News

There’s a lot of new for Baylor Football in 2024: a new (but familiar) offensive system, a new starting quarterback, newly redesigned uniforms, and a sparkling new football development center for the Bears to call home. As the Bears look to climb after a challenging 2023 season, signs abound that much has changed since last year.

What a week! From Move2BU to Welcome Week and then the first day of classes, Baylor’s campus is once again buzzing with activity!

While a general link between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease is well known, Baylor University researchers are digging into the “why” behind this detrimental association – especially after a night of binge drinking – in a study published in the American Heart Association’s Hypertension journal.

What a Move2BU! It’s hard to believe, but this was move-in No. 8 for the First Gent and me. Even with the excessive August heat, I never tire of this beautiful expression of who we are as Baylor Family. 

It’s hard to believe, but the 2024 season will be head coach Ryan McGuyre’s 10th at the helm of the program he has built into a national powerhouse. In that time, the Bears have reached eight consecutive NCAA Tournaments (and counting), five Sweet 16s and a Final Four. Last year, he became the program’s all-time winningest coach and guided a young squad back to the tournament.

This year, the Bears look to build on that experience and add to the program’s resume of success. The 2024 Bears will look to two Preseason All-Big 12 selections for leadership when the season begins. Lauren Briseño, a senior libero, and Elise McGhee, a senior outside hitter, bring experience and a league-wide reputation for outstanding play on the defensive and offensive ends, respectively. They’re two of the six returning starters from last year’s postseason matches at the University of Kentucky.

When Baylor announced a new campus dining contract with Chartwells Higher Education last fall, the nationally known university food service provider made a commitment to delivering innovation and best-in-class service to the campus community. Nine months of partnership and planning have led to a revamped dining experience –  Baylor Eats, which is powered by Chartwells. This new partnership combines Baylor’s dedication to providing a top-tier campus experience that supports the well-being and satisfaction of the entire University community with Chartwells’s dining and catering expertise.

On Monday afternoon, the Baylor network experienced a disruption focused on Microsoft and Google-based resources. As of 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 20, all network services were restored.

Baylor faculty experts share practical strategies for fostering stronger holistic well-being for National Wellness Month in August.

Since 2008, each incoming class of new Baylor students has been welcomed with its own unique hymn, capturing an aspect of this moment of excitement, possibility and transition in each new Bear’s life.

This year’s hymn, “In This Day,” was written expressly for the Class of 2028, with lyrics and music by University Chaplain Burt Burleson (BA ’80) and Kathy Johnson (BM ’76). The lyrics are both a welcome and an invitation to our newest Bears as they move through these moments of excitement, transition and possibility. The accompanying music video features snapshot images of this special time (especially Line Camp, when students get to know Baylor and one another):

Allow me to be among the first to congratulate our 979 Summer graduates, which include 350 undergraduate degrees, 395 master’s degrees, 98 professional doctorates and 136 research doctorates. I am proud to welcome you into your new status as Baylor Alumni this Friday and Saturday!

Earlier this year, Pamela Tremont (BA ’90, MA ’92) was sworn in as the United States ambassador to Zimbabwe — the culmination of a road to foreign service that began at Baylor three decades ago.

At Baylor, Tremont earned her bachelor’s in political science and her master’s in international relations, during which time she was also a part of Baylor Ambassadors, the Foreign Affairs Association, and the Golden Key International Honor Society. Upon graduating from Baylor, she embarked on a career that has included stops at U.S. embassies in Turkey, the United Kingdom, Zambia, Cyprus, Ukraine, and Sweden, most recently as deputy chief of mission in Stockholm.

Baylor University will confer degrees on more than 970 graduates during August Commencement, which includes the traditional Saturday ceremony for undergraduate and master’s students and the debut of a new commencement tradition – an exclusive Friday ceremony honoring Baylor’s growing number of research doctoral graduates.

With the 2024 Summer Olympics complete, Baylor Bears are coming home from Paris with a school-record four medals (earned by four different Olympians) — continuing BU’s long history of Olympic excellence.

As the world gears up for the 2024 Paralympic Games starting Aug. 28 in Paris, it is a reminder of the profound impact this global event has on athletes and communities around the world. And it's more than just athletic prowess, says the director of the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities.

The Waco community is waiting with open arms and prayerful hearts to welcome our new and returning students to campus! 

Over the summer, aerospace teams from top national universities converged on the New Mexico desert for a competition that literally involves rocket science. Among them? Baylor’s Aerospace Engineering Club.

It’s been a rapid rise for Aero at Baylor, a student organization that, after lying dormant for many years, reorganized in 2021. Featuring dozens of students from engineering and other STEM fields (such as physics and data science), Aero at Baylor introduces students to aerospace engineering through hands-on projects, real-world experience and friendly competition.

FirstGen Forward, formerly the Center for First-generation Student Success, has announced Baylor University as one of 14 higher education institutions selected to its inaugural class of FirstGen Forward Network Champions.

