News

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?

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.

I can’t believe we are at the end of another year. It’s a time to look forward to all we have to celebrate during the Christmas season — most importantly, the hope we are provided as Christians through the birth of Christ. 

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.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 12, 2023) - Baylor Dining has set Feb. 16, 2024, for the reopening the 1845 Memorial Dining Hall. The brief delay in Memorial’s reopening after winter break is due to essential and exciting renovations at the adjacent Memorial and Alexander residence halls.

WACO, Texas (December 12, 2023) – Lee Nordt, Ph.D., professor of geosciences and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Baylor University, participated in a historic, comprehensive study on the relationship between climate and CO2, the results of which were published Dec. 7 in the journal Science.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 11, 2023) – Millions of people make resolutions at the beginning of each year to lose weight, quit bad habits, save money, and so on. Unfortunately, many resolutions are quickly broken because they are overly overambitious or unachievable. Two Baylor psychology experts offer tips on setting realistic resolutions with SMART goals.

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.

NBC News covers Baylor professor’s efforts to make science labs accessible to students with blindness.

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!

WACO, Texas (Dec. 8, 2023) – Baylor University announced today that Chartwells Higher Education, a nationally recognized leader in food service management, has been selected as the University’s new dining services partner, effective June 1, 2024.

As we near the end of the fall semester and eagerly anticipate gathering with our families, friends and fellow members of our home churches to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, I wish to share my prayer for the Baylor Family this Christmas season:

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 Opera Theatre’s production of “Monsieur et Madame Denis” was one of three first-place winners among 87 applicants in the National Opera Association’s 2022-23 Opera Production Competition Division I category, marking the fifth national competition in which Baylor Opera has placed this year.

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. 

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.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 5, 2023) – Dorina Mitrea, Ph.D., department chair and professor of mathematics at Baylor University, was named a 2024 Fellow of the American Mathematical Society, one of only four mathematicians from Baylor to be honored with the prestigious designation.

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.

As the Baylor Family collectively reflects on the coming of Christ in the season of Advent, we also enjoy celebrating Christmas with our students before they prepare for finals and look toward the semester break. 

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.

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 Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities within the Baylor University School of Education announced today that it will join With Ministries on a new program called Worship as One: Learning with Children with Disabilities about Worship and Prayer. Lilly Endowment Inc. is supporting the program with a $300,000 grant to With Ministries. 

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.

In Psalm 95:2 we read, “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving.” The psalmist also tells us, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord” (Ps. 92:1). 

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. 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) - In remembrance of all American veterans who have served their nation, Baylor University’s McLane Carillon, located in the tower of Pat Neff Hall, will ring in honor of Veterans Day during a special recital beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, on the Baylor campus. 

WACO, Texas (Nov. 9, 2023) – Beth Allison Barr, Ph.D., The James Vardaman Professor of History and author of “The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth” has been recognized on the Michael Ramsey Prize 2023 Longlist of 13 books being considered for the award. 

While Waco is certainly not on the fall color tour, I have noticed in the past few days that some of our trees are beginning to have glimpses of yellow, orange and rust. What a wonderful reminder of the changing season as we move toward Thanksgiving and Christmas! 

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.

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

A recent study led by Tamar Carter, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology and tropical disease biologist at Baylor University, has uncovered critical insights into the spread of Anopheles stephensi, an invasive mosquito species that can spread malaria, in the Horn of Africa.

Debbie Chou, B.S.Ed. ’23, is the fifth Baylor student teacher in recent years to be named the state’s Clinical Teacher of the Year.

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

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

WACO, Texas (Nov. 3, 2023) – November marks the beginning of the holiday season, which is full of holiday festivities and feasts. As consumers head to grocery stores and farmers markets for ingredients for those family meals, they will be faced with a choice: Organic or conventionally farmed produce? What impact does that choice have on human health? 

It’s hard to believe that almost two years have passed since we celebrated our attainment of Research 1 (R1) status. This designation has proven to be a springboard to even greater research growth since then, and Baylor will remain a strong R1 institution, even as metrics change.

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

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

WACO, Texas (Oct. 31, 2023) – Does a fine-tuned life provide evidence for a multiverse? A Baylor University philosophy professor’s co-authored article on the topic has been judged one of the best academic journal articles published in philosophy in 2022.

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

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

WACO, Texas (Oct. 30 2023) – The Mayborn Museum is celebrating Native American Heritage Month in November with exciting performances and lectures from the Native American community. The series will include community conversations with the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes.

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

Please join us on Thursday, December 7, 2023 at 11:00am in the Paul W. Powell Chapel at Truett Seminary for a service of prayer and worship at Lift Up Your Hearts. A complimentary fellowship luncheon for faculty and staff will follow in the Great Hall. Registration is now open.

