News

Baylor Men’s Golf alumni are making a splash in the professional ranks.

In the modern landscape of college athletics, it’s easy for schools to get lost in transactions, focusing exclusively on the ends while ignoring the means.

Track and Field’s Alexis Brown made history as she became the first Baylor athlete to win a national championship in the long jump event. 

10 Keys for Navigating Change in College Athletics

For someone who feels a personal mission to make the world a better place for children, there may be few better fits than Feed the Children, a global nonprofit which seeks to end childhood hunger. All of this made a significant opportunity at the organization just right for Emily Callahan (BA ’00), a Baylor alumna and longtime non-profit leader whose personal mission dovetailed with the organization she now leads.

Baylor University’s success for highly competitive fellowships and awards continues to skyrocket as a record 24 Baylor students and recent alumni have been selected for 2025-2026 Fulbright U.S. Student Grants. 

Congratulations, Class of 2025 — you did it!

This weekend, more than 4,000 Bears — the largest class in Baylor history — celebrated earning their degrees, the culmination of the Baylor experience. 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 BU’s newest graduates.

Will Critchfield’s student experience at Baylor led directly to working with cutting-edge technology in his field, then a connection with a prominent Baylor graduate, and finally, an impressive first job after graduation.

For Critchfield, a member of the Class of 2025 from Glen Rock, N.J., success has never been about coincidence; it’s been about faith, perseverance, and the unwavering support of his Baylor community. As he graduates from Baylor this week with a major in film & digital media and a minor in entrepreneurship, his next chapter will begin with a role at NBC.

David M. Szymanski, Ph.D., will join Baylor University on May 27 as The William E. Crenshaw Endowed Dean of the nationally ranked Hankamer School of Business.

Harmon and Lea Kong's gift to Baylor establishes the Kong Family Endowed Presidential Fund for Student Care and the Kong Family Endowed Fund for Faculty Development.

When Carolyn Price’s mother told her, “There isn’t anything you can’t do,” she couldn’t have imagined the far-reaching those words would have on her daughter’s life — including becoming the oldest known doctoral recipient in Baylor history, at age 83.

Every spring, the Baylor Family bids happy retirement to professors and staff who have dedicated their professional lives to the university and its students. This spring, we say a special farewell to two prominent university leaders, Vice President for Student Life Kevin Jackson and Baylor Graduate School Dean Larry Lyon (BA ’71).

Michael E. Young, Ph.D., professor of psychological sciences and graduate program director at Kansas State, has been selected as Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School.

Legendary comedian Jeff Dunham will bring his new North American Tour ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE to the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion, Waco’s new premier concert venue, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3.

One of the first stops for Baylor campus visitors is the Williams Bear Habitat, home of bear mascots Indy and Belle. The La Vega High School students visiting campus last week for the first-ever Baylor CityLab were no different; the Bear Habitat was tops on their tour agenda — and where their interactive science journey began.

As soon as the tour was over, Baylor students involved in CityLab set up the scenario. They drank from a stray water bottle, began “acting” strange, and soon developed zombie-like symptoms. Now it was up to the high school students to use real-world scientific methods — including DNA analysis and forensics — to determine what was causing this strange behavior and what exactly was in the water bottle.

Honors College researcher studies how maternal humor on social media helps women navigate the pressures of modern parenting and connect through shared experience.

Last week, Baylor released the first-wave findings of the Global Flourishing Study — one of the most comprehensive studies of human existence ever undertaken, and the largest funded research project in Baylor history.

How big a deal is this study? The coverage it attracted is one indication; the results were widely covered in major media outlets ranging from The New York Times to National Geographic to CNN to Christianity Today (and more).

Every summer, Baylor students head out on mission trips around the world, putting what they’ve learned in the classroom to use serving others. But the experience isn’t a one-way gift; these students also come back having learned about other people, places and cultures, and ways they can use their skills to help others in the future.

In late April, Baylor sent these Bears off with a special Student Mission Trip Commissioning Ceremony. Following the disciples’ example, Baylor representatives gathered to send these short-term missionaries off with prayer and encouragement (plus some treats to sweeten the celebration).

What does it mean to be a Christian university? Certainly, it means that our Christian faith is infused into everyday life on campus. It’s also expressed in classrooms and labs across campus, by Christian faculty living out their calling at the highest levels.

In fact, Baylor’s growth as a Christian research university has been fueled in part by elite faculty drawn to BU precisely because here they can openly practice their discipline in a Christian context.

