News

During its regular May meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents approved the University’s 2024-2025 operating budget, voted on Board and committee leadership and elected new at-large Regents – including a former Waco mayor and a top Texas healthcare executive who also has ties to the city.

Stephen Newby among ranks of faculty recruited to Baylor through Give Light philanthropic campaign

As the spring 2024 semester concludes, Baylor University is celebrating a phenomenal year for Baylor students and recent alumni earning prestigious and highly competitive fellowships and awards, including a record-extending 17th Fulbright Scholarship.

EXPIRED AT 8:06 PM: The  National Weather Service has issued a Tornado WATCH for Central Texas, including Waco and McLennan County, Texas, effective until 9 p.m. CDT tonight (Thursday, May 9, 2024). A Tornado WATCH means that tornadoes – along with damaging winds and hail – are possible in and near the watch area.

EXPIRED AT 8:39PM CDT: The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado WATCH for Central Texas, including Waco and McLennan County, effective until 10:00 p.m. CDT , Wednesday, May 8, 2024. A Tornado WATCH means that tornadoes – along with damaging winds and hail – are possible in and near the watch area.

The 2024 graduating class of Baylor University's McNair Scholars Program is set to soar as students continue on to prestigious graduate programs and national and international fellowships. 

Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories looking at the impact of schools moving to a four-day week in Texas, the repatriation of migrant workers who died in the Baltimore bridge collapse and the tangible signs of growth in the Baylor Graduate School, including a record number of Ph.D. graduates this spring.

Baylor University students continue to earn highly competitive major fellowships and awards during a record-setting year in which they have earned the Fulbright, Goldwater, Critical Language and Churchill scholarships. Now students can add a Boren Scholarship, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships (NSF GRF) and the GEM Fellowship to the list.

Baylor University faculty members Julie Hoggarth, Ph.D., associate professor of anthropology, and Jeffrey C. Petersen, Ph.D., professor of sport management, have been selected to receive the 2024 Centennial Professor Awards for summer research projects on the impact of drought on the Mayan collapse and the expansion of administrative staff within collegiate sports, respectively. 

POSTPONED TO JUNE 7: Baylor University will join City of Waco and McLennan County partners – in cooperation with the Waco/McLennan County Office of Emergency Management – to conduct a regular test of its Outdoor Warning System (tornado sirens) at 10 a.m. Friday, May 3. The University’s testing period will be from 10 to 11 a.m.

Baylor University has been selected by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to receive an IIE American Passport Project grant that will enable up to 25 Baylor students to obtain their first U.S. passport and open the pathway to study abroad.

Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about how Christian student-athletes might be well prepared for the NIL market, a conversation about disability and the church, and challenging previous assumptions about the marketplace and its role in mental health.

Continuing Baylor University’s year-long focus on civil discourse, 31 Baylor students – newly commissioned as the inaugural cohort of “Bridgebuilding Fellows” – joined together April 23 at the Hurd Welcome Center for a university-wide demonstration of a model for bridging these divides by cultivating curiosity, deep listening and story sharing. 

Baylor University’s Dunn Center for Christian Music Studies in the Baylor School of Music has been awarded a four-year $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of its Strengthening Ministries with Youth Initiative. 

A record 16 Baylor University students and recent alumni have been selected for Fulbright U.S. Student Grants from the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program that offers students grants to pursue graduate study, conduct research or teach English abroad.

Following a national search, Toby J. Brooks, Ph.D., assistant dean of faculty success, program director of athletic training and professor at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) in Lubbock, has been selected to serve as director of Baylor University’s Academy for Teaching and Learning (ATL), effective July 15, 2024. 

After a three-year hiatus after the pandemic, the Baylor Community Garden is back and thriving through the collaborative efforts of more than 700 students, faculty and staff, the garden has blossomed into a “site of transdisciplinary environmental discovery, creativity and community health."

Baylor University Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., announced today the appointment of Elisabeth R. Kincaid, J.D., Ph.D., as director of the Institute for Faith and Learning (IFL), effective Aug. 1.  She also will serve as associate professor of ethics, faith and culture in Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary and affiliate faculty member in the Department of Management in the Hankamer School of Business.

Stephen Sloan, Ph.D., professor of history and the director of the Institute for Oral History at Baylor University, was honored as the 2024 Cornelia Marschall Smith Professor of the Year at the annual Academic Honors Convocation on April 19. 

Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about the mental health benefits of active religious practice, creating a belonging environment in schools for students with disabilities and the intersection of faith and leadership in the workplace.

Alagu Subramanian, B.A. ’23, a University Scholar with concentrations in biology, medical humanities and business administration, is Baylor University's fourth consecutive Churchill Scholar, an unprecedented achievement for the prestigious and highly selective scholarship in science, mathematics and engineering.

Baylor University mourns the death of beloved alumna and unofficial Independence historian Lanella Spinks Gray, B.A. ’54, of Houston on April 6. Gray, who was known as ‘Miss Baylor,’ became well known among Baylor’s students while serving as host to Baylor Line Camp groups visiting the University’s original campus site in Independence, Texas.

Sarah Kienle, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology at Baylor University, has received the prestigious Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.

Twelve Baylor University professors have been honored with Outstanding Faculty Awards for teaching, scholarship and contributions to the academic community for the 2023-2024 academic year.

WACO, Texas (April 16, 2024) – Isaiah Odajima, M.M. ’99, D.M.A., associate professor of ensembles and associate director of bands in the Baylor University School of Music, was inducted into the American Bandmasters Association at the organization’s national convention in Washington, D.C., and served as a guest conductor for "The President's Own" United States Marine Band. 

Spring in Central Texas can be a beautiful season with abundant wildflowers, outdoor sporting events and bright blue skies – but it also can bring an increase in severe weather, including thunderstorms with lightning, hail, strong winds, heavy rains and heightened tornado risks.

Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about the total solar eclipse with Waco and Baylor in the path of totality, how Russia's disinformation campaign seeps into U.S. public opinion and discovering the importance of silence for cultivating spiritual discipline.

The Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) has recognized Lesley McAllister, D.M.A., professor of piano, director of piano pedagogy and director of the keyboard studies division in Baylor University’s School of Music, with the honor of American Music Teacher Article of the Year for her article, “The Language of Awareness: How Cueing and Breath Work Impact the Music Lesson.” 

Baylor University today announced a $1.5 million gift from the family of George Heilmeier through the Heilmeier-Jarvie Family Foundation, of Plano, Texas, establishing The George Heilmeier Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering to attract, retain and support innovative research and teaching within the School of Engineering and Computer Science.

Baylor University is the host site of the 2024 National Bioethics Bowl, an intercollegiate academic competition on April 12-13 in which students from U.S. colleges and universities debate a wide variety of bioethics topics.

Baylor University and the Waco community will have the opportunity to hear from Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar and author Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. during this year’s Beall-Russell Lecture in the Humanities at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, at Waco Hall, 624 Speight Ave. 

Highlighted by Top 20 graduate programs across disciplines ranging from physical therapy and nursing to entrepreneurship and trial advocacy, Baylor University graduate and professional programs were among those nationally ranked in the 2024 Best Graduate Schools rankings, released today by U.S. News& World Report.

A three-day Baylor University symposium on “Migration and Food Needs: Latin American and U.S. Perspectives” will bring together scholars, practitioners, policymakers and students April 16-18 in an exploration of the crucial intersections between food, migration, religion, economic opportunity and human flourishing, including the culinary contributions of migrants to U.S. communities.

CANCELED at 4:25 pm CT: The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado WATCH for Central Texas, including Waco and McLennan County, Texas, effective until 5 p.m. CDT tonight (Tuesday, April 9, 2024).

WACO, Texas (April 7, 2024) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about the importance of family recipes in the grieving process, camera safety during the total solar eclipse and sustaining strong sibling relationships. 

Guided by their faculty mentors and supported by the Office of Engaged Learning, Baylor University undergraduates are off to a record-breaking pace for attaining some of the most prestigious and highly competitive fellowships and awards at the national and international level.

With Waco, Texas in the path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse, Baylor University researchers have a first-hand opportunity to study the effects that people might feel as they witness this once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

Baylor University will join City of Waco and McLennan County partners – in cooperation with the Waco/McLennan County Office of Emergency Management – to conduct a regular test of its Outdoor Warning System (tornado sirens) at 10 a.m. Friday, April 5. The University’s testing period will be from 10 to 11 a.m.

More than 1,450 students will volunteer at over 50 sites around Waco during Baylor University’s biannual Steppin’ Out community service event from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 6. A beloved Baylor tradition, Steppin’ Out is a student-led day of community service specifically dedicated to helping Waco residents. 

