News

Whether it be a global pandemic, financial hardships, or grief, challenges inevitably arise in life. For students, such stressors are the leading impediment to academic success — which can affect motivation, concentration, and the ability to positively interact with others in the campus community. Thankfully, mental health awareness is growing, and prompting others to talk […]

Only three schools have both their men’s and women’s basketball programs still going as the Sweet 16 begins: Michigan, Oregon — and Baylor. The Baylor men, seeded No. 2 overall in this year’s NCAA tournament, looked more and more like their pre-COVID selves as they rolled past Hartford in the first round, 79-55, and then […]

I hope you have had the opportunity to review and reflect on the Report of the Commission on Historic Campus Representations that was shared with the Baylor Family on Tuesday. We are truly grateful for the thoughtful, prayerful and thorough work of the Commission, whose 26 members faithfully considered and embraced Baylor’s Christian mission and an “additive approach” as they discerned recommendations about how best to communicate and reflect the complete history of Baylor University.

It was a surprise encounter with another Baylor alumna that led Katie Norris (BSFCS ’08) to begin her nonprofit organization, Fotolanthropy, more than a decade ago. Kara Wilkerson (BA ’05, MSEd ’10) had a son who had been diagnosed with a tumor, and in desperation, contacted Norris — and, in her words, “My world stopped.” […]

For a year now, the coronavirus pandemic has thrown challenges at virtually every aspect of Baylor’s approach to education. Thankfully, countless individuals across campus have worked tirelessly for the past year to ensure Baylor could continue serving and loving its students. After years of doing things a certain way, faculty reworked classes overnight to allow […]

March is Women’s History Month, a time for intentionally celebrating and studying the vital roles women have played in American history. That makes this the perfect time to dive into new books, podcasts and other resources to learn more about this often under-considered side of our country’s past. Dr. Andrea Turpin is an associate professor […]

Last summer, Baylor’s Board of Regents established a Commission on Historic Campus Representations to review the history of the university, its founders, and its early leaders for connections to slavery and the Confederacy. The Commission spent the next six months looking at Baylor’s history and developing a series of recommendations on how the university can […]

Since I became a university president, I rarely have the opportunity to assign homework. But as we prepare for the release of the report from the Commission on Historic Campus Representations on Tuesday, I strongly encourage you to watch all three of the Baylor Conversation Series events: “Perspectives on Our History.” These distinguished panels provide context about slavery in the United States, in Texas and among Texas Baptists during the time of Baylor’s founding in the mid-1800s.

Baylor graduates make 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 everything from medicine and the arts to community and public service. Congratulations to this year’s honorees (click on each name to learn more): Alumnus of the Year: […]

When the buzzer sounded in the Lady Bears’ last appearance in the NCAA tournament, they celebrated. A dramatic win over Notre Dame in Tampa in 2019 clinched the program’s third national championship under head coach Kim Mulkey. And while COVID-19 has led to plenty of changes since then (including the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA […]

Nine times under head coach Scott Drew, Baylor men’s basketball has heard its name called on Selection Sunday for an NCAA Tournament bid — but for the first time in program history, Baylor will begin March Madness as a No. 1 seed, earning the top slot in the South Region for 2021. Baylor fans don’t […]

As a former college basketball student-athlete, March Madness is my favorite time of the year. And all of us who fling the green and gold afar should be extra excited this year as our Big 12 Champion men’s AND women’s basketball teams begin play in their respective conference tournaments.