Here are just a few of the reasons Baylor professors say the institution’s Christian mission is meaningful to them:

Baylor University welcomes Texas's top middle and high school esports teams for the TexSEF 2025 Undisputed State Championships esports competition.

The Institute for Global Human Flourishing places Baylor as an epicenter for global flourishing research/practice alongside research partners at Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program.

Baylor graduates truly do “fling their green and gold afar,” making 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 the military and the ministry to the law and our nation’s legal systems.

Congratulations to this year’s honorees:

The Global Flourishing Study revealed its First Wave findings on human flourishing, results from one of the most comprehensive studies of human well-being ever undertaken. 

Baylor and Waco are at the center of the collegiate tennis world this year.

Last fall, the Hurd Tennis Center hosted the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships. In January, men’s tennis hosted the ITA National Indoor Championship at Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center. Earlier this month, the Hurd was the home for the Big 12 Tennis Championship. And now, Baylor is preparing to host the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Championships (every round from the quarterfinals to the title match).

The run to the championship begins this weekend for both the Baylor men and women.

On Saturday, Baylor Acrobatics & Tumbling won its tenth — TENTH!!!!!!!!! — straight national title! The win extends a run that dates back to 2015 (there was no championship in 2020 due to COVID). Over those 11 seasons, head coach Felecia Mulkey’s squad has gone a mind-boggling 110-2, including a current 50-meet winning streak.

For context: The only longer NCAA D-1 championship streaks are in track and field, where the Arkansas men won 12 straight indoor titles from 1984-95, and the LSU women won 11 straight outdoor championships from 1987-97. (To be clear, Baylor’s current run is an NCATA streak, not an NCAA streak, because acrobatics and tumbling is currently classified as an NCAA Emerging Sport while it works its way toward full-fledged NCAA status.)

The 2025 Baylor Alumni Awards honor individuals who embody the distinctive mission of the University and their remarkable achievements.

Seven Baylor residence halls are more than just residence halls — they’re Living-Learning Communities, or LLCs for short. These LLCs are organized around specific degree programs or interests, such as business, science, even outdoor adventure and wellbeing, building intentional community for BU students with similar goals and callings in life.

Dr. Karenna Malavanti (BS ’10, MA ’12), senior lecturer of psychology and neuroscience, serves as faculty-in-residence at Earle Hall, where she leads the nearly 350 students in Baylor’s Science and Health Living-Learning Community.

She shared a few of the traits that make these communities so meaningful to students on a recent Baylor Connections podcast:

Two takeaways from the Forrest Frank concert, the first public concert in Foster Pavilion:

1) If you get a chance to see Forrest Frank live, GO.
2) If you get a chance to see a concert at Foster Pavilion, GO.

Earning recognition as a Master Teacher at Baylor is a rare honor — the highest a BU professor can receive for his/her teaching. In January, President Linda Livingstone announced the lifetime designation for four Baylor professors, increasing the roll of Master Teachers to 33 since the honor was first bestowed more than 40 years ago.

Among the newest honorees is Dr. Lenore Wright (MA ’95), an award-winning philosophy professor in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core (BIC) and director of Baylor’s Academy of Teaching and Learning from 2011-24. Wright came to Baylor in 1994 as a graduate student, joined the Baylor faculty five years later, and has been a BU fixture ever since.

He is Risen! What beautiful words for Christians.

In 2009, a group of Baylor students decided to come together in one of their living rooms to pray on a weekly basis. Soon, others joined them to study scripture and worship — and the group outgrew the living room. It moved to a park, then a parking garage, then to the Waco Hippodrome.

Today, Vertical Ministries welcomes hundreds of Baylor students each week to its meetings. As it celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, Vertical is thriving as a non-denominational, student-led ministry that seeks to challenge college students to actively pursue an authentic, “vertical” relationship with God.

“FAT” isn’t always a good thing — but in the world of artificial intelligence (AI), it’s crucial.

The acronym stands for Fairness, Accountability, Transparency — three words at the heart of Baylor’s approach to AI, as BU seeks to lead the way in addressing major ethical questions surrounding AI’s rapid growth and its impact on humanity.

On Good Friday the death of Jesus unfolds and the Church bears witness. This day of sacrificial love awakens us to the very nature of God who is in us and with us and who always suffers with us. 

Maundy Thursday begins the last leg of the season of Lent. And part of Lent’s job is to provide a contrast to Easter. Sour before the sweet. Lament before the rejoicing. Dark before the light.