Someone asked about my favorite Homecoming tradition, and I must admit that I don’t have just one – I love them ALL! Our students and staff have done such a wonderful job preparing to welcome Baylor alumni and friends back to campus for the nation’s oldest Homecoming, dating back to 1909.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 26, 2023) – Baylor University today announced a $2 million gift from Scott and Susan Orr of The Woodlands, Texas, establishing the Scott & Susan Orr Family Endowed Chair in Medical Humanities & Christian Faith to support teaching, mentorship and innovative research in the Medical Humanities Program within the College of Arts & Sciences.

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

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

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

WACO, Texas (Oct. 24, 2023) - Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary has announced the appointment of Jared E. Alcántara, Ph.D., as director of the Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching alongside the Lilly Endowment Inc. award of $1.25 million grant to support Truett Seminary’s initiative focused on minoritized preaching for the good and growth of the Church.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 24, 2023) – Three finalists for Baylor University’s 2024 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching will present their public lectures in person on the Baylor campus on Oct. 24, Oct. 30 and Nov. 6. In addition, all three lectures will be livestreamed on the Cherry Award’s page at their respective times.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baylor’s relationship with Waco is so important to us as we serve our community in partnership with leaders and organizations that strongly believe in the potential of our city, rallying cross-campus and city-wide resources that allow all to prosper and flourish.

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

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

WACO, Texas (Oct. 18, 2023) – Baylor University’s renowned Armstrong Browning Library and Museum will host Kristen Pond, Ph.D., associate professor of English and The Margarett Root Brown Chair in Robert Browning and Victorian Studies, as she presents the 2023 Benefactors Day lecture, “It's Okay to Talk to Strangers: Charles Dickens and Charlotte Brontë on Enchanting Encounters."

WACO, Texas (Oct. 17, 2023) – Baylor University’s Institute for Faith and Learning will host its annual Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture, which this year focuses on the theme, Called Together In an Age of Discord.

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

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

WACO, Texas (Oct. 16, 2023) – Baylor University announced today the launch of 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.

As we head into fall break and focus on midterms right around the corner, I know many students’ stress levels tend to go up. But here’s one simple change that can help reduce stress: Improving sleep.

As Baylor pursued and received R1 research recognition, leaders across the university noted it was about more than mere prestige; it was about having a “seat at the table,” where Baylor professors could bring a Christian research university’s viewpoints and ideas into settings where real impact can take place.

The litany of significant awards, appointments and assignments Baylor sciences faculty have received in recent months suggest that dream is coming true.

Over the last decade or so, Baylor has put out nearly a dozen different Christmas ornaments. Past years’ designs range from popular icons like Sailor Bear and the interlocking BU, to ornaments honoring traditions like Diadeloso and Christmas on 5th Street — and my personal favorite, the one celebrating Baylor men’s basketball’s national title.

But this year’s ornament is already blowing all the others away when it comes to demand. (Not that that’s any surprise, of course, when you see the design.)

WACO, Texas (Oct. 11, 2023) – Baylor University has received its first-ever Fulbright-Hays grant that will assist the University in strengthening its East Asian language programs (Chinese, Japanese and Korean) and Asian Studies program.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 10, 2023) –The Department of Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation within Baylor University’s nationally ranked Hankamer School of Business moved up to No. 3 in the world and the highest-ranked program in Texas for research productivity in the 2023 TCU Global University Entrepreneurship Research Productivity Rankings, the only research-focused ranking of entrepreneurial programs.

Nothing gives a visitor a taste of the Baylor experience like actually visiting campus in-person — exploring the campus, getting to know current students, and meeting with Baylor faculty and staff to see what life at BU is all about. And with the opening of the new Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center, high school students visiting Baylor get a welcome like never before.

Baylor isn’t just beloved by its students and alumni; it’s also a special place for the faculty and staff who work here.

The latest evidence comes in the results of the annual “Great College to Work For” survey, which — for the 12th time in 13 years — found Baylor earning honor roll status.

In October we are joining our 180 fellow members of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) in celebration of Christian Higher Ed Month. From academics to student life and more, our faith animates all that we do here at Baylor. 

As the son of a Mennonite minister along the Texas/Mexico border, Dr. Felipe Hinojosa grew up in a family that exposed him to the power of the Gospel in a community.

Now a historian and higher education leader, he’s long channeled those early experiences into research and scholarship on Latino/a and Chicana/o studies, civil rights, religion and society. After years at universities like Texas A&M, Houston, and Emory, he chose to come to Baylor this summer as the first Jackson Family Chair for Baylor in Latin America.

Climbing Mount Everest is, obviously, an impressive feat. But doing so after having survived ovarian cancer? That’s a truly incredible story.

Meet Baylor alumna Jess Wedel (BSW ’11).

WACO, Texas (Oct. 3, 2023) – With health experts expecting another intense flu season, Baylor University Health Services will host five mobile flu vaccination clinics for students, faculty and staff at locations throughout campus in October and November.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 28, 2023) – Baylor University and the Waco communities will have the opportunity to hear from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin during this year’s Beall-Russell Lecture in the Humanities at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, in the Grand Ballroom of the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center, 905 S. University Parks Drive. The lecture is free and open to the public, but registration is requested.