The Rev. Dr. Kenyatta Gilbert (BA ’96) — professor of homiletics at Howard University School of Divinity, nationally recognized expert on African American preaching, and a Baylor Bear — has one concrete message he hopes to share in his writing, preaching and teaching. “I want to remind humans that God values us, honors our faith […]

Each week, The New York Times publishes a recommended reading list, featuring books of all shapes, sizes and subjects. This week’s list is quite diverse topic-wise: a romantic comedy, a memoir on race — and a biography written by one of our very own faculty members. Calhoun: American Heretic, written by Baylor history professor Robert […]

Dr. Devan Stahl’s call to bioethics began with her own experience as a patient. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis as a young woman, she recognized aspects of the healthcare system that could be improved — most notably, the ways doctors and decision-makers communicated with (and considered) people with disabilities. Stahl, an assistant professor of religion, joined […]

The stories of “boom to bust” for college and pro athletes after their playing careers end are legion. Vinnie Johnson, Baylor Class of 1980, is not one of those. Johnson — a two-time all-American at Baylor, one of the greatest sixth men in NBA history, and our pick as the greatest Baylor alum in NBA history […]

The health and well-being of our campus community is our top priority, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic wears on and we near the end of the spring semester.

Shout it from the rafters — Baylor men’s basketball is the 2020-21 Big 12 Conference champion! The Bears beat No. 6-ranked West Virginia on the road Tuesday — in overtime — 94-89 to clinch the program’s first conference title in 71 years. Some stories about the game focused on the rust head coach Scott Drew’s team is […]

It appears there are now three great certainties in life: death, taxes, and Baylor women’s basketball winning the Big 12. Yes, the Lady Bears won their 11th straight regular season Big 12 title this week, extending their decade of dominance over the league. The run is the longest active streak in the nation, and the […]

While sources differ, Baylor was one of the first (perhaps the very first) institution west of the Mississippi River to admit women. And in 1855 — just a year after BU’s first graduating class — Mary Gentry Kavanaugh became the first woman to earn a degree from Baylor University. Though the university was still young, […]

As one Baylor student put it, “Black history is not just for Black people. Black history is American history, so I want to make sure that we’re able to share it, and engage with it.” That effort doesn’t end just because the calendar has rolled from February (and Black History Month) on into March. In […]

February is Black History Month, a time for intentionally learning more about the roles African Americans have played in our nation’s history. One approach is to read up on Black history in the U.S.; Baylor history professor Ronald Johnson put together an excellent list of resources. Another approach is to dive into some of the outstanding […]

With COVID-19 vaccine distribution increasing each day, there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel — and Baylor nursing students are helping that light shine even brighter. This spring, 120 senior-level, second-semester nursing students (and faculty, too) from the Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) are helping administer the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine here […]

The challenges of last week’s Winter Storm Uri placed a tremendous burden on our state, city and campus. Loss of power and water, property damages because of burst pipes, families bunkering down in warming shelters and interruptions to the food supply chain added to the collective traumas we continue to endure as a community in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks to technology, the world is connected in a way and at a speed that has never been possible before. Such progress offers conveniences not even imaginable some 20 years ago — but also a new category of threats. As data breaches and other IT security issues continue to make headlines, Baylor is dedicated to […]

Just off Fountain Mall sits a peaceful garden plot, complete with gorgeous landscaping and bold granite markers. The space is Baylor’s National Pan-Hellenic Garden, a place to recognize historically Black Greek-lettered groups on campus. The markers represent fraternities and sororities within the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), often referred to as the “Divine Nine.” The NPHC […]

This has certainly been a week like no other I can recall with record-setting cold and snow for the second time in a year – in Waco! Nearly half of homes in and around our city are without power, both from lines that have fallen and rolling outages to ensure the stability of the state’s power grid.

It is with great sadness that I share with you the news that one of our dedicated Aramark team members recently lost his life in a battle with COVID-19. We grieve with the family of Mr. Soto and with our Aramark family who so wonderfully add to the beauty of our campus and support our students, faculty and staff. Please join me in praying for the Soto family during this difficult time, and commit with me to do everything we can to protect one another against COVID-19. Our fight against this terrible virus is not yet over.

The top two indoor pole vault records in NCAA history now belong to a Baylor Bear. KC Lightfoot, a junior on the Baylor track and field team, is off to an incredible start in 2021, setting the NCAA men’s indoor pole vault record — then besting that mark just two weeks later. “It’s been a […]

As we shared via Baylor Alert earlier today, due to winter weather conditions, we closed our Waco campus at 2 p.m. through all-day tomorrow. Classes for the rest of today and tomorrow will shift to remote instruction. Please take every precaution and be safe as you travel around campus and home today.

