News

Between tests, Homecoming preparations and the overall busyness of the semester, it sounds like many students are looking forward to a short week and a much-needed fall break next week. 

Centered by a call to be salt of the earth and light of the world at the center, Baylor University launched a year-long series of campus-wide conversations, trainings and presentations in January focused on civil discourse, an important topic as Baylor strives to be a marketplace of ideas and extend the love of Christ toward others.

This year’s pop princess-driven BearAware cybersecurity campaign marks October’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and reminds students, faculty, and staff to make smart and safe choices online. 

Extending Baylor University’s year-long focus on civil discourse, 12 Baylor University faculty members have joined together as the first faculty cohort of Bridgebuilding Fellows.

New research from Baylor University reveals that coyotes, like domestic dogs, have the ability to produce the famous "puppy dog eyes" expression, challenging the hypothesis that this facial feature evolved exclusively in dogs as a result of domestication.

Looking for a great undergraduate experience? You can’t do much better than Baylor.

Once again, BU is among the nation’s top-10 undergraduate experiences, according to U.S. News’ 2025 “Best Colleges” rankings.

Earth’s gravity captures a small asteroid from September to November

Baylor University Libraries will host “Passport to Media Literacy,” an interactive media literacy experience from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, in the Garden Level Learning Commons of Moody Memorial Library, sponsored by local NPR affiliate KWBU-FM, Baylor’s Department of Journalism, Public Relations and New Media and the Baylor Libraries. 

The fall semester is off to a great start, and our official fall enrollment certainly bears that out. As we welcomed an overall student body of 20,626 students, including a high-achieving and diverse freshman class, we also celebrated this number – 90.9% – Baylor’s highest-ever one-year retention rate for first-time freshmen. 

Student Opportunity and Achievement Resources addresses the unique challenges of college food insecurity

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities has announced that Felipe Hinojosa, Ph.D., professor of history at Baylor University and The John and Nancy Jackson Endowed Chair for Baylor in Latin America, is among the 45 fellows who will make up the sixth cohort of its Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo.

Did you know that one of the oldest continuously published collegiate literary magazines in the country is run by Baylor undergraduate students? The Phoenix is annually edited, published, and produced by Baylor undergrads from its home in Carroll Science, and has been running since the 1950s.

The Phoenix “represents a unique opportunity for Baylor students both to have their creative work published and to gain experience producing, all on their own, a significant literary review,” says Baylor English professor Arna Hemenway, one of the magazine’s faculty advisors.

Baylor University today is celebrating National Research Administrator Day to highlight top-tier research throughout the University. 

Baylor's Missions, Service & Public Life will host its annual Missions Week from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3, featuring a variety of tabling events, socials and dinner. 

Baylor University set a new high for the one-year retention rate for first-time freshmen – a key indicator of undergraduate students’ successful adjustment to University life – and also announced its official fall enrollment of 20,626 students.

Throughout October, Baylor will host a series of events celebrating the sustainability efforts around campus in honor of Campus Sustainability Month.

Baylor University’s transformational undergraduate academic programs and experiences were Top 10 national highlights in the 2025 Best Colleges rankings, released today by U.S. News & World Report.

Baylor University again has attained elite Honor Roll status as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to the Great Colleges to Work For® program. Based on faculty and staff responses to a related annual survey, Baylor was recognized in eight categories, including its first-ever recognition in the Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging category. 

One of the great joys of this exciting time at Baylor is to see the incredible ways our faculty and students demonstrate God-given gifts and passions through research. Their work and its impact exemplify the Baylor mission in action, and they truly are “Baylor in Deeds” to a world in need of solutions to so many great challenges.

A year ago this time, Baylor was celebrating the opening of the brand-new Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center. Since then, the Hurd has become exactly what university leaders hoped it would become: the new “front door to campus,” and an important part of campus life for both current and prospective students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

A quick look back at the Hurd’s first 12 months:

An innovative Baylor University study has shed light on the often-overlooked experiences of women doing “daughtering” in families, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which created immense challenges in their relationships with parents and other family members. 