In cities like Dallas, Houston and Austin, the economics of a nice night out can get overwhelming. Dinner costs, concert ticket prices, and parking fees all add up in a hurry. Waco residents (including Baylor students) then have to add over two hours of travel (and perhaps a pricey hotel stay) to the cost, making the expense of such a night on the town approach the price of a vacation.

Those days are now over.

With Foster Pavilion now serving as a live event venue, Baylor Bears (and other Central Texans) can now enjoy a proper night on the town with far fewer impediments and a much shorter time commitment.

The Stations (or Way) of the Cross offer a way for us to pray imaginatively by tracing the story of Jesus's final hours, from betrayal to burial, through word, image, and song.

Baylor University/Dell Medical School study reveals surprising link between technology use and reduced risk for dementia for older adults.

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. This is the week that matters.

Palm Sunday is celebrated the Sunday before Easter. It holds deep religious significance for Christians around the world. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week.

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, to have fun with friends, and to make memories on campus that will last a lifetime.

Yesterday was a perfect day for Dia — sunny, high of 75, just absolutely beautiful weather. Traditional Dia activities like music performances, inflatables and rides were mixed with newer favorites like goat yoga — Dia’s new top attraction.

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, 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.

Baylor’s long history of military education dates back at least to 1888, just a couple of years after BU settled in Waco. Over the years, Baylor has prepared a long line of future military officers through the Air Force ROTC and Army ROTC programs; today, these programs offer students the option to earn their degrees while preparing for careers as officers in the U.S. military.

Baylor’s Air Force and Space Force Reserve Officer Training Corp (AFROTC) recently added another milestone to its distinguished history. Earlier this year, Detachment 810 was named the No. 1 Medium Detachment in the country, outperforming 49 other detachments nationwide to claim the top honor.

Baylor students today have dozens of options to choose from when it comes to Chapel. Some prefer a large-group worship setting (similar to traditional Chapel services); others, a small group setting — perhaps one with friends from their residence hall, or one focused on how faith plays out in their field of study, or one connected to a campus ministry.

One of the more unique options available this semester: Chapel with the First Gent.

March is Women’s History Month, so all month long we’ve been celebrating the history of Baylor women — notable individuals such as Dr. Diana Garland, Angela Kinsey, Ann Miller and Leah Moncure, plus the long lists of Baylor women who have left their marks in fields like science and engineering, law and politics, the arts, and education.

To cap the month, two Baylor experts on women’s history — Dr. Andrea Turpin, an associate professor and director of the Baylor history graduate program, and Amy Achenbach, a doctoral candidate and Baylor history teacher — sat down to answer the big questions, like: Why study women’s history? What kinds of unique sources are used in researching women’s history? And how did higher ed change as more women enrolled?

On April 22, Baylor’s Foster Pavilion will host its first public concert event, featuring GRAMMY-nominated Baylor alum Forrest Frank (BBA ’17) — but Frank technically won’t be the first artist on the Foster stage that night.

That honor will go to Claire Leslie, a 23-year-old performer from San Antonio, who will perform as the concert’s opening act. In her day job, Leslie leads worship at Max Lucado’s Oak Hills Church, as she finds her way as an up-and-coming Christian singer-songwriter.

Learn how receiving a scholarship strengthened a student’s academic success

Earning recognition as a Master Teacher at Baylor is a rare honor — the highest a BU professor can receive for his/her teaching. In January, President Linda Livingstone announced the lifetime designation for four Baylor professors, increasing the roll of Master Teachers to 33 since the honor was first bestowed more than 40 years ago.

Among the newest honorees is Wiff Rudd (BME ’77), a Baylor graduate and distinguished member of Baylor’s School of Music since 2002. As Professor of Trumpet and Brass Area Coordinator, Rudd’s students have achieved notable success — especially the Baylor Trumpet Studio, which has won six first-place titles at the National Trumpet Competition since 2009.

Baylor basketball’s losses Sunday — both the men and women fell in the NCAA second round — still sting. But if you listened to the student-athletes talk after the game about their Baylor experience, you’ll understand what makes BU special, and what “Preparing Champions for Life” really means.

In their own words:

Believe it or not, it was 20 years ago today — March 24, 2005 — that America first visited the offices of the Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company. To put that in context, current Baylor freshmen had not yet been born. Yet here in 2025, thanks to reruns and online streaming, today’s college students (and millions upon millions of other people) have visited those offices again and again, to laugh (or cringe) at the antics of Michael Scott, Dwight Schrute, Jim and Pam, and of course, Angela Martin, played by cherished Baylor alumna Angela Kinsey, BA ’93.

