News

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful (and restful) Christmas break and are ready for all 2026 has in store for Baylor University. There is great anticipation across campus as faculty and staff have returned and students prepare to begin classes on Jan. 20. As we embark on another year, I am reminded of how faithful the Lord has been to us.

Baylor Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., has  announced that Tanya M. Sudia, Ph.D., R.N., FNAP, FAAN, has been selected as Dean of the Louise Herrington School of Nursing, effective June 1.

The NFL regular season is over, and the playoffs are here. As games begin this weekend, Baylor fans will have multiple opportunities to cheer on their fellow Bears as they pursue a Super Bowl victory.

This season began with 16 Bears on NFL rosters, and with the field whittled down to just 14 teams, there are now five Bears on active playoff rosters. All of them played meaningful roles in helping their teams get there:

President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., is a new member of the Executive Committee of the North American Baptist Fellowship, a regional body of the Baptist World Alliance that connects Baptist member groups across the U.S. and Canada. 

Another year has flown by… As the calendar turns, let’s take one last look back at 2025, through the lens of our favorite photos from Baylor’s official Instagram account.

Here are our top 10 Baylor Instagram photos of 2025:

Don't miss the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters™ during their 100 Year Tour playing Saturday, Feb. 14, at Baylor's Foster Pavilion! Tickets are on sale now.

Baylor University experts to share ideas for resolutions that are easier to maintain while making a positive impact on our lives.

Christmas marks the coming of the light of Christ into the world. At Baylor, the Christmas season provides us with opportunities to prayerfully reflect upon the work with which God has entrusted us and to strengthen our commitment to transforming the lives of our students and serving the surrounding world.

Every student walking Baylor graduation stages this weekend has proved their resilience in some form or fashion — but few will have shown the resilience in the months leading up to Commencement as Baylor Nursing student Mahala Griffin-Halvorson.

This summer, Mahala and her husband, Caleb, were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child when life took an unexpected turn. Their son, Hudson, was born 13 weeks early, entering the world at just 1 pound, 9 ounces on June 20. The Halvorsons found themselves fervently praying for their son as nurses cared for him in NICU, providing intensive care to strengthen and save his life.

Baylor University and the collaborative Central Texas Cyber Hub have launched the K-12 Cyber Security Pathways Program to equip high school students with cybersecurity skills for immediate workforce entry or advanced education.

Baylor University offices & most facilities will close Dec. 22-Jan. 4, 2026, during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The University will reopen Jan. 5, with classes beginning Jan. 20.

Baylor’s campus is always beautiful — but it shines brightest at Christmas.

With Christmas trees and decor in practically every building — and in between as well, highlighted by the trees on Fountain Mall and Founders Mall — Baylor’s campus in December is a true winter wonderland of Christmas beauty.

For more than 60 years, the combined choirs and orchestra of Baylor’s School of Music have heralded the arrival of Christmas with a joyful worship performance. This month, an encore presentation of the award-winning "A Baylor Christmas" will air on 175+ stations across 39 states.

During sold-out performances in 2023, KWTX Television captured the brilliant voices of the Baylor Combined Choirs who, along with the talented musicians in the Baylor Symphony Orchestra, resounded throughout Jones Concert Hall as they performed traditional favorites. All told, the production features the talent of more than 350 Baylor students and faculty, performing such favorites as “O Holy Night” and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the Baylor Bear in your life? Whether they’re alumni, current students, parents, or fans, here are 10 Baylor-themed ideas sure to make any Bear’s holiday merry and bright:

Bella Buncher, B.S.Ed. ’25, is the seventh Baylor intern in nine years to be named Texas Clinical Teacher of the Year for excellence in classroom teaching.

It’s hard to believe the fall semester is coming to an end, and what an exciting, memorable semester it has been. I cannot wait to see what the New Year has in store for Baylor in 2026! But, before we get to another year, there are a few things we still need to do to finish the semester strong.

Baylor University has received a $9.76 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to launch and provide financial support for the innovative Ministry for Life initiative at George W. Truett Theological Seminary. 