From the “Meet the Faculty” Welcome Hour on Friday through the last note of “That Good Old Baylor Line” after football’s victory Saturday night, Family Weekend 2024 was a whirlwind of green and gold.

For those who couldn’t make it (or those who just want to relive it), here’s a look back at some of the highlights:

The Baylor Symphonic Band and Baylor Wind Ensemble are proud to welcome prolific guest composer and conductor Frank Ticheli, D.M.A., as a special guest, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, in Jones Concert Hall.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Baylor University found that family caregivers who recognize and cultivate feelings of gratitude adjust to their roles with a greater sense of well-being and enhanced coping.

Baylor University will host a variety of vibrant events in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

During September’s National Preparedness Month, the Baylor University Department of Public Safety (BUDPS) encourages the Baylor Family to enhance their readiness for emergencies by understanding the University’s multi-tiered approach to safety and security. 

Earlier this week we kicked off the fall Baylor Conversation Series on civil discourse with a day-long slate of activities with David Brooks – a New York Times best-selling author, columnist and commentator. 

Baylor’s unofficial Scriptural foundation in recent years has been Matthew 5:14-16, especially: “You are the light of the world… Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Both the terminology and meaning have shaped recent major endeavors, from the “Where Lights Shine Bright” and “Give Light” campaigns through the Illuminate strategic plan. Baylor’s next major efforts will continue the focus on those verses, this time on the reason we let our light shine — “so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Baylor University has been recognized again by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption as one of the nation’s top education institutions offering robust adoption benefits programs.

Baylor's 10th annual Boundary Breaking Women’s Panel to take place from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, on the fifth floor of the Cashion Academic Center. The event features 10 Baylor faculty and staff members in campus leadership roles of leadership to highlighting showcase 10 women boundary-breakers.

For Baylor fans who were there, it may be hard to believe that 50 years have passed since a young head coach named Grant Teaff and a now-legendary group of players led the Bears to their first undisputed conference title in a half century, pulling off the “Miracle on the Brazos” along the way. For fans who weren’t around then, they’re a team every Baylor fan should know.

Lots of events bring people to Waco in the fall: Move2BU, football games, Family Weekend, Premiere, Homecoming, Commencement… You get the idea. And the one thing all those visitors have in common? They’ll all need to eat while here.

For years, we’ve been writing up various guides for visitors to Waco. At last, here they all are, in one place — just for you.

This fall, Baylor University is joining universities and communities around the country to increase public awareness and prevention education about sexual assault and interpersonal violence as the Equity, Civil Rights, & Title IX Office brings awareness to The Red Zone.

Matt Asare, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., CHES, assistant professor in the Department of Public Health at Baylor University, has received a five-year, $2.5 million National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute Cooperative Agreement Award (U01) award in partnership with colleagues at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, and the University of Minnesota Medical School to support Asare's continued work promoting cancer screening in Ghana.

Children spend much of their days in school, so it makes sense that a researcher looking to help them thrive might focus on that time in the classroom. Dr. Tonya Davis (BS ’02, MS ’04), a professor of educational psychology in Baylor’s School of Education, does just that.

The Baylor Libraries Author Series will highlight Baylor faculty authors Dr. João Chaves and Dr. Mikeal Parsons and their publication, “Remembering Antônia Teixeira: A Story of Missions, Violence, and Institutional Hypocrisy” (Eerdmans, 2023). This author series session will take place on Tuesday, September 24, at 3:00 p.m. in the Schumacher Flex Commons on the main floor of Moody Memorial Library, as well as online via Zoom Webinar. Dr. Beth Allison Barr, the James Vardaman Endowed Professor of History at Baylor, will interview the authors.

This fall, Baylor University continues its Conversation Series on Civil Discourse with a visit from David Brooks, one of the nation’s leading writers and commentators and author of How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen, who will speak to Baylor students, faculty and staff at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, in Waco Hall.

Baylor’s Institute for Oral History and Texas Collection will join Greater Waco community partners to host a family-friendly scavenger hunt celebrating Waco’s 175th anniversary as a settlement.