In the two decades since the premiere of NBC’s The Office, the show and its characters have become American pop culture touchstones. But don’t get the impression that Angela Martin and Angela Kinsey are the same person.

Before he was topping the charts as a GRAMMY-nominee, winning two Dove Awards, and achieving massive success for his 2024 national tour, Forrest Frank (BBA ’17) was a typical student leaning into his Baylor experience.

From participating in All University Sing to donning a suit and tie for the professional sales program in Hankamer School of Business, Frank embraced his experience and thrived at Baylor.

Baylor graduate John Dillon (BBA ’93) has earned national attention as an innovator in the restaurant industry, and when La Madeleine was looking for a leader to drive growth and expansion, they called on the Baylor grad (who spent the last year serving Hankamer School of Business students in a meaningful way — more on that in a minute).

La Madeleine, a Dallas-based French café and bakery with 80+ locations nationwide (including one just down I-35 from Baylor’s campus), named Dillon president in January. The Baylor grad, who most recently served as founder and principal lead at HMS Growth Partners, previously spent over 16 years with Denny’s, first in marketing and then as the chain’s president. At Denny’s, he built a reputation for innovation, shaping the brand’s voice and elevating the diner chain’s perception through humorous social media posts and a re-brand as “America’s Diner.”

For the 10th time in the last 11 postseasons, both the Baylor men’s and women’s basketball teams are going dancing!

The Baylor women will begin NCAA tournament play on Friday (2:30 p.m., ESPNU) — their 21st straight appearance! — and for the first time, will get to do so at Foster Pavilion! The Baylor men will start their NCAA tournament run Friday in Raleigh, N.C. (11:15 a.m., CBS) as a No. 9 seed against No. 8 seed Mississippi State.

As Baylor University advances the frontiers of knowledge as an R1 research university, it holds fast to the Christian vision of its founders while cultivating a Christian worldview among its students and serving the surrounding world.

For many, “Baylor social work” and “Diana Garland” were virtually the same thing even before the school was named in her honor in 2015. Almost 10 years after her passing, Dr. Garland remains a titan in the world of social work — at Baylor, and beyond.

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 2024, Baylor jumped to 18 Fulbright student honorees.

Such success now ranks Baylor among the top 20 colleges and universities nationally, earning BU recognition this spring as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for the third straight year. In the latest totals, Baylor ranks No. 1 in both Texas and the Big 12 for most Fulbright student awards.

What is it like to live with your family in community with hundreds of college students? How do living-learning communities (LLC) at Baylor support students as they strive for excellence in pursuit of their calling? Karenna Malavanti, senior lecturer in psychology and neuroscience at Baylor, is also faculty-in-residence at Earle Hall, where she leads the Science & Health LLC. She takes listeners inside Baylor’s nationally recognized learning communities and describes the joys of intentional life on campus.

Earning recognition as a Master Teacher at Baylor is a rare honor — the highest a BU professor can receive for his/her teaching. In January, President Linda Livingstone announced the lifetime designation for four Baylor professors, increasing the roll of Master Teachers to 33 since the honor was first bestowed more than 40 years ago.

Among the newest honorees is Dr. Andrew Hogue (MA ’05, PhD ’09), a two-time Baylor graduate who returned to join the faculty of his alma mater in 2011. Over the last 15 years, he has taught various political science courses, led what is now Baylor’s Philanthropy & Public Service Program, served as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and led Baylor’s Office of Engaged Learning.

Higher education isn’t cheap — but it’s not as astronomical as many people believe. Recent studies show that even as sticker prices have gone up nationwide, the price most families actually pay has been dropping for years.

Since 2019, Baylor’s median out-of-pocket cost has decreased or remained constant for students and families with household incomes of $300,000 or less. Nine out of 10 Baylor students receive some form of financial aid, and for families with demonstrated need and an adjusted household income below $50,000, tuition is covered by the university, thanks to the Baylor Benefit Scholarship.

Now, a new effort is in the works to even better support students. Late last month, the university launched the “Extend the Line” Scholarship Initiative, aiming to raise $250 million for student scholarships. The goal: ensuring a Baylor education remains accessible and affordable for both current and future Bears.

Ash Wednesday: The first day of Lent – which begins a season of repentance, fasting and awaiting Christ’s resurrection.

After countless hours of planning, practicing and performing, All University Sing 2025 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 Chi Omega, which won first place this year for their act, “Back on Track” (pictured above). Alpha Tau Omega took second for their act, “Underneath the Tree,” followed by Delta Delta Delta in third for “When Pigs Fly.”