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, Waco has no shortage of coffee shops — […]

The NBA traces its founding to 1946, when a group of hockey owners decided to start a basketball league. Three years later, that league merged with another entity, and the “National Basketball Association” was born. That same year, 1949, also saw the first Baylor Bear play in the NBA: Red Owens, who debuted that season […]

As we all continue navigating what remains a difficult and stressful time for our country and Baylor University — amid the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing political and social justice tensions — I am reminded of the following passage in Hebrews: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together (even virtually, due to COVID-19), as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

February is Black History Month, a time for intentionally recognizing the contributions that African Americans have made to our nation’s history. Sure, we learned the basics about Frederick Douglass and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in school — but there are so many other people and stories that aren’t as well known, but deserve to […]

The last time Baylor entrepreneurship WASN’T among the nation’s top 10 programs, today’s freshmen had barely started elementary school. Yes, for the 12th straight year, Baylor’s undergraduate entrepreneurship program is a consensus top-1o national pick in the field. It’s ranked No. 7 in the country by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneurship magazine, and No. 8 […]

Several years ago, Baylor business professor Stacie Petter and then-doctoral candidate Laurie Giddens (MSIS ’02, PhD ’17) bonded in a Baylor classroom over their shared passion to fight human trafficking. They knew their discipline, information systems, could be a tool in that fight, but weren’t sure exactly how to blend their work with their desire […]

While the Baylor Family is understandably focused on Baylor’s two top-10 basketball teams, the No. 2-ranked Bears and No. 8-ranked Lady Bears are far from the only top teams on campus as we head into the spring. Seven of Baylor’s spring sports are ranked in the Top 25 — including a pair sitting at No. […]

It’s “birthday season” here on campus this week!

In a film career that’s spanned three decades, Baylor alum John Lee Hancock (BA ’79, JD’ 82) has written and/or directed such hit movies as The Blind Side, The Rookie, and Saving Mr. Banks. Now, almost one year after his last release, Hancock is behind the camera once again for his 12th feature film, The […]

Can you believe it? Joy, the elder of our two beloved American black bears, is celebrating her 20th birthday today! Joy — officially Judge Joy Reynolds — was born on Jan. 27, 2001; her sister, Judge Sue Sloan (“Lady”), was born a year and four days later (Jan. 31, 2002), and so turns 19 later this […]

“Stones, bones, and Indiana Jones.” That’s what many people think of when they hear the word “anthropology,” says Baylor anthropology department chair Michael Muehlenbein. But the discipline — better summarized as “the study of humans” is a broad field, as demonstrated by Dr. Muehlenbein’s own expertise in infectious diseases (including COVID-19). Muehlenbein came to Baylor in […]

It’s so wonderful to see our students out and about – even in the rain early this week – as they make their way across our beautiful campus to their classes. Our spirit is renewed as we delight in the promise of a new semester and look forward with great hope in our new beginnings.

For the past several years, Baylor alumna Whitney Reynolds (BA ’07) has made it her mission to highlight do-gooders through her talk show, The Whitney Reynolds Show, seen primarily in the Chicago area. Now, the show is going national, thanks to a syndication deal that includes PBS stations in Los Angeles, Denver, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. […]

What impact does urban pollution have on thunderstorm activity? The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) wants to know — and is enlisting the services of two Baylor environmental science professors as part of a massive three-year project to learn more. Drs. Rebecca Sheesley and Sascha Usenko each serve as associate professors of environmental science at […]

While most Baylor students were wrapping up finals and planning their Christmas break last month, two Bears were earning major national awards for their academic accomplishments. Sophia Fulton, a senior in the Business Fellows program at Baylor, was awarded the Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship. Endowed by the U.S. Department of State, this highly competitive […]

For the seventh year in a row, Baylor student-athletes have led the Big 12 Conference in Graduation Success Rate (GSR) — the 12th time in the last 14 years that the Bears have finished either first or second in GSR. But it doesn’t stop there. Not content with simply extending their run of dominance, Baylor […]

I am looking forward to Tuesday and welcoming all of you back for the spring semester! First Gent Brad and I (and our dog BU!) have missed the energy and enthusiasm all of you bring to campus. Please know that we are praying for you as you make your way safely home to Baylor.