The fall semester is certainly off and running at a brisk pace! I hope everyone is settling into new routines and becoming acclimated academically, physically and spiritually. 

Ten Baylor University faculty members have been selected by Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., to serve as 2024-2025 Baylor Fellows for their excellence in teaching and desire to advance Baylor’s commitment to transformational education.

Waco’s conspicuous growth over the past decade has seen options for fine dining grow and multiply. White linen tablecloths, impeccable service and haute cuisine are no longer an entire day’s investment, but can be found (with free parking and no need to valet) right here in Waco. Take your pick:

***Required Test of the Baylor Alert Emergency Notification System Completed Successfully*** Baylor University will join City of Waco and McLennan County partners – in cooperation with the Waco/McLennan County Office of Emergency Management – to conduct a regular test of its Outdoor Warning System (tornado sirens) at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 6. Along with the siren test, Baylor University will conduct a required test of the multi-tiered Baylor Alert emergency notification system

It’s as much a part of Baylor’s hometown as the ALICO building, Brazos River or Cameron Park, and everyone who enters town on I-35 or walks around downtown sees it somewhere. We’re talking, of course, about the “Flying W” — the “W” logo that adorns the Waco flag, city seal and signage around town. You’ve likely seen it, but did you know it was created by a longtime Baylor professor?

Baylor University researcher Candi Cann, Ph.D., has made it her life’s work to study death and dying, including a "new language of mourning" where people express their grief in more personal, almost "do-it-yourself "ways.

The start of the fall semester is filled with so many signature events, from Move2BU and Welcome Week to the first day of class and #BU28 running across the field at McLane Stadium as part of the Baylor Line this Saturday evening. 

Baylor University officially launched its new institutional television commercial for 2024-2025, which showcases the authentic Baylor experience and supports one of the University’s fastest-rising graduates in the entertainment industry.

The “best hour of the week” – Baylor University’s Dr Pepper Hour – is kicking off year four of its highly lauded Dr Pepper Hour Tour, delivering sweet treats and a VIP Baylor experience this fall to high school students and Baylor Alumni families across the country.

Baylor Provost Nancy Brickhouse recently announced author selections for this academic year’s “Readers Meet the Author Series.” Selections include faculty publications on American history and religion, contemporary Christian music, the Supreme Court, and the ethics of architecture.

What a week! From Move2BU to Welcome Week and then the first day of classes, Baylor’s campus is once again buzzing with activity!

While a general link between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease is well known, Baylor University researchers are digging into the “why” behind this detrimental association – especially after a night of binge drinking – in a study published in the American Heart Association’s Hypertension journal.

What a Move2BU! It’s hard to believe, but this was move-in No. 8 for the First Gent and me. Even with the excessive August heat, I never tire of this beautiful expression of who we are as Baylor Family. 

An important part of Baylor’s growth as a Christian research university has been the expansion of doctoral degree programs, which have in turn welcomed increasing numbers of doctoral students. This year, that growth has culminated in a record — and a brand new Commencement ceremony celebrating student accomplishments.

On Monday afternoon, the Baylor network experienced a disruption focused on Microsoft and Google-based resources. As of 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 20, all network services were restored.

World Mosquito Day, observed each year on Aug. 20, raises worldwide awareness of the ongoing dangers of vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and the ongoing efforts to combat the world’s deadliest creature. 

Baylor faculty experts share practical strategies for fostering stronger holistic well-being for National Wellness Month in August.

Allow me to be among the first to congratulate our 979 Summer graduates, which include 350 undergraduate degrees, 395 master’s degrees, 98 professional doctorates and 136 research doctorates. I am proud to welcome you into your new status as Baylor Alumni this Friday and Saturday!

Earlier this year, Pamela Tremont (BA ’90, MA ’92) was sworn in as the United States ambassador to Zimbabwe — the culmination of a road to foreign service that began at Baylor three decades ago.