Baylor students living on campus have a wide variety of options. Some choose to live with other students their age; others, with students who have similar academic or extracurricular interests; still others, in faculty-led residential colleges.

Baylor takes these opportunities seriously, and it shows. For the third straight year, Baylor’s learning communities once again rank among U.S. News‘ top 10 nationally — just behind schools like Vanderbilt and Yale, and ahead of, well, just about everyone else. (The honor ranked Baylor No. 1 in the Big 12, No. 1 in Texas, and No. 1 among large private universities.)

Baylor University’s Michael P. Foley, Ph.D., has researched many forgotten Christmas customs and folklore, including the darker – and eerier – side of Christmas. 

It’s almost like Doug McNamee’s whole life was geared toward this moment.

A Baylor Bear, through and through. Experience working at every level of Baylor Athletics, and in the corporate sector (with a special focus on business and branding). It all adds up to what you see in Baylor’s new Director of Athletics, Doug McNamee (BA ’03, MSED ’05).

Baylor expert offers strategies for how adult daughters can create a balanced and meaningful holiday season.

John Crist, one of today’s fastest-rising stand-up comedians, will bring his “John Crist Live Tour” to Waco Hall on the Baylor University campus on Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 7 p.m.

The most wonderful time of the year is officially here!

Last Thursday night, Baylor kicked off the Christmas season with the beloved tradition Christmas on 5th Street. From lights and snow to musical performances to pictures with Santa to photo opps and, of course, the live nativity, the heart of campus was filled with Baylor students, faculty/staff, their families — and plenty of Christmas spirit.

Baylor has named experienced media and brand executive and former athletics administrator Doug McNamee as the Bears’ next Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Christmas is really the most wonderful time of the year at Baylor University. For me, the unity and warmth of the holiday begins with the Baylor Family collectively reflecting on the coming of Christ in our traditional Preparing Our Hearts Advent series. 

The Department of Mathematics' Dr. Fritz Gesztesy has been recognized among the top 2% of the world's most-cited researchers in rankings compiled by Stanford University. 

Gray Media Group and KWTX Television will present a nationwide encore of “A Baylor Christmas,” with the annual School of Music concert airing on all Gray TV stations in the U.S.

Baylor University will join City of Waco and McLennan County partners to conduct a regular test of its Outdoor Warning System (tornado sirens) at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 5.

Center Executive Director, Erik Carter, was recently recognized among the top 2% of the world’s most-cited researchers in a new global ranking of scholarly impact.

We almost let 2025 slip by without recognizing it as the 25th anniversary of a VERY important Baylor milestone… Yes, it has now been a quarter-century since Where the Heart Is was released in theaters, starring Baylor’s beautiful campus (and also Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd).

If you weren’t a student at the time, this might be a little piece of BU trivia for you… But Baylor’s campus is very clearly the setting for the film’s climactic scene, in which (spoiler alert) Portman’s character confesses her love for her boyfriend, setting the stage for the pair to live happily ever after. 

Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary announced today that Raúl Josué Valerio, DMin, has been appointed to serve as the inaugural director of Hispanic Initiatives at Truett Seminary. 

For the 10th year in a row, Baylor Volleyball is in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Ryan McGuyre has led the best decade in program history, with a high program standard that this year’s squad, with significant contributions from numerous freshmen, has extended.

The Bears enter the postseason on a high note, having closed out the regular season with a top-20 win at TCU. Their 17-9 record and No. 22 overall ranking were buoyed by a strong close to the season that saw the Bears win four of their final five matches. That earned them a spot in the tournament as a No. 6 seed. They’ll begin their postseason journey in West Lafayette, Ind., taking on Arkansas State this Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m (ESPN+).

Paul Carron, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, is exploring why so many people feel lonely, why it has become so common and what it reveals about modern life.

Colleges and departments from across Baylor University joined together for “Things We Don't Talk about at Dinner: Civil Discourse and Disagreement in Politics and at Church.”

From timeless tales to unexpected favorites, Baylor film expert highlights the Christmas season’s top treasured movies. 

The Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing is pleased to celebrate Sarah Mire, Ph.D., faculty affiliate and associate professor of educational psychology, who was recently awarded the Dr. Ollie Seay Knowledge Award for Excellence in Research by the Texas chapter of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDDTX).

Baylor University is well-represented again on a prestigious list compiling the top 2% most-cited researchers in the world. In a database compiled by Stanford University, 43* current or retired Baylor faculty members appear among the top 2% of the most-cited researchers across 22 scientific fields and 174 sub-fields according to the standard Science-Metrix classification. This includes our own Dr. Holly Oxhandler.

The Baylor Interdisciplinary Core is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, marking three decades of shaping students through interdisciplinary learning, shared inquiry, and intentional community. Since 1995, the BIC has offered a distinctive approach to general education that encourages students to think broadly, listen carefully, and understand the world through multiple perspectives. 

“Faith and learning’s integration is axiomatic to the BIC, expressed not simply in what we teach but in how we teach,” said Darren Middleton, Ph.D., Director of the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core. “Faculty bring the approaches of several disciplines into conversation with deeply held convictions, cultivating a holistic encounter with questions of ultimate concern.”

Baylor's Future Church Leadership Certificate provides practical tools for ministry leaders and faith communities to navigate the challenges of ministry in a changing world.

Baylor experts share practical strategies to help donors support the causes they love with intention, confidence and lasting impact.

An incredible Baylor soccer season came to an end Sunday in the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16, as the Bears fell to Ohio State, 2-1 in double overtime.

In her fourth year leading the Bears, head coach Michelle Lenard’s squad finished the year 14-5-4 overall, 7-3-1 in Big 12 play, and back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since back-to-back runs in 2017-18.

For the third consecutive year, Baylor University has been named to TIME's list of Best Colleges for Future Leaders for nurturing the career trajectories of the nation’s most highly influential leaders.

Baylor University positive psychology researchers explain how three science-based mechanisms of gratitude can increase feelings of gratitude and well-being. 

Thanksgiving has arrived across campus and in our hometown of Waco! This is a wonderful season for rest and reflection with family, but it reminds me that holidays can be challenging times for many. Please join me in praying especially for those who are struggling during the next weeks.

Only a relative handful of schools nationwide rank among U.S. News‘ top 40 for both undergraduate teaching and undergraduate research. That short list is filled with schools like Duke, Michigan, Princeton, Stanford, Yale — and Baylor.

For the seventh straight year, U.S. News‘ rankings placed Baylor right alongside such prestigious peers, as BU was ranked No. 27 nationally for undergraduate teaching and No. 40 for undergraduate research/creative projects. No other Big 12 schools (and only one other Texas school: Rice) made the top 40 in both categories.

The research being done at Baylor impacts lives on multiple levels. There are the people who benefit directly from the research itself — the people served by improved water quality, or mental health care, or autism care, etc. Then there are the Baylor students, who benefit from their professors bringing what they learn in the lab or in the field into the classroom.

You can also add Waco-area high school, middle school and elementary students to that list. Over the course of the last year, Baylor faculty have taken their research directly to schoolkids in seven local school districts in the form of hands-on projects tailored to their grade level. The programming is designed to encourage student interest in science, technology and math, and to encourage them to think about college for themselves.

Baylor Honors College has been designated a Hidden Gem by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni for guiding students through a high-quality education across the liberal arts.

Cloudflare experienced a major outage early this morning, disrupting Baylor's website and other online services worldwide after a configuration file unexpectedly grew too large. The company confirmed the issue was not a cyberattack and restored service by 9:00 a.m.

With Black Friday no longer just a day, holiday spending surges as shoppers embrace the longer season, sharper discounts and online convenience despite economic uncertainty.

The Shih-Pogrebnoy family’s story is one of artistry that transcends borders, yet it is also a story of roots—roots that have taken hold in Waco, at Baylor University, and now across generations.

Baylor is well-represented with 44 faculty on a prestigious list of the world's top 2% most-cited researchers.

According to a recent study, 44% of Gen Z Americans (ages 13-28) regularly watch anime. The animation style, which largely originates from Japan but has found a worldwide following, features a unique animation style and complex storylines. With anime becoming more mainstream in the last decade, more streaming services are adding titles to their libraries in order to cater to such audiences.

