performances to photo opps and, of course, the live nativity, the heart of campus will filled with Baylor students, faculty/staff, their families — and plenty of Christmas spirit.

Contemporary Christian music can unite worshippers in prayers and celebration — but how can the music connect worship leaders and the music industry?

Dr. Shannan Baker (PhD ’22), the first postdoctoral fellow in Baylor’s School of Music, wanted to investigate this and other such topics regarding the state of modern Christian worship. The result is WorshipLeaderResearch.com, where Baker and a unique team of musicians and scholars share their research and writings on contemporary worship music.

The list of schools to make U.S. News‘ top 25 for both undergraduate teaching and undergraduate research is a short (and impressive one), filled with schools like Duke, Michigan, Princeton, Stanford, Yale — and Baylor.

Recognizing that the future would demand “better equipped men and women in the different fields of business,” Baylor President Samuel Palmer Brooks asked the Board in the early 1920s to approve the creation of a business school at Baylor University. In 1923, the School of Commerce and Business Administration — today, the Hankamer School of Business — was born.

The 2023 Baylor Volleyball team began the year notable for its youth — a roster without a senior, but with six freshmen, many of whom played key roles. But head coach Ryan McGuyre’s squad didn’t let their lack of experience (and significant injuries) deter them from earning the program’s eighth straight NCAA tournament berth, extending a streak that has become the norm for one of the nation’s top programs.

It’s amazing how, even when we feel down, stopping and counting our blessings can remind us of how much we have to be thankful for. And we do, indeed, have much to thank God for over the past 12 months at Baylor.

The first Baylor sporting event in the Ferrell Center — Nov. 17, 1988 — was a men’s basketball exhibition game against the Adelaide 36ers, an Australian professional basketball team that’s actually still in existence today.

Dr. Sarah Kienle, a nationally recognized Baylor biology professor, makes a big statement about the fourth graders she spoke to on National STEM Day last week: “They’re asking the same questions I’m asking in my research.” As the students interacted with Kienle and her students, they validated just that.

Kienle was part of a cohort of Baylor professors who visited local schools for National STEM Day, discussing topics like leopard seals, air quality, solar power and more.

Other Native American students attended Baylor before Margery Lancaster Walker, including Oscar Pete (Chehalis tribe) in 1936 and Dan Tilden (Cherokee) in 1939. But Walker, who graduated with a degree in music education from BU in 1952, is believed to have been Baylor’s first Native American graduate.

Strong teams are great at recruiting, and Baylor has been blessed to land multiple “top recruits” in the university’s pursuit of excellence — not just in athletics or the student body, but among the faculty, as well.

Building on an already strong faculty lineup, the recruitment of new faculty in endowed chair roles is a significant focus of Illuminate and Give Light, with the goal of attracting nationally recognized experts into prestigious academic positions at Baylor. These efforts have proven successful — and they’re not done yet. The dividends of the Baylor Family’s generosity in the successful Give Light campaign continue to manifest in a multitude of ways, including the recruitment of elite faculty to Baylor.

For the 11th time in the last 14 seasons, Baylor men’s basketball will open the 2023-24 season ranked among the nation’s top 25 nationally.

Head coach Scott Drew’s team will begin their final half-season in the Ferrell Center ranked 17th in the coaches poll and 20th in the AP poll — the fifth straight year the Bears have begun play among the top 25.

As Baylor women’s basketball begins their final half-season in the Ferrell Center, they’ll begin the year in a familiar place: ranked among the top 25 nationally.

Head coach Nicki Collen’s squad will open the 2023-24 season ranked 19th and 20th in the AP and coaches polls, respectively — the 19th straight year the Bears have opened the year among the top 25. Only Texas is ranked higher in the polls than Baylor to open the year.

Rain tried its best to disrupt Baylor Homecoming 2023, but a little weather can’t stop the Baylor Family from getting together — and Homecoming, as usual, brought back all the memories as thousands of Bears descended upon Waco this past weekend for the annual Baylor Family reunion.

Baylor Homecoming has something for every Bear, and preparation for it all begins almost as soon as the last one ends, with a collaboration that brings students, staff, administrators and many others together to create an unforgettable “welcome home” for alumni and friends.

Matt Burchett (BA ’01), Nick Martineau (BBA ’01, MDiv ’04) and Jon Rolph (BA ’01) have been celebrating Baylor Homecoming together for 25 years. Ready to protect that weekend, they circle the dates on their calendars as soon as the football schedule is released.

“Homecoming is where we met each other, and it makes sense that it is how we would stay connected,” says Martineau.

What is it that makes Baylor Homecoming so special? We’ll venture that it’s because Homecoming is a party for everyone. Some Bears return with spouses or children; some, with friends; others on their own. It works no matter how many people you’re bringing with you, or how long you’ve been away. There’s something for everyone, with events for all ages and all stages. Whether it’s the parade that awes the young onlookers, or the bonfire for the teenagers, or the reunions for the more seasoned attendees, the Homecoming schedule is comprehensive.

In 1909, Baylor hosted the first collegiate homecoming celebration in the nation. This week, we again renew that tradition, as the Baylor Family returns to campus to “catch that Baylor spirit again,” as President Samuel Palmer Brooks famously wrote more than a century ago.

Homecoming, more than any other weekend of the year, is all about family. It’s about seeing old friends, recalling fond memories, sharing those stories with the next generation, and celebrating together as one. It’s the very best example of why we call this “the Baylor Family.”

Dr. Mona Minkara, a bioengineering professor at Northeastern University in Boston, was in Waco last week — a long way from the campus she calls home.

The reason for her trip? To join Baylor Chemistry’s Dr. Bryan Shaw in his lab, demonstrating to students from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) what she longed to hear at their age.

Since the very beginning, Chapel has been an integral part of the Baylor experience — but naturally, Chapel doesn’t look the same as it did 175 years ago — or even 25 years ago. After all, 20,000 students now call Baylor home, each at different steps along their faith journey — so one size definitely doesn’t fit all.

That’s why Spiritual Life is creating a wide variety of Chapel opportunities that are built around students — working to meet them where they are: in their interests, in their majors, in their giftings, etc. The ideal Chapel is a combination of great content and experience that takes students beyond the classroom; in these spaces, students find people who care about them, not about what they can achieve.

Thousands of Baylor alumni descend upon Waco each fall for Homecoming. Some have returned every year since graduation; others are setting foot on the Baylor campus for the first time in five, 10, even 20 years or longer. Regardless of how long it’s been since you’ve visited Baylor, there’s likely something new you haven’t seen or done before — and at the same time, plenty of old favorites to revisit and traditions to enjoy.

Presenting: 100+ things to see and do during #BaylorHomecoming — updated for 2023:

Last year, Baylor appeared for the first time on a prestigious list for university innovations, debuting at No. 99 among the Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents. The list, published by the National Academy of Inventors, highlights the role of universities in American innovation.

This year, Baylor jumped all the way to No. 75 among the top 100 — a 24-spot jump that highlights a busy 12 months for Baylor researchers.