At Baylor, Tremont earned her bachelor’s in political science and her master’s in international relations, during which time she was also a part of Baylor Ambassadors, the Foreign Affairs Association, and the Golden Key International Honor Society. Upon graduating from Baylor, she embarked on a career that has included stops at U.S. embassies in Turkey, the United Kingdom, Zambia, Cyprus, Ukraine, and Sweden, most recently as deputy chief of mission in Stockholm.

Baylor University will confer degrees on more than 970 graduates during August Commencement, which includes the traditional Saturday ceremony for undergraduate and master’s students and the debut of a new commencement tradition – an exclusive Friday ceremony honoring Baylor’s growing number of research doctoral graduates.

With the 2024 Summer Olympics complete, Baylor Bears are coming home from Paris with a school-record four medals (earned by four different Olympians) — continuing BU’s long history of Olympic excellence.

In celebration of National Book Lovers Day, Baylor University faculty members from across campus share their love of the written word by sharing their favorite books.

Are you a Baylor faculty or staff member with a new vehicle or new license plate number? Or are you new to Baylor and will be parking on campus? As we near the fall semester, Parking Services says now is a good time for faculty and staff to update their vehicle information.

As the world gears up for the 2024 Paralympic Games starting Aug. 28 in Paris, it is a reminder of the profound impact this global event has on athletes and communities around the world. And it's more than just athletic prowess, says the director of the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities.

The Waco community is waiting with open arms and prayerful hearts to welcome our new and returning students to campus! 

Over the summer, aerospace teams from top national universities converged on the New Mexico desert for a competition that literally involves rocket science. Among them? Baylor’s Aerospace Engineering Club.

It’s been a rapid rise for Aero at Baylor, a student organization that, after lying dormant for many years, reorganized in 2021. Featuring dozens of students from engineering and other STEM fields (such as physics and data science), Aero at Baylor introduces students to aerospace engineering through hands-on projects, real-world experience and friendly competition.

FirstGen Forward, formerly the Center for First-generation Student Success, has announced Baylor University as one of 14 higher education institutions selected to its inaugural class of FirstGen Forward Network Champions.

Baylor researchers have studied mosquitoes' complex odor-receptors to help understand how they find meals. Their findings could be used to develop new mosquito control methods that - ultimately - could decrease vector disease transmission around the world.

Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo. The addition of those last two words to Baylor’s longstanding motto mirrors the university’s mission statement (“for worldwide leadership and service”), and highlights Baylor’s global impact as a Christian research university.

Baylor faculty have long conducted groundbreaking research with a worldwide bent, and that continues today. For a few examples, let’s take a trip across campus and around the globe:

Baylor University education expert Bill Sterrett, Ph.D., looks at how the four-day week could potentially affect student learning, attendance, teacher retention and cost savings. 

Baylor University today announced a $1.5 million gift from B. Todd and Amy Patterson of Richmond, Texas, establishing The Todd and Amy Patterson Endowed Chair in Cybersecurity to advance the School of Engineering and Computer Science’s research within the field of cybersecurity. 

Today is August 1, which means the countdown to the start of the fall semester has officially begun. 

Julia Y. Chan, Ph.D., B.S. ’93, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and The Tim and Sharalynn Fenn Family Endowed Chair in Materials Science at Baylor University, is among 37 members of the American Chemical Society named as ACS Fellows for 2024.

Baylor University will join City of Waco and McLennan County partners – in cooperation with the Waco/McLennan County Office of Emergency Management – to conduct a regular test of its Outdoor Warning System (tornado sirens) at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 2. The University’s testing period will be 10 to 11 a.m. 

Baylor University has received a $30,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation in collaboration with the Center for Expanding Leadership & Opportunity (CELO) to support youth-led, youth-driven community service among students.

Jason Cook, who has served Baylor for nearly eight years as vice president for marketing and communications and chief marketing officer, joins the Baylor Connections podcast to celebrate 2023-24 accomplishments and what to anticipate at Baylor in the fall.

As we shift our attention to the start of another academic year, we want to share a brief update with you from last week’s annual July retreat of the Baylor Board of Regents. 

Baylor School of Education expert offers ideas to help make the start of the new school year less stressful for everyone.