Lent may be unfamiliar to some in the Baylor family, particularly those of Baptist heritage. But the themes sounded during this season are ecumenical, grounded in shared Christian tradition and teaching.

Baylor students will compete this weekend in the first officially sanctioned Big 12 Conference esports tournament.

Teams from six other conference schools will join Oso Esports for the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (SSBU) tournament, which will take place virtually March 1, and serve as the conference qualifier for the prestigious Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup (CECC), to be held this May in Arlington.

Baylor has long taken pride in how it supports student veterans on campus, and it shows. BU annually ranks among the nation’s best colleges for veterans; this year, Baylor is ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 3 in Texas.

Further evidence: Veterans of Baylor (VoB), a student organization that supports student veterans on campus and in their community, has been named the 2024 Student Veterans of America Chapter of the Year from among nearly 1,600 SVA chapters nationwide.

Renée Umstattd Meyer, a public health professor at Baylor, has built a nationally recognized reputation through helping communities better support the health of their residents. With a focus on active living, she walks alongside communities as they strive to encourage walking, exercise, play and more. Learn how her research connects with practical pathways for children and adults to engage in activities that are healthy and fun.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has recognized Baylor as one of only 56 doctoral universities with the highest number of students selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

Jarrell McCracken’s innovative fusion of faith and storytelling launched Word Records, shaping the contemporary Christian music industry and leaving a lasting legacy.

Meet the Baylor alumna whose discoveries still impact industry and our daily lives.

In the early 1990s, a Baylor student pitched the idea of a coffee shop just off campus as a class project. Fast forward three decades, and that classroom pitch is now a campus community staple.

Happy 30th birthday, Common Grounds!

From a distinct Christian mission to a history of innovation, Baylor has long served as a light in higher education—as its motto says, Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo. February 2025 marks the University’s 180th birthday. Stephen Sloan, Professor of History and Director of Baylor’s Institute for Oral History, takes listeners inside a few of the threads that connect Baylor through the decades.

Baylor University today officially launched the Extend the Line Scholarship Initiative, which aims to raise $250 million by 2030 for student scholarships to help ensure a Baylor education remains accessible and affordable for both current and prospective students.

A team of interdisciplinary researchers at Baylor University and three other U.S. universities are set to begin a longitudinal study on what can be learned about patience for parents of adolescents who experience adversity.

Charles Baylis, Ph.D., professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of Baylor’s SMART Hub, testified on spectrum technology before a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

From Baylor to wartime research and industry, Anderson's groundbreaking work shaped the modern science Baylor researchers advance today.

Research rooted in Baylor’s Christian mission is more than a catchphrase — it’s a commitment to global impact to serve neighbors around the world.

President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., was the “right leader at the right time” for Baylor. Now she’s elevated her leadership — and Baylor by extension — into the national sphere.

College traditions are beloved on college campuses across the country. At Baylor, traditions are rooted in connection and community, giving students a lifelong tie to the University.

Discover how Baylor leaders have helped widen access to higher education across Texas and beyond.

In 2023, Baylor introduced a new high honor for faculty — the title of “University Distinguished Professor,” an accolade to be given out only once or twice every two years, and even then only after an extensive review process. The honor recognizes faculty members for outstanding achievement in scholarship and/or creative activity, national and international recognition in their discipline, and mentorship of colleagues and students.

Earlier this month, Dr. John L. Wood, Baylor’s Robert A. Welch Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, became the second BU professor to receive this high honor. Wood joined Dr. Mikeal Parsons as Baylor’s second University Distinguished Professor, recognized for his groundbreaking research using natural products.

Zero to 60? That’s kids’ stuff. Try 0 to 632 mph in five seconds — then decelerating back to zero in another 1.4 seconds. Such a ride puts the body through 40+ G’s of force. “My eyeballs pushed against the upper lids, pulling at their attachments with a searing pain like a dental extraction without anesthetic,” recalled the test pilot.

That was the last of 29 rocket sleds Dr. John Paul Stapp (BA ’31, MA ’32) would ride in the mid 1950s, part of U.S. Air Force safety testing that would lead to improved pilot helmets, better seatbelts and shoulder harnesses, improved escape mechanisms, and stronger cockpit frames.

From John Hill Westbrook’s trailblazing impact through today’s character development program, Baylor Athletics prepares Champions for Life.

For more than 100 years, Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business has integrated ethics and innovation with strong business practices.

