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.

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:

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.

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.

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:

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 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.)

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).

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. 

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.

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+).

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

A new study by Baylor University social media researchers reveals that TikTok's short-form video design fuels engagement - and addiction - through ease, accuracy and surprise.

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:

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

“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.

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.

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

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.

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. 

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. 

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.)

October is Christian Higher Education Month, and as a Research 1 university with 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Baylor is distinct among our faith-based peers. However, like so many other colleges and universities, our mission is built on preparing men and women to lead and serve.

Baylor is once again among the nation's top 50 private universities and top 100 national universities, according to new U.S. News rankings for 2025-26.

Baylor moved up one place to No. 46 among private colleges and universities, and up three spots to No. 88 among the national universities (both public and private), ranking among the top 20% of all major universities nationwide.

Baylor esports qualified for one of eight spots in the Collegiate Rocket League (CRL) Fall 2025 tournament, rising to the top of a 252-team slate that competed on Saturday, Sept. 28. 

Baylor Homecoming is just a month away — time to make your plans (if you haven’t already)! Here’s a round-up of what you’ll want to work into your schedule:

The fall semester is certainly off to a fast start, and the positive news for Baylor University has been wonderful to read. Within the last week we officially announced that Baylor was named to the Great Colleges to Work For Honor Roll in all 10 categories.

In recognition of  National Preparedness Month and National Campus Safety Awareness Month,  Baylor reminds us that campus safety starts with situational awareness

At Baylor, the student experience — creating a place where students can thrive academically, spiritually and socially — is at the heart of what we do. From our small student-to-faculty ratio and Christian environment to the 400+ student organizations on campus, Baylor offers countless ways for students to get involved and feel at home.

With so many opportunities, there’s something for everyone — literally from A to Z:

Baylor University’s first-year experiences for students jumped to No. 4 nationally while its learning communities landed in the Top 10 in the U.S. News & World Report 2026 Best Colleges rankings.

Hispanic Heritage Month is observed each year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, and at Baylor we use this opportunity each year to celebrate the rich culture, history and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans across our campus. 

Baylor has always been about family — so it was a joy to welcome thousands of BU parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and more to campus this past weekend for Family Weekend 2025.

From the “Meet the Faculty” Welcome Hour on Friday afternoon, through the Lauren Daigle concert that night, and on to Baylor Football’s victory Saturday, the weekend was a joyful celebration of our extended Baylor Family.

The Big 12 Fall Tour stops at Saturday's Baylor-Arizona State game at McLane Stadium, featuring a free tailgate concert with the Graham St. Clair Band at 4:30 p.m. at Touchdown Alley.

On this National Day of Remembrance, we once again find ourselves grieving a senseless loss of life motivated by hate. I am sure that by now you are aware of the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University. Regardless of your stance on Mr. Kirk’s beliefs and politics, there should be no place for such violence in our country, particularly on a college campus.

This Family Weekend, students’ loved ones aren’t the only ones coming to Waco. Also returning: Baylor’s iconic Growling Bear, which is coming out of the vault for a limited time.

First introduced in 1969 after a design contest organized by head football coach Bill Beall, the Growling Bear logo was selected from more than 75 entries. The winning design was created by Elmer Fisher (BA ’51), a longtime classics professor and diehard Baylor football fan, in collaboration with law student Joey Taylor (BA ’68, JD ’71).

Clean water is something many of us take for granted; when we turn on a faucet, clean water just pours out. Not everyone is so lucky.

At Baylor, many researchers are individually and collectively focused on maintaining and improving water quality — building an internationally recognized name for excellence in water quality research that is relied on by communities, state governments, reservoir management agencies, and more.

Cheering on our Bears in the NFL is second nature to Baylor fans — from legends like Mike Singletary (BBA ’83) to current stars such as Jalen Pitre (BBA ’20, MSED ’21), there’s no shortage of Baylor alums who have made us proud at the next level.

But it’s not just on the field; all across the NFL, Baylor Bears can be found in front offices and training rooms, discovering talent on the scouting trail and generating revenue in tickets and sales. 

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

Lauren Daigle’s Sept. 12 concert at Baylor University’s Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion is officially sold out, creating a wave of momentum for A-list entertainment set for this fall.

The kickoff to the 2025 Baylor football season is upon us, and this is a big home opener in prime time for our Bears against an SEC opponent that travels well. Although the Auburn game isn’t until 7 p.m., it will still be warm, and we will be wearing black, so start hydrating today!

When 20th-ranked Baylor volleyball begins the 2025 season Friday afternoon in Baton Rouge, a new-look team will pursue the same high standards that have become the norm under head coach Ryan McGuyre. Over the last decade, McGuyre has led the program into a golden age. The Bears have earned nine straight NCAA tournament berths, including four Sweet 16s and a Final Four, and look to extend that success in 2025.

One of the world’s premier surfing destinations is located about 15 minutes from the Baylor campus.

Yes, you read that right.