The quarterly meeting of Baylor’s Board of Regents is happening this week outside of Austin. Because this gathering also serves as an annual retreat for strategic discussions about the University and higher education, the Regents are focusing on topics of importance such as value, affordability, governance and artificial intelligence.

Beginning in August, Student Parking Permits will be available online. In order to park in a campus parking facility, students must purchase a parking permit annually. Groups of students will be able to select permits on a staggered basis – beginning with On-Campus Residential Students – according to the dates outlined below.

The 2024 Summer Olympics will take place July 26 through Aug. 11 in Paris, so what can we expect to see from the world’s best athletes as they compete on the world’s biggest stage? Baylor experts weigh on Olympic topics from faith to fashion statements, brand moments to American unity, athletes' mental health to self-worth.

Baylor University has announced the appointment of Karen J. Foli, Ph.D., RN, ANEF, FAAN, as the inaugural Louise Herrington Endowed Chair in Mental Health Nursing, the first endowed chair position in the history of Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON). 

For many athletes, sports provide a place to develop their values, express their identities and share their faith with others. The Olympics have long been an important platform for Christians to do this work, said sports historian and author Paul Putz, Ph.D., director of the Faith & Sports Institute at Baylor University and author of the forthcoming book, The Spirit of the Game: American Christianity and Big-Time Sports.

As Baylor’s Board of Regents holds its regular summer meeting this week, four new Regents are taking their seats at the table to start new terms: two serving at-large, plus one new Faculty Regent and one new Student Regent:

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.

Nearly 80 rising middle school students will attend Baylor University’s nationally recognized iEngage Summer Civics Institute, which focuses on the structure of government and what it means to be an active and engaged citizen making a difference in schools, neighborhoods and communities.

As students head back to class, they may feel challenged by the adjustment of waking up early to make it to class on time. This is especially true of adolescents, whose natural sleep pattern tends to be late to bed and late to wake, said Michael K. Scullin, Ph.D., director of Baylor University’s Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory and associate professor of psychology and neuroscience. 

Elite athletes, including Olympic athletes at the top of their sport, often drop to their knees in prayer before competition and after, whether following the thrill of victory… or the agony of defeat. A Baylor study has found that an athlete’s relationship with God affect their mental well-being, as well as their self-worth based on others’ approval.

Americans are divided on a multitude of different issues, but could the Olympic Games unite the country – at least for the duration of an Olympiad? A Baylor University sports marketing and branding expert says yes, it can, in his latest Forbes SportsMoney column.

A security update deployed to client systems by the cybersecurity company Crowdstrike has not significantly affected Baylor University operations or systems, but some of the university's third-party vendors have been impacted.

We talk often about Baylor’s distinctive place in American higher education — one at the crossroads of faith and learning, of research and impact. 

Researchers document groundbreaking insights into the reproductive behaviors of a mysterious apex predator.

Smiley faces, hearts, thumbs up and folded hands – those are just a few of the thousands of emojis that are available for internet users to communicate with. World Emoji Day is a day to consider how these symbols can perfectly emphasize ideas and convey emotions quickly and creatively when words alone often cannot.

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:

Advertising expert Tyrha Lindsey-Warren gives a “sneak peek” into the commercial lineup for the 2024 Olympic Games.

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.

Nathan Shelburne, Ph.D., and student leader like Kaleigh Wiffler join the Baylor Connections podcast to discuss Baylor’s New Student Programs, which are essential to helping new students feel at home and ready to embark on their Baylor journey.

MLB’s All-Star game is considered one of best all-star contests among professional sports, but Baylor sports marketing expert Kirk Wakefield says the game faces continued headwinds.

It’s so good to be back in Waco – even with this summer heat – after spending the past several weeks with groups of Baylor Study Abroad students in Europe and then a little vacation time with the First Gent in Greece. 

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.

Baylor University’s Mathematics for Early Learners Academy, sponsored by the Baylor School of Education, is underway now at the Mayborn Museum on the Baylor campus through July 25 for students ages 4 to 6.