The award-winning Baylor University Symphony Orchestra will make its Bass Performance Hall debut at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in Fort Worth, Texas. The Baylor Symphony Orchestra will perform a varied and interesting program of music with renowned Maestro Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

WACO, Texas (March 31, 2024) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about research on the romantic relationships known as “situationships,” studying the phenomena of emotional responses to the April 8 total eclipse and delving into the first results of the Global Flourishing Study, which found links between religiosity and people’s satisfaction with their lives.

Baylor University will host the 30th annual Beall Poetry Festival April 3-5, a distinguished American literary event featuring contemporary poetry with readings, a panel discussion and the Virginia Beall Ball Lecture on Contemporary Poetry.

Rebecca Jones-Antwi, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Public Health in Baylor University’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, has received a three-year Career Development Award from the American Heart Association for her project, “Stuck in the Middle: The Intersectionality of Multiracial Adults and Cardiovascular Health.” 

This April, Baylor University is joining universities and communities around the country to increase public awareness and prevention education about sexual assault and interpersonal violence during Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM).

With strong demand from prospective students, including record-shattering applications for Fall 2024, Baylor University has introduced a waitlist for the incoming fall class. Applicants have been contacted to add their name to the waitlist and will be notified if space becomes available. 

Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about the idea of “personhood” as portrayed in the TV series “The Chosen,” having a healthier relationship with your phone and why housework is a topic worthy of study in the K-12 social studies curriculum.

Baylor University’s Office of Spiritual Life, in partnership with multiple campus ministries and local churches, will host FM72, a gathering of college students for 72 hours of continuous prayer Sunday through Wednesday, March 24-27, on Fountain Mall at the heart of the Baylor campus. 

Baylor University has announced the naming of the Hankamer School of Business’s Curb Sales Strategy in Sports and Entertainment (S3E) program – formerly known as the Sports Strategy and Sales program – honoring leading music and entertainment executive Mike Curb of Nashville, Tennessee. 

Baylor University's First in Line program  has been selected as the 2024 NASPA Excellence Award Bronze Honoree for First-generation Student Success. The Excellence Awards annually recognize members who are transforming higher education through outstanding programs and innovative services. 

Baylor University’s 2024 senior class has selected Lotte Bostick, J.D., CPA, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Accounting and Business Law at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, as the 2024 Collins Outstanding Professor. 

Baylor education expert offers tips on how to enjoy the eclipse with children

WACO, Texas (March 21, 2024) – The Human Biology Association has honored Samuel S. Urlacher, Ph.D., assistant professor and graduate program director for the Department of Anthropology at Baylor University, with its premier early career award in the field – the 2024 Michael A. Little Early Career Award – for Urlacher’s work and research as a human evolutionary biologist.

Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about how the pandemic altered our perception of time, Baylor theatre students working with Broadway professionals on an eclipse-themed musical and what might happen if the popular social media app TikTok is banned.

Yang Li, Ph.D., assistant professor of environmental science at Baylor University, has won a competitive NASA Early Career Investigator Program in Earth Science award that supports outstanding scientific research and career development of scientists and engineers at the early stage of their professional careers. 

On the heels of record-shattering applications for Fall 2024, Baylor University is answering the high demand for a Baylor education by welcoming prospective students to the return of an in-person Premiere on Saturday, April 13.

Baylor mathematics chair Dorina Mitrea, Ph.D., explains what makes Pi important.

Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about the blessings and challenges of being a Black leader in today’s divided and often volatile ministry environment, daylight saving time’s impact on medical malpractice and new research that finds that friendships can influence our financial well-being for the better.

Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about the benefits of phonetic awareness when taught with letters, the risks and rewards for scientists going to court as an expert witness and how Baylor’s endowment returns beat the Ivies in a discussion on CNBC.

Nearly 75 students and faculty and staff leaders will serve with Baylor Missions over spring break March 2-10, combining faith, service and learning in five international locations while supporting the ongoing efforts of the University’s global partners.

Baylor University will join City of Waco and McLennan County partners – in cooperation with the Waco/McLennan County Office of Emergency Management – to conduct a regular test of its Outdoor Warning System (tornado sirens) at 10 a.m. Friday, March 1.

Dorina, Marius and Irina Mitrea complete “epic journey” with five-volume research monograph that lays foundations for a new genre of mathematics.