Raise your hand if this has happened to you: You’re walking through the grocery store (or the airport, or Disney World, or the Great Wall of China…), and you spot that unmistakable Baylor green and gold on a shirt or cap. Then comes the universal nod of acknowledgement, if not the all-out “SIC ‘EM!” and “You went to Baylor too?!”

Those don’t have to be the only times you meet fellow Bears. Baylor Alumni hosts hundreds of events across the country each year, where alumni (and others) meet old and new friends, network, discuss Baylor news, and of course, cheer on the Bears. Naturally, the more Baylor people live in an area, the more events like these that city is likely to host — and not surprisingly, the top five metropolitan areas for Baylor alumni are all in Texas:

Ruth Parker Graves is a shining example of Baylor’s mission in action — a Baylor grad who saw a need and applied her calling to make a difference.

Earning recognition as a Master Teacher at Baylor is a rare honor — the highest a BU professor can receive for his/her teaching. In January, President Linda Livingstone announced the lifetime designation for four Baylor professors, increasing the roll of Master Teachers to 33 since the honor was first bestowed more than 40 years ago.

Among the newest honorees is Dr. Kevin Dougherty, an award-winning Baylor sociology teacher and researcher. Since coming to BU in 2005, he has twice won Baylor’s Outstanding Professor Award (2010 & 2015), and he now serves as committee chair for the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching, an award program designed to honor great teachers in higher ed.

For more than 175 years, Baylor Law School has prepared students for the practice of law while embracing innovation to meet the needs of an evolving profession.

A new study reveals a sobering paradox for the very platform designed to bring us together – the more time we spend interacting online, the lonelier we may feel.

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

Baylor once again ranks among TIME‘s 2025 list of the 100 Best Colleges for Future Leaders, coming in at No. 61 nationally (No. 3 in Texas, No. 4 in the Big 12). The publication studied the resumes of 4,000 U.S. leaders — pulling from business, government, sports and more — to find where today’s leaders got their start, with Baylor standing out among the nation’s best.

Research by first-year biology students has the potential to advance the scientific understanding of bacteriophages and their role in combating antibiotic-resistant infections.

When Baylor Softball last took the field in the 2024 Super Regional, they were pushing the nation’s No. 4 seed, the Florida Gators, to the brink despite entering the postseason dramatically shorthanded due to injuries. Those challenges failed to break the 2024 Bears, and the program enters 2025 poised to build on that experience in the new season.

With a roster featuring two preseason All-Big 12 selections, lauded newcomers and a number of stars returning from that 2024 campaign, head coach Glenn Moore’s squad begins his 25th season at Baylor nationally ranked: No. 19 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll and No. 21 in the D1Softball preseason poll. In a stacked Big 12 Conference, they’re picked 4th in the preseason poll. Such recognition is a sign of what experts believe Baylor can do when healthy.

John L. Wood, Ph.D., has been designated as University Distinguished Professor, the highest honor bestowed on Baylor faculty. 

Heidi J. Hornik, Ph.D., has been selected as the 2025 Cornelia Marschall Smith Professor of the Year for her superlative contribution to the learning environment at Baylor.

Dr. Vivienne Malone-Mayes exemplifies Baylor’s commitment to faculty-student engagement.

The U.S. Census is mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution, as the data it collects is the basis for determining representation in the House of Representatives. Early efforts were understandably difficult, given 18th-century limitations on travel and what we now call data processing.

Those efforts took a big leap forward in 1941. With World War II on the horizon, President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 named James Clyde “J.C.” Capt director of the U.S. Census Bureau — making a Baylor Bear the leader of the largest fact-finding agency in the world. Under Capt’s leadership, the Census Bureau took significant steps toward modernization, including establishing a permanent field staff for better surveying and taking the first steps toward introducing computers into the process for better statistical analysis.

The upcoming Alumni-Elected Regent vote, scheduled for Feb. 10-18, will be the 10th since the position was added to Baylor’s Board — and it’s hard to remember a more impressive pool of candidates.

These are the three outstanding candidates on this year’s ballot:

Celebrating a tradition of community impact and service

Legendary Baylor football coach Grant Teaff has earned a lot of honors in his career. The 1974 AFCA Coach of the Year remains the winningest coach in Baylor football history, and is a member of eight halls of fame (including the College Football Hall of Fame).

Add one more honor to the list: Earlier this month, Teaff was recognized with the Paul “Bear” Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award, given annually by the American Heart Association in honor of a college football coach’s “outstanding achievements and extraordinary contributions.”