Anime-focused streaming service Crunchyroll, headquartered in the Dallas area, is among those leading the charge when it comes to providing the most robust collection of anime — and one of the people helping guide Crunchyroll is a Baylor alum.

Earlier this week the University launched A Season of Thanksgiving, a month-long initiative that invites the Baylor Family into an intentional time to give thanks for the blessings God has given us. As people of faith, our words and acts of thanksgiving reflect God’s love for us and the grace he has freely given. I am excited that we are putting our faith into action in this way.

Baylor Social Sciences Professor George A. Yancey, Ph.D., has been invested as a member of the American Academy of Sciences and Letters in recognition of outstanding scholarly achievement.

Commemorating its 20th anniversary with Wave 7 results, the Baylor Religion Survey has evolved into the most comprehensive national survey studying the role of faith in American life.

Baylor Soccer‘s 2025 season has been a special one, with the No. 23-ranked Bears emerging as a force to be reckoned with nationally. On the heels of their best regular season in seven years, they’ve earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament — and they will begin their postseason journey at home.

For the seventh time in program history, Baylor Soccer is into the postseason. They’ll host Texas State Friday night at Betty Lou Mays Field, where they went 7-1 on the home pitch this season. It marks the eighth time Baylor will have hosted an NCAA Tournament match, and it’s easy to see why this year’s squad earned that honor.

A new clinical trial led by Baylor's Gary R. Elkins, Ph.D., demonstrates that self-guided hypnosis can decrease hot flash frequency and intensity by over 50%, offering a nonhormonal option for the millions of women.

It seems fitting that in November, National Veterans and Military Families Month, we should pause to consider how well we are serving this important community at Baylor. 

During its regular fall meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents received a progress report on the University’s Baylor in Deeds strategic plan from Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., including the plan’s “Bold Pursuits.”

I always enjoy seeing how the Baylor Family returns to Waco to reconnect and celebrate at Homecoming, and I am excited to know that celebratory spirit will continue into the days ahead.

Baylor University is partnering with local schools leading up to this week’s National STEM Day to provide engaging science presentations for area students and teachers and connect Baylor researchers in the community.

Clyde Hart (BBA ’56) came to Baylor in 1952 as a student-athlete, then returned in 1963 as the Bears’ head track and field coach — a role he would hold for the next 42 years, followed by another 14 in another role with the program.

That’s 60 years wearing the green and gold as a student and coach — fully two-thirds of his life, after his passing on Saturday at age 91.

On Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., the Dean of Libraries, Museums, and the Press welcomes Tara Beth Leach, Senior Pastor of Good Shepherd Church, Patricia M. Batten, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Ranked Adjunct Assistant Professor of Preaching and Associate Director of the Haddon W. Robinson Center for Preaching, and Matthew D. Kim, Professor of Preaching and Pastoral Leadership at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, along with Angela Reed, Truett Seminary’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Practical Theology. The panelists will participate in an engaging conversation with Baylor University President Linda Livingstone, about their work editing the new publication, “We Follow Christ: Helping Women to Discern God’s Call” (Baylor University Press, 2025). The event will be held in the Great Hall of George W. Truett Theological Seminary and available online via Zoom Webinar. A time for Q&A, reception with light refreshments, and a book signing will follow.

Every Saturday at McLane is like a Baylor Family reunion — but Homecoming weekend is THE annual family reunion, the one you don’t want to miss.

The nostalgia factor was high for the thousands of Bears who made their way home to Waco this past weekend for Baylor Homecoming 2025. For those who couldn’t make it — or for those who want to relive it — we bring you a look back at the weekend:

Baylor proudly announces the lineup of eleven dynamic speakers from across campus and Waco for its first-ever TEDx event, TEDxBaylor University: Innovation in Deeds. 

Baylor has announced a gift from Michael and Jennifer Hillman of Waco, establishing The Kathy Robinson Hillman Endowed Chair in Communication in honor of Kathy Hillman, B.A. ’73, and her 50 years of service at Baylor. 

