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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.

The John Templeton Foundation has awarded $1.2 million to Baylor's Hankamer School of Business and the Spurlock Judicial Fund to support an international initiative that promotes judicial virtue, ethical leadership and professional responsibility in Mongolia's legal system.

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:

Before Erik Carter and his family moved to Waco, he spent more than 20 years at major research institutions in metropolitan cities, Vanderbilt University in Nashville and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Entering his fourth year at Baylor, Carter shares more about how Baylor and Waco exceeded every expectation as a vibrant community in which to live, work and put down lasting roots.

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:

From getting a head start on housing and academic advising to receiving a $3,000 scholarship, here’s how prospective students can be rewarded for making Baylor their top choice when applying to college. 

As scientists prepare for the next generation of Moon exploration, lunar rovers will play a critical role in discerning which samples are worth collecting and returning to Earth for study. 

ABET accreditation affirms excellence of Baylor undergraduate programs in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering.

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:

Baylor's celebrated church music professor Randall Bradley, D.M.A., Interim Dean of the School of Music, is among this year's honorees of the Big 12 Faculty of the Year Awards. 

Navigating college can be overwhelming, but thankfully Baylor offers resources that are often just a click or short walk across campus away. Whether you need help writing a paper, need a flu shot or have questions regarding your financial aid – we’re here to point you in the right direction. 

During a ceremonial sign unveiling, Baylor University celebrated the naming of the Moody School of Education, made possible by a transformational $30 million gift from the Moody Foundation.

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.

Baylor University is part of a $30 million NSF Science and Technology Center focused on understanding turbulence, a complex phenomenon with applications in fusion energy, astrophysics and hypersonic flight.

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.

Running the Baylor Line has been named Best Walk-Out Tradition in college football by the USA Today Sports' 2026 Readers' Choice Awards.

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.

Welcome Week offers new students an opportunity to get to know their new classmates and Baylor's campus and traditions. 

As mainland Europe witnessed a total solar eclipse Aug. 12, Baylor researchers reported that viewing the 2024 U.S. eclipse increased awe and positive emotion, especially when experienced with others.

Learn how Baylor grads have made a difference across the business world

Located in the heart of the Texas Triangle, America’s fastest-growing megaregion, Baylor is leveraging its position to expand research, develop future leaders and serve the needs of a rapidly growing and economically dynamic region.

From preparing graduates and developing leaders to advancing innovation and building partnerships across education and industry, Baylor is helping meet the workforce needs of a fast-growing state while preparing the talent that will drive Texas' future.

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.

As schools increasingly become "phone-free," thoughtful policies around phones can improve student engagement, behavior and well-being, notes a Baylor education researcher.

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:

Presale opens at 11 a.m. CT Aug. 13, with general public tickets on sale Aug. 14 for Third Day's 30th Anniversary Tour stopping in April 2027 at Baylor’s Foster Pavilion.

New research by Baylor University psychology and neuroscience researchers suggests that people who are more prone to worry may find those quiet moments especially distressing.

Baylor offers a variety of programs designed to help students achieve their academic potential. 

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.

Just one year after uncovering a rare intact Etruscan chamber tomb in central Italy, a Baylor University-led archaeological team has made another remarkable discovery.

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:

Baylor University has announced the exciting lineup of artists set to perform at Baylor Backyard Live, a new game day concert series at all six home football games this fall outside McLane Stadium on Touchdown Alley. 

At Baylor, students are more than a name on an attendance roster. Many professors help students with their research, find connections they can use later, write recommendations for internships and become trusted advisors they can ask big questions to. 

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).

Baylor Send-off Parties are a place where incoming students and families gather across the nation to make friends and build connections as they meet others in their area. This year, Baylor is hosting nearly 70 parties, and registration remains open for this fun welcome in the Baylor Family.

Discover how Baylor’s resident chaplains serve students.

Baylor is distinct in higher education as a Christian research university. How does that Christian mission shape student learning? Management professor Matt Quade, explains that the University's mission permeates every aspect of the student experience.