In recent years, Waco Surf has gained international intention from surfers seeking the perfect wave year-round. Such prominent surfers as Kelly Slater (11-time World Surf League champion) and Carissa Moore (2020 Olympic gold medalist) have come to Central Texas from California, Hawaii and beyond to run the perfect waves at the touch of a button.

As Baylor football prepares to kick off the 2025 season Friday night at McLane Stadium, the buzz surrounding the team feels elevated — and it’s easy to see why. The Bears finished 2024 as one of the nation’s hottest teams, winning their last six regular season games and delivering a top-20 national offense. This year’s squad returns key performers on both sides of the ball, led by breakout quarterback Sawyer Robertson; his performance is just one of many reasons Baylor fans are so excited:

Over the course of four days last week, Baylor welcomed to Waco 3,500+ new freshmen (and their families), another 15,000+ returning students — and almost 40,000 concertgoers who came for The Boys From Oklahoma Texas Encore, a country music festival held at McLane Stadium Saturday night.

Less than an hour after the bands left the stage, crews began the process of readying McLane for another big event this coming Friday — Baylor football’s sold-out season opener against Auburn. Slated for a national FOX broadcast, the game is one of the biggest of college football’s opening weekend.

What a week! From Move2BU to Welcome Week and then the first day of classes — not to mention Saturday night’s big concert — Baylor and Waco are once again buzzing with activity!

Detailed information you need to know to plan ahead for Friday, Aug. 29, including parking lot and garage closures, campus operations and more.

t’s hard to believe, but this was move-in No. 9 for the First Gent and me. Even in the Texas heat, I never tire of this beautiful expression of who we are as a Baylor Family. We care deeply for each other, we bear one another’s burdens (in this case, boxes and belongings!) and we share in the joy of new beginnings. There aren’t enough words to thank the more than 3,100 student, faculty, staff, church and community volunteers who offered an enthusiastic Baylor and Waco welcome to #BU29.

Baylor’s Class of 2029 arrives on campus this fall united by a common anthem: “CROSS//ROADs,” a class blessing for #BU29 written and recorded by two current Baylor students with the help of Baylor’s School of Music and Office of Spiritual Life.

The song captures the heart tug felt by new college students as they leave the past behind to step out into the future, following God’s calling to what’s next in life. Having been in that same place not long ago, Baylor students Luke Fisher and Hannah Barine (pictured above) collaborated to write and record the song, now available on Spotify and Apple Music.

This weekend, Baylor will welcome nearly 40,000 country music fans to our home city of Waco for The Boys from Oklahoma Texas Encore.

This special McLane Stadium concert will feature country music stars Cross Canadian Ragweed and Turnpike Troubadours, as well as special guests Shane Smith and the Saints, Waco’s own Wade Bowen, and American Aquarium.

In preparation for Move-In, Baylor University will CLOSE some campus parking lots and interior streets beginning at 6p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19. ALL OF CAMPUS will be impacted.

Allow me to be among the first to congratulate the members of Baylor’s summer graduating class, which includes more than 650 students. This Saturday morning, 562 undergraduates, masters and professional doctorate candidates will receive their diplomas, and in the afternoon, we will confer 102 research doctorates.

Baylor’s vice president for student life is new to the role, but a familiar face to many around campus. Dr. Sharra Hynes succeeded Dr. Kevin Jackson on July 1, following Jackson’s retirement after 16 years at Baylor.

The new position was a natural step for Hynes, who has worked with Baylor students since 2020 (most recently as senior associate vice president and dean of students). In her new role, she now leads Baylor’s Division of Student Life, overseeing areas ranging from Student Activities, Campus Living & Learning, and New Student Programs to Spiritual Life, Multicultural Affairs, Campus Recreation and the Counseling Center — a wide variety of resources that enrich each student’s Baylor experience.

Tucker Wetmore, whose hit songs “3,2,1” and “Wind Up Missin’ You” have topped radio airwaves, will headline his first arena show at Foster Pavilion, Waco’s new premier concert venue, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23.

Each of the last two years, Baylor has been named among TIME magazine’s top 40 colleges for future leaders. In their research, the publication’s editors studied the resumes of thousands of U.S. leaders to see where they got their start — with Baylor standing out among the nation’s best.

That’s certainly true in the field of education, where countless Baylor alumni are serving as principals, deans, superintendents, etc. In the world of higher ed, 40 Baylor Bears are now the top executives at colleges and universities around the world — the most since BaylorProud began tracking this list in 2011. Here’s a quick rundown of those currently serving as presidents and chancellors:

We are only 18 days away from the start of a new academic year, and I am looking forward to welcoming the next class of students and their parents into the Baylor Family – starting with this email. 

On Aug. 29, Baylor football kicks off the new season with a home matchup against Auburn — the first SEC opponent to visit Waco since 1995. The Bears’ home schedule also includes games against reigning Big 12 champion Arizona State, perennial contender Kansas State, and old SWC foe Houston, plus Utah, Samford for Family Weekend, and UCF for Homecoming.