Baylor recently announced that, beginning in late January, all faculty, staff and students will be tested for COVID-19 every week. Yes, that’s a lot. And testing fatigue is real. So why is Baylor making this move? The short answer: So that everything else about campus life — from classes to extracurriculars — can be as […]

Sunday morning, it started snowing in Waco — a rare occurrence, but not unheard of. And then it kept coming down, and kept coming, and kept coming — and by 6 p.m., Waco had officially received 4.4 inches of snow, the most since January 1982. As Baylor Bears, we are blessed to have a beautiful […]

Happy New Year! I trust that your holidays were relaxing and restful as we celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It’s hard to believe that the fall semester has come to a close, which means this will be my last Presidential Perspective until the New Year! I want to express my deepest appreciation to all of you for your hard work and commitment to following our COVID-19 protocols and preventive health measures during the fall.

We are so blessed at Baylor to join together in celebration of Christmas and this season of Advent as we look toward the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and the promise of Christ’s glorious return. This Advent season has even deeper meaning as I prepare my heart each day by reading and praying over the daily devotionals created by our wonderful faculty, staff, alumni and students.

With Thanksgiving only a week away – and the end of the semester just beyond it – I want to offer my deepest gratitude for the strength of spirit and compassion you have shown to others throughout this fall.

As we look toward Thanksgiving, positive cases and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 continue to increase dramatically across the country and Texas and within Waco-McLennan County. This is the feared “second spike” that so many medical experts predicted at the onset of the pandemic as the weather turns cooler and people spend more time indoors.

Election Day has come and gone, but extended vote counting and the expected delay in results have captured the attention of the nation. As elections are decided, we begin to look to the future and how our country can come together amidst today’s polarized political climate. How can we model post-election civil discourse that bridges political, ideological and theological divides?

Everyone continues to do an incredible job complying with Baylor’s COVID-19 prevention and mitigation initiatives. Just like you, I am weary of all the testing, mask wearing and social distancing, but we must continue to press on for the health not just of ourselves, but of our neighbors and community.

It’s that time of year when many of you feel the weight of the semester, which certainly has been exacerbated by the ongoing effects of COVID-19. Stress and anxiety are felt by all people at varying levels of severity, and each of us reacts differently. Baylor has many resources available to you, and we all should employ helpful ways to manage our health and well-being, such as:

Earlier this week we announced to students that Baylor would be partnering with the City of Waco and McLennan County for COVID-19 surge testing over the next two weeks. This announcement has generated many questions from students and parents alike, so I reached out to two Baylor faculty experts who serve on the University’s COVID-19 Health Management Team to explain the importance of this surge testing effort:

Like so many other things this fall, COVID-19 has brought many changes to Baylor Homecoming – the oldest collegiate homecoming in the nation – which we will celebrate next week, Oct. 15-17.

This month Baylor joins 179 of our fellow members of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities in the celebration of Christian Higher Education Month, which was established by the U.S. Congress in 2003.

Our Illuminate vision – for Baylor to be recognized as a Tier 1/Research 1 university while holding firm to our Christian mission and Baptist heritage –requires a team effort to achieve. Tomorrow is National Research Administrator Day, a day set aside to celebrate the dedicated individuals who advance research in universities across the country.

As we finish up our fourth week of the fall semester, I’d like to thank you all – students, faculty and staff – for your diligence and perseverance as we launched into a time of many unknowns. Because of your hard work, I am excited to share three noteworthy updates.

Let me extend my sincerest appreciation for all of your efforts to date in the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 on our campus.