We have a beautiful fall weather forecast, so I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in their green and gold this weekend!

For so many in the Baylor Family, Homecoming is more than just a weekend — it’s the joy of showing loved ones that Baylor spirit, revisiting old stomping grounds, and reconnecting with the people and places that shaped their stories. Every October, that first glimpse of the bonfire signals that we’re home again.

For Scott Floyd (BA ’11, MDiv ’14) and his wife, Olivia (BS ’15), Homecoming has always carried extra meaning. The couple met in 2012 when Scott was in his second year at Truett Seminary and his future wife was a Baylor sophomore. Their friendship quickly blossomed into something more, and by the time Homecoming rolled around in October, they were officially dating.

Mechanical Engineering Professor Douglas E. Smith, Ph.D., has been elected an ASME Fellow in recognition of his exceptional engineering achievements.

“What school hosted the first collegiate homecoming?”

It’s a question that’s been long debated. But if you picture an alumni event centered around a varsity football game when you think of homecoming, then there’s no question that Baylor University hosted the first collegiate homecoming, all the way back in 1909.

Several parking lots and roads on and around the Baylor University campus in Waco will be closed starting Wednesday, Oct. 29, due to Baylor Homecoming-related activities. Baylor University Shuttle (BUS) services also will be modified.

College basketball season hasn’t yet arrived, and already Baylor basketball fans have had plenty to celebrate in recent weeks — from former BU All-American NaLyssa Smith earning a championship ring with the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, to former men’s standout VJ Edgecombe’s historic NBA debut.

Such success is a reminder that we again have the chance to cheer on some of the best in the sport at Foster Pavilion. This year, both the Baylor men’s and women’s teams begin with familiar expectations and goals, but different roster makeups.

Serving others is a principle that lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It is in the pursuit of this service that Baylor University places an emphasis on excellence in teaching and research that addresses the needs of the surrounding world. 

Save the date to purchase your tickets to our annual, televised Christmas concert!

Fast-rising Texas country music star Hudson Westbrook, whose new album Texas Forever features hit songs like “House Again” and “Sober,” is coming to Baylor's Foster Pavilion Friday, April 24, 2026.

In 1909, Baylor hosted the first collegiate homecoming celebration in the nation. This week (Oct. 27-Nov. 1), 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.

At Homecoming, Baylor rolls out the red carpet to welcome you — alumni and friends — home. It’s the biggest Baylor Family reunion of the year — all about seeing old friends, recalling fond memories, sharing those stories with the next generation, and celebrating together as one.

Whether you’re a Homecoming regular or this is your first trip to campus in years, you’ll want to start your Baylor Homecoming experience this year at the Hurd Welcome Center.

The Hurd will serve as “Homecoming headquarters” for visitors, with Baylor staff on hand Friday and Saturday to answer questions and help you connect with school/college/campus events — plus a host of activities, photo ops, student performances and more for Bears of all ages.

This year’s Homecoming promises to offer something for everyone, from first-year students to alumni who graduated from Baylor 50-plus years ago. 

Study challenges long-held assumptions, finding late-surviving dinosaurs lived in vibrant, regionally distinct communities.

For a decade now (!!), Baylor Traditions Ornaments have helped add a little green and gold to Christmas trees across the Baylor Family.

This year’s ornament features the cherished opening lyric from our school song: “That Good Old Baylor Line.” (And to celebrate the program’s 10th anniversary: If you missed one from the last few years, you can catch up — either with individual ornaments from the last five years, or a special Legacy Ornaments Set that includes past ornaments and a special display hanger.)

Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business announced three new chairs for the Economics, Finance and Marketing departments. 

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

Baylor is one of just three colleges to rank among U.S. News‘ top 10 nationally for both first-year experience and learning communities, and the only one of those three to be either an R1 research institution or offer Power 4 athletics.

Launched with a $1.5M grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., Baylor’s Soundings Project brought together 12 Texas congregations over seven years to explore Christian vocation.