I am excited to share with you that Baylor will be the host site for the 2024 Collegiate Day of Prayer on Thursday, Feb. 29. The annual event is an evening worship and prayer service focused on college students and live streamed around the world. 

WACO, Texas (Sept. 28, 2023) – Baylor University will serve as the originating site for the 2024 Collegiate Day of Prayer broadcast, the University announced on Thursday. The Collegiate Day of Prayer is an evening worship and prayer service focused on college-aged students, traditionally held on a university campus and live-streamed around the world.

For so many people, college is the time of life when they first fall in love with coffee. Early morning classes, various student activities, dozens of new friends, and test after project after test… All can quickly lead to coffee being an absolute necessity. Lucky for us, the Waco coffee scene is exploding — this list has doubled since our last update two years ago!

So, whether you’re a new student whose love for the bean is just beginning, or a Waco visitor looking for the best brew, here are our 20 favorite Baylor-area coffee spots:

WACO, Texas (Sept. 28, 2023) – Baylor University researchers along with City of Waco leaders in sustainable infrastructure are among the 19 teams advancing to stage 2 of the Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC), a national research and action competition focused on rapidly transitioning emerging technologies and concepts into a local community to address their long-standing challenges.

Even after U.S. News made significant changes to its rankings formula — changes that heavily benefitted public universities — Baylor remains ranked among the top universities in the state, conference and country.

More importantly, Baylor jumped into the top five nationally for First-Year Experience (No. 5 overall) and the top 10 for Learning Communities (No. 10), while remaining among the top 25 in both undergraduate teaching and undergraduate research opportunities. In other words, even leaders of other universities are recognizing the incredible college experience offered at Baylor.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 27, 2023) – Baylor University announced its official fall enrollment today, including an overall enrollment at nearly 21,000, with increasing diversity, retention and graduation rates.

Greg Garrett, the Carole Ann McDaniel Hanks Chair of Literature & Culture at Baylor University, and Robert P. Jones, president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute, will converse about race, history, and James Baldwin at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5 in the Schumaker Flex Commons on the first floor of Moody Memorial Library on the campus of Baylor University. This event is free, open to the public, and will also be broadcast via Zoom Webinar. A light reception and book signing will follow.

A Baylor group, led by students and a professor in the School of Education’s MSEd Sport Management program, set out to help homeless veterans — and in the process, set a Guinness World Record!

Earlier this week U.S. News & World Report released its annual rankings of “Best Colleges,” and Baylor maintained our status as a Top-100 university overall and as one of the Top 50 private universities nationally. 

It’s been almost two years since Baylor reached elite R1 recognition. But that milestone wasn’t a finish line; instead, it’s been a springboard toward accomplishing even more.

Here’s just a sampling of the major research projects and honors at Baylor from recent months, showing the wide array of disciplines and approaches found across the university:

This year’s Baylor-Texas football game will mark the 113th time the two teams have squared off on the gridiron — one of the 25 most-played rivalries in college football history. For most of that time — since 1916 — the two teams have been conference rivals, first in the Southwest Conference (1915-96) and then in the Big 12 (1997-2023).

Some of the greatest moments in Baylor football history have come against these rivals from 100 miles south: the Miracle on the Brazos, a Heisman Moment, Case Closed… and that’s just for starters. So as the Bears prepare to add one more memorable moment Saturday, let’s look back at a few of the games that stand out:

WACO, Texas (Sept. 20, 2023) – Richard Rankin Russell, Ph.D., professor of English and graduate program director of English at Baylor University, has been selected as a member of the inaugural cohort of Inklings Project Fellows for the academic year 2023-2024. Based out of the University of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life, the Inklings Project is an intercollegiate initiative that invites scholars to explore the worlds of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and the other members of the famed Inklings author group.

Sept. 25 is National Daughters Day, celebrating adult daughters often overlooked for their role in relationship with parents

WACO, Texas (Sept. 19, 2023) –  Simulated fires in residence halls, learning to tie tourniquets, visiting with a therapy dog, as well as other activities like axe throwing and a simulated residence hall room fire demonstration, are among the highlights of Sic ’em for Safety Day, an annual event for students hosted by the Baylor University Department of Public Safety (BUDPS).

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Baylor student over the last 30 years who hasn’t set foot in Common Grounds at least once. Blake (BA ’08) and Kimberly (BA ’07) Batson were once among those students; many years later, they’ve made Common Grounds — and the Waco community — integral parts of their adult lives.

Coffee, books, pizza, ice cream — those are just a few of the offerings the Batsons have added to Waco through an entrepreneurial spirit and community focus.

This past weekend brought an influx of both Baylor parents and rain to the Waco area during Family Weekend 2023 — much-needed visits for families who have been apart for a month now, and much-needed precipitation after a dry, hot summer in Central Texas.