As we reach the end of the second week of the fall semester, I want to commend all of you for your continued wearing of facemasks, practicing social distancing and following University guidelines and policies during this unique time of COVID-19.

I truly appreciate your efforts as we have all come together as the Baylor Family in the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 at the start of the semester. I am pleased to see so many facemasks – some are quite creative and fashionable – as well as your efforts to practice social distancing across the campus.

With yesterday’s announcement of decisions related to the upcoming football season – including a revised schedule and McLane Stadium at 25% capacity for the season – we have begun to update Baylor’s plans for other beloved campus traditions this fall. New dates have been set for Family Weekend (Sept. 25-26) and Homecoming (Oct. 16-17).

Each day through next week, I am crafting an email that spotlights a major area of our University-wide planning efforts in response to COVID-19 as we look toward the start of the fall semester on Aug. 24.

Thank you for your attention to last Thursday’s announcement and this week’s follow-up instructions regarding Baylor’s mandatory COVID-19 testing program in preparation for the fall semester.

Be sure to check your mailboxes as we get closer to the fall semester. In the weeks ahead, we will start mailing mandatory COVID-19 test kits to all students, faculty and staff.

For the next two days, Baylor’s Board of Regents will host its quarterly meeting via Zoom. Since mid-March, the Board has been conducting periodic meetings virtually due to COVID-19, and through this technology, we’ve been able to participate in rich, productive conversations regarding Baylor’s mitigation efforts related to the virus, as well as our plans for the fall semester.

Starting off with some good news this week: You may recall that in December, one of our beloved black bears, Lady, underwent a first-of-its-kind treatment, called Tomotherapy, for a thymoma in her chest. Last month, Lady underwent a check-up from her veterinary team who came to visit her in Waco. The team took images of Lady’s chest and have reported that the Tomotherapy treatment is successfully managing the size of the mass – it has not grown.

We continue to closely monitor the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in the Greater Waco area. In conversations with our local public health and government officials, there is a strong collective commitment to taking appropriate mitigating measures and keeping our community safe during this pandemic.

I want to open this week’s email by recognizing and celebrating our faculty. As I’ve mentioned previously, our faculty stepped up significantly in the spring as we quickly switched to online course delivery due to COVID-19.

Now is not the time for us to become complacent regarding COVID-19. We are starting to see an uptick in the number of positive cases in the Greater Waco area coupled with a growing percentage of positive tests, in addition to increasing hospitalizations related to COVID-19 across the state.

I can certainly sense the enthusiasm and anticipation for the beginning of the fall semester on our campus Aug. 24. At the same time, I also understand the frustration and angst many of you have experienced regarding fall schedules.

As we all know, COVID-19 has caused many disruptions to our normal lives. In fact, I’ve said on many occasions that we are planning for a “new normal” as we look ahead toward the fall semester. Today I am excited to announce that we plan to hold our August commencement ceremonies in-person at McLane Stadium.

Baylor’s new Summer of Discovery is in full swing, as we’ve completed the May minimester and the Summer I session begins on Tuesday, June 2, through July 7. All told, we are expecting Baylor’s largest summer enrollment in at least 20 years as we continue course instruction via online delivery due to COVID-19.

As the state of Texas continues to re-open more and more businesses and other community services each week, we are receiving an increasing number of questions as to how these decisions affect the University.

As we look to the fall semester and a resumption of our on-campus educational environment, our Project 8.24 team is working through many planning scenarios related to class sizes, methods of course delivery, instructional hours, residential life, dining, and on-campus events and experiences.

From day one, the Class of 2020 was destined to be history-makers. This distinctive group of students will graduate in the year of the University’s 175th anniversary, joining the long legacy of the Baylor Line that has carried our Christian mission and values into every corner of business, government and education as well as throughout the world.

As the Texas economy begins to open back up, many of our faculty and staff have inquired about returning to work on campus. Our COVID-19 Task Force has been working on a five-phase strategic reopening of campus that would begin with those involved with infrastructure and research support, for example, and ultimately conclude with students near the start of the fall semester.