Critically acclaimed indie rock/folk band Mt. Joy is headed to Waco, Texas, for Silobration, presented by Magnolia with Baylor University, Thursday, Oct. 22, at Foster Pavilion.

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.

In the last ten years, Baylor alumni have made meaningful impact in their professions, communities, and industries through innovation, leadership, and service. Here are just four examples of their achievements as Baylor continues to shape the next generation of changemakers. 

John Wood is a nationally recognized leader in the chemical synthesis of natural products that could someday become drug leads to treat cancer and other diseases. He says his greatest achievement, however, is the development of students—which is why, as he explains here, he spends so much time investing in them.

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.

Baylor University’s strength in the field of microbiome research is rapidly growing, promoting ways to help humans enjoy healthier guts, which in turn promotes healthier people.

Is there a happiness crisis among young people? The problem may be that most have confused happiness with something deeper, and that’s joy, finds a Baylor education researcher.

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.

A Baylor Moody School of Education student teacher launches Best Buddies program.

Only 15 individuals have served as president of Baylor University since its founding in 1845. On July 4, the Baylor Family lost a member of that exceptional group of Christian leaders with the death of Dr. Robert B. Sloan Jr. in Houston.

Baylor University is celebrating its most successful fundraising year ever, with the Baylor Family giving a record-breaking $244.5 million to the University during the 2026 fiscal year.

Baylor University, the City of Waco and Baylor Athletics have partnered together on Summer on Turner Plaza for the Waco community each Thursday night in July on Turner Plaza at Foster Pavilion.

Baylor's Faculty-in-Residence serve as a link between the classroom and the living room for residential students. 

 Baylor University mosquito expert Jason Pitts, Ph.D., explains why some people get more mosquito bites than others – it comes down to how you smell.

Baylor faculty are dedicated to walking and serving alongside students as they participate on missions trips—and committed to helping students make the most of these opportunities, both now and in the future.

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.

Healthy living expert Renée Umstattd Meyer, Ph.D., recommends making outdoor play a regular part of your family’s routine.

Dr. Clayton R. Mulvihill's NSF award in support of early-career faculty will allow him to pursue a deeper understanding of how fuels burn in combustion systems, providing tools for cleaner, more efficient engines.

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.

Dropping a child off at college takes a massive leap of faith. Parents aren't just looking for someone to hand their kid a stamped sheet of paper. They want an institution that shows genuine care in keeping them safe, grounded and inspired. Walk onto Baylor’s campus and you'll see that commitment is lived out daily by faculty like Dr. Walter M. “Sparky” Matthews, M.D., B.A. ’92. 

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.

A gift from alumnus John T. Williams, B.B.A. ’67, has established The Virginia and Tom Williams Endowed Chair in American Literature within the Department of English in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Students in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business gain practical experience and enduring values that prepare them to make a difference.

Each summer, Baylor’s campus transforms into a dynamic environment where learning is supported by doing, and experiences shape both young participants and the Baylor students who lead them.

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.

Baylor University is proud to announce that the TEDxBaylor University talk – “The Eight-Hour Sleep Challenge During Finals Week” – by Michael K. Scullin, Ph.D., has been selected as an Editor’s Pick. 

From June through July, incoming Baylor students and their families will descend upon campus and the University’s hometown of Waco during New Student Orientation and Baylor Line Camp.

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:

Researchers from Baylor University, BYU, Notre Dame and Yeshiva reveal gaps in how AI models handle faith and religion.

The Baylor Board of Regents celebrated the University’s second-best fundraising year ever, a growing endowment and continued success of the Extend the Line scholarship initiative.

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:

For more than five decades, Baylor alumna Kathy Robinson Hillman, BA ’73, MLS, has embodied the spirit of Baylor University through her unwavering commitment to faith, education and service. 

Baylor Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Doug McNamee, B.A. ’03, M.S.Ed. ’05, is deeply connected to Baylor. 

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.

For Tiffany Jones-Smith, BA ’95, what began as a passion for serving others has grown into a mission to advance kidney health and expand access to healthcare for all Texans. 

Many people enjoy watching anime as a way of unwinding with a pastime. 

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.