Baylor Black Alumni Alliance gathers for a reunion weekend

Gil Stricklin’s faith journey began when he was 12 years old, when he entrusted his life to Jesus. This childhood decision set him on a lifetime path of caring for souls.

Students explore person-centered care at the intersection of science and the humanities

WACO, Texas (Dec. 21, 2023) – From the traditional sound of Go Tell it on the Mountain to the contemporary style of Kirk Franklin, Black Gospel Christmas music conveys a sense of wonder and passion for the Christmas season and the birth of our Savior. Two Baylor University experts in Black gospel music, Bob Darden and Stephen Newby, share their love of the rich sounds of Christmas spirituals.

Blake Barrow, B.A. ’80, M.A. ’83, J.D. ’88, has been feeding hearts and stomachs at Hallelujah! BBQ in El Paso since doors opened in 2023.

In the competitive landscape of collegiate sports journalism, Baylor University proudly claims one of its own as a prominent figure on the national stage of CBS Sports’ college football coverage.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 21, 2023) – The death of a loved one can be especially hard during the holidays as they are full of memories, traditions, and sensations associated with the holidays – all reminders that this year is different, and someone is no longer here. What can someone in the midst of grief do to make this time more positive and step toward emotional healing?  

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.

Patricia Bedford, B.S.E. ’06, possesses a unique talent for both engineering and baking.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 20, 2023) – Baylor University President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., announced today that Jason Diffenderfer, vice president for university advancement at the University at Buffalo, will join Baylor as vice president for university advancement, effective March 1, 2024.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 19, 2023) – Individuals with substance and alcohol use disorders experience additional stress during the holidays, which can interfere with their recovery, and may need additional support to abstain from substance use. What can people in recovery do to both abstain and enjoy the holidays? And what can loved ones do to support them?

A caring community at Collins Hall connects past, present and future generations of residents.

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:

WACO, Texas (Dec. 15, 2023) – Gray Media Group and KWTX Television will broadcast an encore presentation of “A Baylor Christmas,” recorded in 2021 from the performances of the Baylor Symphony Orchestra and combined choirs of the Baylor University School of Music.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 14, 2023) -- Baylor University Honors College professor Michael Foley, Ph.D., who teaches in the Great Texts Program, has researched the history of common Christmas traditions and uncovered forgotten customs. Foley shares three practices to recapture the essence of Christmas and bring more joy to the season for your family.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 13, 2023) – Lorin Swint Matthews, B.A. ’94, Ph.D. ’98, chair and professor of physics and associate director of Baylor’s Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics and Engineering Research (CASPER), was appointed as a 2023 Fellow of the American Physical Society. She is the first faculty member to earn an APS Fellowship at Baylor.

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.

Several facility projects have emerged as priorities of the athletics master plan. Among them, construction of a football operations center.

Baylor University and the Baylor College of Medicine's (BCM) National School of Tropical Medicine (NSTM) work together to fight neglected tropical diseases that prey on the world's most vulnerable.

A spotlight on research growth since the launch of Illuminate

Mentorship in the Baylor Graduate School

The Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion opened its doors as the new home for Baylor’s championship men’s and women’s basketball teams, expanding the footprint of Baylor’s presence along the Brazos River and Interstate 35 corridor.

Baylor+, the all-new, subscription streaming platform of Baylor Athletics, launched in Fall 2023, providing Baylor fans with even more premium video content and original storytelling.

Baylor University’s Give Light Campaign galvanized transformational support from the Baylor Family.

In Fall 2023, Baylor welcomed three new faculty chairs to campus to support core areas of research that highlight the University’s R1 status and Christian identity.

Baylor University’s alumni, parents and friends support our faculty, staff and students in many ways.

Since the public launch of the Give Light Campaign in 2018, more than 96,000 alumni, parents and friends have given $1.45 billion to support Baylor University’s mission ...

Providing leadership opportunities for students across their years at Baylor is a hallmark of the Baylor experience.

Each year, thousands of Baylor students step out together into Waco to serve the community in various projects from cleanup to renovation.

Baylor welcomes Curtis Reynolds, an experienced Research 1 university administrator, to lead Baylor’s business and finance operations.

The High School Sports Sales Championship is an innovative competition series designed for students in grades 8-12 who are interested in the field of sports business.

In October, the University launched the Baylor Research in Growth and Human Thriving Science (BRIGHTS) Center, a multidisciplinary center designed to catalyze research related to the science of human flourishing.

Baylor partnered with local schools on National STEM Day by providing engaging science presentations for students and teachers and connecting Baylor researchers in the community.