It seems as if good news has been hard to come by for the past month or so, but I have some great news for our undergraduate students with tomorrow’s launch of Baylor’s new Summer of Discovery program.

As we continue our journey with Jesus to the cross, let us remember that it is He who brings us the hope of something new and beautiful to emerge even in the midst of our hardest days, doubts and suffering. We can be confident in our faith that Jesus will be with us, day after day, to the end of the age.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have heard of people hijacking the Wikipedia pages of several prominent universities, indicating they were a “private online university based in …”. I am happy to report that no one has commandeered our Wikipedia page so far. Baylor continues to be “a private Baptist Christian university in Waco, Texas.”

I am glad to be writing again to you on a Thursday afternoon for our weekly Presidential Perspective. Like me, I hope you see this as a sign of a return to normalcy, although it is indeed a new normal for Baylor.

As I mentioned last week, our COVID-19 Task Force continues to actively monitor guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local public health agencies to ensure the continued health and safety of our community. Let me reiterate that there are NO cases of coronavirus at Baylor, in Waco or Central Texas. Updates on any impact to the University – for example, the recent postponement of University-sponsored travel to Italy – are posted online at www.baylor.edu/coronavirus, along with important Baylor resources for students, faculty and staff.

Updates regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to evolve rapidly as its impact begins to circle the globe. I want to assure you that Baylor’s Department of Public Safety and Center for Global Engagement and other members of our University COVID-19 Task Force are actively monitoring the situation internationally and domestically.

Waco is Basketball Capital, USA! Both Baylor basketball teams are 24-1 overall and 13-0 in Big 12 play, with the men ranked #1 and the women #2.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Baylor Giving Day yesterday. With a theme of “One Day. One Family. One for Baylor.,” Giving Day was a wonderful way to celebrate Baylor’s 175th anniversary and to support areas of the University that you care most about.

I hope you have enjoyed the launch of Baylor’s 175th anniversary over the past week. From the banners and exhibits across campus to the many stories told on social media – and, of course, the birthday party with our Baylor Family at the men’s basketball game last Saturday – we have a proud history to share and a bright future ahead.

We will commemorate Baylor’s 175th on Saturday at the men’s basketball game vs. TCU, complete with party favors, special giveaways – including free popcorn – and the singing of “Happy Birthday.”

One of the distinct characteristics of our University is the dedication, service and passion of the Baylor Family. Today it is my honor and privilege to announce the recipients of the 2019-20 Baylor Alumni Awards.

Before the holiday break, I shared with the Baylor Family that one of our beloved live bears, Lady, had been diagnosed with a benign mass in her chest called a thymoma. Thanks to the proactive treatment of our bear caregivers and the wonderful veterinarian staff of our partners at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in College Station, we can happily report that Lady’s tomotherapy treatments appear to have halted any further growth of the mass.

Welcome to the first Presidential Perspective for 2020!

This is my last Presidential Perspective for 2019 – I can’t believe it! Looking back over the past 12 months, I have a great sense of honor and pride in our collective accomplishments as we continue to advance toward Tier 1/Research 1 status as the preeminent Christian university, as well as excitement for what 2020 holds.

I can’t believe that the fall semester has come and is almost gone. It was great seeing so many familiar faces yesterday afternoon as the First Gent and I passed out breakfast tacos at Moody Memorial Library and extended our well-wishes for final exams.

"It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas … everywhere you go." That’s certainly true on the Baylor campus, as we celebrate the birth of our Risen Savior, Jesus Christ.

Serving as President of Baylor University has provided many “firsts” for me. My latest “first” was pardoning a turkey at the beginning of last night’s All-University Thanksgiving meal!

There is so much buzz on campus about Saturday, and I am just as excited as all of you.

I can’t believe it’s been a year since the public launch of Give Light, Baylor’s $1.1 billion philanthropic campaign in support of our efforts to become the preeminent Christian research university.