Anyone who has traveled has probably experienced jet lag – that exhausted feeling that comes after long travel and trips. With the spring and summer travel seasons ahead, travelers can prevent some of the effects of jet lag through planning and preparation, says Baylor University sleep expert Michael Scullin, Ph.D..

Baylor University is mourning the death of Jeff Forsse, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation in Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences. Dr. Forsee died tragically in a farming accident on Feb. 24.

Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about philanthropist Pierre Toussaint who used his funds to free enslaved people, build churches and house orphans of color, the importance of access to the Lake Waco Wetlands for research purposes after years of drought and the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Memorial to Enslaved Persons. 

Gathering on Baylor University’s historic Founders Mall alongside members of the University and Waco communities, the Baylor Board of Regents concluded its regular quarterly meeting today with a ceremonial groundbreaking of the Memorial to Enslaved Persons, one of the recommendations in the final report from the University’s Commission on Historic Campus Representations.

Baylor University partnered with schools in three Waco-area districts to celebrate National Engineers Week through hands-on engineering experiences with Baylor faculty and students. 

UPDATE: By 2:15 p.m. CT, AT&T reported it had restored wireless service to all affected customers. 

The University Libraries, College of Arts & Sciences and the Office of the Provost at Baylor University will host a joint event – Discovering DH: Honoring Women’s Stories – featuring five presentations from women faculty highlighting their scholarship in the digital humanities. 

Baylor University international trade researcher Lourenco Paz, Ph.D., associate professor of economics at Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, has received the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to Hungary, a prestigious and competitive fellowship of the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Baylor University announced today its new comprehensive partnership with FC Dallas as the club’s exclusive and official higher education sponsor. Included in the partnership, Baylor enters as an associate of the STEAM FC classroom program, FC Dallas’ School of Excellence Camps, and the FC Dallas Soccer Tour. 

WACO, Texas (Feb. 18, 2024) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about how Baylor has traded its way to the top of the university endowment performance rankings, research about time disorientation and how it relates to mental health and making chemistry accessible to students and researchers with blindness or low vision. 

Caleb D. Martin, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Baylor University and a leading researcher in synthestic boron chemistry, has received a prestigious Humboldt Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. 

More than 230 students have entered projects in the 2024 Heart of Texas Regional History Fair, which will be held Friday, Feb. 16, on the Baylor University campus. Students representing schools from across Central Texas have registered 112 projects in various categories.

The first full dataset from the Global Flourishing Study, a groundbreaking initiative co-directed by Baylor University researcher Byron Johnson, Ph.D., is now available through the Center for Open Science. The GFS project, a five-year, $43.4 million longitudinal study of over 200,000 individuals in more than 20 countries, represents the largest funded research project in Baylor history. 

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has recognized Baylor University as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for students selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 12, 2024) – More than 250 U.S. cities have made pledges to transition to 100% renewable energy sources by the year 2050. However, in a new study published in the journal Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability, Baylor University researchers found that, despite efforts, the target date to move to fully sustainable energy sources is unrealistic. 

WACO, Texas (Feb. 11, 2024) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about religion and criminal justice, common solar eclipse questions and the origins of pre-Lent traditions. 

With construction set to begin this summer on the Memorial to Enslaved Persons, Baylor University held a symbolic ceremony today on Founders Mall to transfer custody of its Centennial Time Capsule from the Class of 1945 to The Texas Collection at Baylor.

Applications for Baylor University have shattered all-time records, as more than 56,000 prospective students have applied to the University for Fall 2024.

As a passionate advocate for the music of early 20th century Black composer Florence Price, Michael Clark, D.M.A., lecturer of piano at Baylor University’s School of Music, makes his solo album debut with Waltzes and Character Pieces of Florence Price, representing the first recording of Price’s complete waltzes.

Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about conversations around politics that reflect on civility and its place within political discourse, church foundation stones that tell a mostly forgotten story of religious and ethnic history and how governments decide “proportional responses” when responding to deadly attacks.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 2, 2023) – Although time is a set duration of hours, minutes and seconds, the perception of time can vary dramatically based on the individual and especially during times of high stress and uncertainty such as disasters, recessions and most recently the COVID-19 lockdown. 