After nationwide searches, Baylor appointed two new deans.

Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business (HSB) is 100 years old, and the school has embarked on a two-year long centennial celebration.

At a time when many universities are reducing their support in funding, programming and faculty and staff for foreign language and culture programs…

The Central Texas Cyber Range (CTCR), a $3.5 million partnership between Baylor University and McLennan Community College (MCC), launched this fall...

WACO, Texas (Dec. 11, 2023) - New Year's resolutions are often well-intentioned but truth be told, they can be really difficult to keep. We asked Baylor University experts to offer resolution ideas that might be easier for us to sustain while making positive changes in our lives. 

WACO, Texas (Dec. 11, 2023) – Baylor University has been awarded a  $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to establish an interdisciplinary project that focuses on helping congregations embrace young people with disabilities, mental health challenges and chronic illnesses.

Established in 1923, The Texas Collection is Baylor University’s oldest special collections library.

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!

The Baylor Family continues to give generously toward the Give Light campaign.

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.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 6, 2023) – Baylor University has been named to TIME Magazine’s inaugural list of the 100 Best Colleges for Future Leaders, a new ranking that measures universities that excel in nurturing some of the nation’s most highly influential leaders. 

Established in 1969, the Founders Medal is one of Baylor’s most distinguished awards and is reserved for men and women whose service and contribution have been unusually significant to the life and future of the University. 

Today, Dr. Sheppard is an internal medicine physician in private practice and offices at Memorial Hermann Southwest.

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.

Baylor's nationally recognized Department of Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation prepares tomorrow's business leaders

WACO, Texas (Dec. 4, 2023) – Following a nationwide search, Baylor University Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., announced today that Kevin Sanders, D.M.A., director of the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis, has been selected as dean of the Baylor University School of Music. His appointment is effective July 1, 2024.

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.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 30, 2023) – Baylor University today announced the recipients of the 2024 Baylor Alumni Awards, which honor individuals who embody the distinctive mission of the University and their remarkable achievements. A celebration honoring this year’s recipients will be held on campus Feb. 23, 2024.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 29, 2023) –  Baylor University historians Stephen Sloan and Adrienne Cain Darough with Baylor’s renowned Institute for Oral History, share seven simple best practices to help family members begin oral history conversations over the holidays that enrich recollections of the past and capture your family memories.

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.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 29, 2023) – Baylor University President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., announced today that Curtis Reynolds, vice president for business affairs at the University of Florida, will join the University as vice president of business and finance and chief financial officer, effective March 1, 2024.

No. 5 national seed Baylor dropped a grueling five-set game to the University of Minnesota, in the 2021 NCAA Volleyball Tournament regional semifinals.

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.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 27, 2023) – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a five-year, $3.37 million research grant to Baylor University, Blackfeet Community College (BFCC) in Browning, Montana, and Montana State University-Bozeman to explore how the resiliency of the Blackfeet American Indian community could mitigate the health effects related to historical and childhood trauma.

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.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 14, 2023) – Leading Baylor University positive psychology researchers, Sarah Schnitker, Ph.D., and Jo-Ann Tsang, Ph.D., who specialize in the study of gratitude, have identified three science-based mechanisms that can cultivate gratitude and improve empathy. This work is especially timely during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.

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.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 13, 2023) - Baylor University and TCU have formalized their century-long football rivalry through the commissioning of a trophy and officially naming the game after a months-long initiative led by the student governments of both universities. The Bluebonnet Battle will commemorate the 119th meeting of the football teams on Nov. 18 in Fort Worth, when Baylor-TCU overtakes Texas-Texas A&M to become the longest-standing college football rivalry in the state of Texas.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 10, 2023) – During its regular November meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents received a comprehensive update on the University’s Strategic Planning process, which will guide Baylor into the future as a preeminent Christian research university. The Board also approved four new academic graduate degrees and discussed Baylor’s position in the evolving higher education marketplace.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 9, 2023) – Following a nationwide search, Baylor University Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., announced today that Jeremy Counseller, J.D., The Abner V. McCall Chair of Evidence Law at Baylor, has been selected as dean of the University’s nationally ranked Baylor Law School. His appointment is effective July 1, 2024.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 8, 2023) – Baylor University was recognized today by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption as one of the nation’s top education institutions offering robust adoption benefits programs.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 7, 2023) – Baylor University is partnering with local schools on National STEM Day (Wednesday, Nov. 8) to provide engaging science presentations for area students and teachers and connect Baylor researchers in the community, all to encourage an affinity for science, technology, engineering and math in local students.