Miss a game, and you might miss highlights like these:

Baylor esports signed professional Rocket League player Andrew “Andy” Nolan to the program’s 2025-26 recruiting class, esports director and coach Adam Stanley announced Monday.

After Dr. Burt Burleson (BA ’80) retired in May following 17 years of service, Dr. Charley Ramsey (BA ’97, MA ’00) was named the university’s new Chaplain and Dean of Spiritual Life.

Ramsey isn’t new to Baylor, higher ed, or spiritual guidance. A two-time Baylor graduate (and Phi Beta Kappa scholar), Ramsey was director of Baptist Student Ministries at Baylor from 2017-21, then served the last four years as BU’s associate chaplain and director of campus ministries & church connections. Overall, Ramsey’s ministry and academic career has spanned more than two decades, including global mission leadership, interfaith scholarship and faculty appointments in the U.S. and South Asia.

Ty Myers will headline Howdy at the Hurd, hosted by Pi Beta Phi and Baylor University, a free students-only event on Friday, Sept. 19, outside the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center.

Today is the last day of July, which means the countdown to the start of the new academic year officially begins tomorrow. 

Tickets are on sale now for the inaugural Baylor University New Play Festival Sept. 26-28, as part of the Baylor New Play Initiative to champion a new generation of American theatre.

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, Aug. 1. 

The Baylor Department of Theatre Arts doesn’t just nurture young talent; its members are also producing projects that are making waves — including an Oscar-qualifying short film!

ADO (as in “Much Ado About Nothing”) is the brainchild of Sam Henderson (BFA ’05), an assistant professor in both Baylor’s film & digital media and theatre departments. The film (which Henderson co-wrote and directed) follows a middle school theatre teacher caught in an unimaginable situation when her class’s rehearsal is interrupted by a school shooting.

Baylor esports signed professional Rocket League player Colby “hockser” James as the program’s first-ever student-athlete recruit, esports director and coach Adam Stanley announced Thursday.

The Hill Country is a special place to Texans, including many in the Baylor Family. As news spread of the catastrophic July 4 weekend floods in and around Kerrville and the Texas Hill Country, the impact was felt far and wide. The flash floods claimed the lives of over 100 people, and many remain missing.

Throughout the Baylor Family, the desire to respond in a meaningful way was evident. In addition to the many Baylor alumni who reside in the Hill Country or have vacationed in the area, the region’s many camps have welcomed generations of Bears who retain those memories of friendship, recreation and spiritual development nurtured there. Quickly, the Baylor Family’s prayers were joined by action to support our neighbors to the south:

Due to weather this past weekend, the northbound traffic shift has been rescheduled to Thursday, July 17, 2025.

Today, Baylor stands as a leading Christian research university with a global voice, unwavering in its commitment to faith, excellence and service. Our mission is clear: to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community — now and for the future.

Two Baylor Bears were drafted in the first six rounds of the 2025 MLB draft — BU’s 32nd and 33rd picks in the last 35 drafts, dating back to 1991.

Sixth-year senior Gabe Craig, the Bears’ closer, was picked by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth round, while senior shortstop Tyriq Kemp was selected one round later by the Kansas City Royals.

New research reveals how religious tattoos reflect a cultural – and generational – shift in how faith is expressed through permanent body art

The Baylor community, including incoming freshmen at Line Camp, joined Baylor Missions and BearAid to pack flood relief buckets for families in Kerr County, Texas.

Baylor is welcoming not one, but two new deans this summer, following the retirement of longtime Graduate School Dean Larry Lyon (BA ’71) and the hiring of Hankamer School of Business Dean Sandeep Mazumder as president of Berry College.

I am writing to you from Brisbane, Australia, where I am attending the Baptist World Congress, but my heart is back in Texas as I stay updated on the tragic flooding and heart-shattering loss of life along the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country and in other areas of the state.

Happy Independence Day from Australia! It’s already July 4 over here in the “Land Down Under,” and the First Gent and I are a little sad that we’ll miss out on the Fourth on the Brazos concert and fireworks at Touchdown Alley next to McLane Stadium, as well as some Texas barbecue and homemade ice cream.

Opportunities to celebrate Independence Day include Baylor's July 2 McLane Carillon recital and the City of Waco's annual Fourth on the Brazos event at Touchdown Alley.

Baylor Theatre's inaugural festival of the Baylor New Play Initiative Sept. 26-28 will feature four new plays by emerging & established artists, culminating in the $15,000 Kirk New Play Prize.

For the fifth straight year, a Baylor Bear was taken in the first round of the NBA draft — and this one went higher than any Bear before him.

With the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe — making the Big 12 Freshman of the Year the highest draft pick in Baylor basketball history. The previous mark was held by Ekpe Udoh, who was selected at No. 6 by the Warriors in 2010.

Baylor University shared the following message with campus after today's shelter-in-place advisory (June 26, 2025).