WACO, Texas (Jan. 31, 2024) – The Center for Public Justice has awarded its prestigious 2024 Hatfield Prize to Baylor University senior mechanical engineering major Jackson Boone and Colby Humphrey, Ph.D., lecturer in political science at Baylor.

******SIREN TEST POSTPONED, TEST OF BAYLOR ALERT SYSTEMS WILL BE CONDUCTED*** Baylor University will join City of Waco and McLennan County partners – in cooperation with the Waco/McLennan County Office of Emergency Management – to conduct a regular test of its Outdoor Warning System (tornado sirens) at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 2. In addition to the siren test, Baylor University will conduct a required test of the multi-tiered Baylor Alert emergency notification system.

Baylor University and the Greater Waco community will join together in celebration of Black History Month in February with a variety of events that embrace history, enrich knowledge and encourage communities to celebrate the diversity within the Baylor family.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 30, 2024) – Baylor University Advanced Japanese students received the International Award for their calligraphy display at the 36th International Kakyou Calligraphy Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. 

WACO, Texas (Jan. 28, 2024) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about the Mayborn Museum’s new “Journey to Space” exhibit, Baylor researchers’ development of a probiotic targeted to kill a gut bacteria attributed to gastric cancer cases and Baylor Opera Theatre’s first Spanish language performance of the zarzuela “Luisa Fernanda,” which includes dance and spoken lyrics between the singing.

Baylor University is mourning the death of Baylor alumnus, former Regent and Board Chair and dedicated philanthropist Thomas R. “Tom” Powers of Houston, who passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 24, with his family by his side. 

WACO, Texas (Jan. 26, 2024) – Baylor University announced today that five vendors have been selected as the University’s new campus facilities services partners, effective June 1, 2024. The vendors are HES Facilities Management, AHI Facility Services, TDIndustries, Sports Field Solutions and Texas Urban Enterprises.

 WACO, Texas (Jan. 23, 2024) – Baylor University today named Jay L. Banner, Ph.D., F. M. Bullard Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, as the 2024 recipient of the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching.

Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about the launch of SMART Hub in partnership with the Department of Defense to conduct multifaceted spectrum research, new exhibitions at Baylor’s Martin Museum of Art and impacts of energy consumption and adoption of renewable energy sources. 

WACO, Texas (Jan. 17, 2024) – Baylor University today officially announced the launch of the Spectrum Management with Adaptive and Reconfigurable Technology Hub (SMART Hub), a Department of Defense Spectrum Innovation Center to conduct multifaceted spectrum research to meet national defense needs.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 16, 2024) – Trena Wilkerson, Ph.D., professor and interim chair of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the Baylor University School of Education, has received the 2024 Louise Hay Award from the Association for Women in Mathematics in recognition of her leadership in mathematics education, transformational teaching and mentorship, and her global initiatives and programs.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 15, 2024) – Baylor University will begin the spring semester Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, under normal operations. Temperatures are expected to remain below freezing through Wednesday morning but with no precipitation in the forecast.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 14, 2024) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about supplying local educators with teaching material for the upcoming total solar eclipse, the excitement and success surrounding the opening of the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion and a Baylor faculty member who will conduct an upcoming performance by the Waco Symphony Orchestra. 

WACO, Texas (Jan. 11, 2024) – Baylor University today announced Tommy Bowman, B.B.A. ’71, of Waco as the recipient of the 2024 Baylor University Founders Medal. Bowman holds a special place in Baylor’s history as the University’s first Black scholarship student-athlete, though he also is known for his extensive service and leadership, as well as his membership on Baylor’s Board of Regents from 2001-2010.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 11, 2024) – Baylor University is mourning the death of Roger E. Kirk, Ph.D., Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Statistics and the University’s longest tenured faculty member at 61 years. Dr. Kirk died Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 10, 2024) – Featured on the cover of this week’s prestigious journal Science Advances, a first-of-its-kind tactile learning device developed by Baylor University chemistry professors to make science accessible to students with blindness or low vision has opened the possibility of the transfer of any scientific data or images for sighted students into functional, thorough formats for students with blindness.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 9, 2024) – Every year, Americans join together on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service – this year on Monday, Jan. 15 – to serve their neighborhoods and communities and through week-long events celebrating the life and legacy of the late civil rights leader. NOTE: Sub-freezing temperatures and dangerous wind chills have canceled some events or altered dates/locations. Monday's community and Truett MLK Day events have been canceled due to the weather.