Liang Sun, Ph.D., associate professor of mechanical engineering at Baylor, has been elected as a 2026 Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

What is the best prescription for the challenges faced by communities and the individuals that comprise them? Dr. Tyshawn Gardner says the answer is “Christian proclamation” — the preaching that takes place in churches around the world. He has applied his scholarship and experiences toward resources that equip pastors to share the Good News in ways that are “faithful to God, faithful to the Biblical text and [done] in wisdom.”

New Baylor research shows the right kind of support during pregnancy can make all the difference for new mothers returning to work after maternity leave. 

Carroll Crowson, director of student success and engagement in Baylor’s Foster Success Center, received EAB's Student Success Collaborative-Excellence in Technology Administration Award.

As a distinctive Christian Research 1 university, we continue our work building a robust research enterprise while developing strength in several areas, including chronic diseases and preventive health. 

One of the goals of a college degree, especially a graduate degree, is to help land a job. Few MBA programs are better at that than Baylor’s.

Baylor’s full-time MBA program ranks No. 6 in the nation for helping graduates find employment after graduation, according to U.S. News‘ most recent data. Last year’s class saw 92% of graduates employed within three months of graduation — one of just nine programs nationally to top 90%, and the only one in Texas.

Amid rising antibiotic resistance, the MIGHTY initiative unites top academic and industry partners to develop a rapid, AI-powered platform for precision phage therapies – starting with oral health and expanding to chronic diseases

It all started in 1942, when Mary Allen English (BA ’42), a young Baylor graduate, stepped into the halls of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. At the time, pediatric cardiology wasn’t a specialty; in fact, it barely existed. But under the mentorship of groundbreaking physician Helen Taussig, English finished first in her class and helped define an entirely new field. (She also married a classmate on her graduation day, becoming Dr. Mary Allen Engle.)

By the 1950s, Engle was leading the charge to treat congenital heart defects in infants — without invasive surgery. After completing fellowships at both Johns Hopkins and Cornell, she joined the faculty at New York Hospital–Cornell University Medical Center, where she founded and led the Division of Pediatric Cardiology. The innovations coming out of her lab would save countless children’s lives.

Finalists for Baylor’s 2026 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching - the only national teaching award presented by a college or university to an individual for exceptional teaching - will present their on-campus lectures during October.

Baylor is filled with great stories to tell, and for the last eight years, Baylor Connections has been a key place where Bears share their stories in their own voices. After nearly 400 audio episodes, Baylor Connections has expanded — now offering both audio and video formats!

For many Baylor students, summer is a chance for special experiences — whether through internships, study abroad or or mission trips, or research opportunities.

Baylor senior Greatness Adewumi is an example of that last group — a psychology/neuroscience major on the pre-med track whose experience this past summer in Houston has only fueled her desire to delve into medical research.

Baylor volunteers with the BearAid disaster relief organization served with Texans on Mission to rebuild homes damaged during the catastrophic July 4 flooding in the Texas Hill Country.

Tomorrow is Baylor’s Fall Break, and it is always a much-needed pause in the semester for students as the focus turns to midterms, which are right around the corner. Students, I pray you get the rest you need for your mind, body and spirit over the next few days. 

The Keston Center for Religion, Politics, and Society welcomes International Human Rights Lawyer and author H. Knox Thames on Thursday, October 23, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. to discuss topics from his recent publication, "Ending Persecution: Charting the Path to Global Religious Freedom" (Notre Dame, 2024), in conversation with Adjunct Professor of Political Science and Retired State Department Officer, Joanne Cummings. The event will be held in the Schumacher Flex Commons of Moody Memorial Library and is available online via Zoom Webinar. The event includes audience Q&A, lunch snacks, and a book signing.

Mary Lauren Benton, Ph.D., is one of only three faculty nationwide honored by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network for inspiring innovation and real-world problem solving in engineering education

About a decade ago, Baylor set out to complete major renovations of each of its legacy residence halls. Each would go offline for a year, during which time it would receive a head-to-toe update.

Penland went first, followed by North Russell, South Russell, Martin, Collins, Memorial and Alexander — and now, newly completed in time for the 2025-26 school year, Allen and Dawson. (Work is already underway on Kokernot, which should reopen in 2026 to welcome the next class of Bears.)