You might recognize Forrest Frank (BBA ’17) from his hit band Surfaces, which has dropped several iconic pop songs over the last few years. Their songs charted on Billboard’s “Hot 100” in the U.S. and nine other countries.

Or, you might recognize Frank from your favorite Christian radio station. His debut Christian album, Child of God, hit No. 1 worldwide on the iTunes charts last week — not just for worship, but across all genres.

Last week, the Big 12 Conference officially welcomed four new members — Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah — settling into the league’s new format of 16 teams.

Each school offers its own unique traditions — a big part of the fun of college athletics. Before Baylor heads to Tucson, Tempe, Boulder, and Salt Lake City, get to know some of our new partners’ traditions:

Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo. The addition of those last two words to Baylor’s longstanding motto mirrors the university’s mission statement (“for worldwide leadership and service”), and highlights Baylor’s global impact as a Christian research university.

Baylor faculty have long conducted groundbreaking research with a worldwide bent, and that continues today. For a few examples, let’s take a trip across campus and around the globe:

Baylor University today announced a $1.5 million gift from B. Todd and Amy Patterson of Richmond, Texas, establishing The Todd and Amy Patterson Endowed Chair in Cybersecurity to advance the School of Engineering and Computer Science’s research within the field of cybersecurity. 

Today is August 1, which means the countdown to the start of the fall semester has officially begun. 

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, Aug. 2. The University’s testing period will be 10 to 11 a.m. 

As we shift our attention to the start of another academic year, we want to share a brief update with you from last week’s annual July retreat of the Baylor Board of Regents. 

Baylor School of Education expert offers ideas to help make the start of the new school year less stressful for everyone.

The quarterly meeting of Baylor’s Board of Regents is happening this week outside of Austin. Because this gathering also serves as an annual retreat for strategic discussions about the University and higher education, the Regents are focusing on topics of importance such as value, affordability, governance and artificial intelligence.

Beginning in August, Student Parking Permits will be available online. In order to park in a campus parking facility, students must purchase a parking permit annually. Groups of students will be able to select permits on a staggered basis – beginning with On-Campus Residential Students – according to the dates outlined below.

The 2024 Summer Olympics will take place July 26 through Aug. 11 in Paris, so what can we expect to see from the world’s best athletes as they compete on the world’s biggest stage? Baylor experts weigh on Olympic topics from faith to fashion statements, brand moments to American unity, athletes' mental health to self-worth.

For many athletes, sports provide a place to develop their values, express their identities and share their faith with others. The Olympics have long been an important platform for Christians to do this work, said sports historian and author Paul Putz, Ph.D., director of the Faith & Sports Institute at Baylor University and author of the forthcoming book, The Spirit of the Game: American Christianity and Big-Time Sports.

At least one Baylor Bear has brought home the gold in seven of the last eight Summer Olympics. Seven different Bears will look to extend that run this summer in Paris.

Those Bears will be representing four different nations: Brittney Griner (BSED ’19, basketball) and Avery Skinner (volleyball) for Team USA; current Baylor student-athletes Nathaniel Ezekiel (400m hurdles) and Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi (javelin) in track & field for Nigeria; John Peers (men’s tennis – doubles) and Kristy Wallace (BSED ’18, basketball) for Australia; and Nuni Omot (BSED ’18, basketball) for South Sudan. Baylor track and field head coach Michael Ford (BBA ’97) will also be in Paris as men’s sprints/hurdles coach for Team USA.

As the world eagerly anticipates the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the fashion scene is buzzing with excitement over the latest team fashion trends set to make a statement to the world.

As students head back to class, they may feel challenged by the adjustment of waking up early to make it to class on time. This is especially true of adolescents, whose natural sleep pattern tends to be late to bed and late to wake, said Michael K. Scullin, Ph.D., director of Baylor University’s Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory and associate professor of psychology and neuroscience. 

Elite athletes, including Olympic athletes at the top of their sport, often drop to their knees in prayer before competition and after, whether following the thrill of victory… or the agony of defeat. A Baylor study has found that an athlete’s relationship with God affect their mental well-being, as well as their self-worth based on others’ approval.

A security update deployed to client systems by the cybersecurity company Crowdstrike has not significantly affected Baylor University operations or systems, but some of the university's third-party vendors have been impacted.

We talk often about Baylor’s distinctive place in American higher education — one at the crossroads of faith and learning, of research and impact. 

Smiley faces, hearts, thumbs up and folded hands – those are just a few of the thousands of emojis that are available for internet users to communicate with. World Emoji Day is a day to consider how these symbols can perfectly emphasize ideas and convey emotions quickly and creatively when words alone often cannot.

In just a few weeks, Baylor’s Class of 2028 will arrive on campus for Move2BU, Welcome Week and the start of classes. But we can’t wait; here’s your first look at some of the members of #BU28:

Yes, it’s true — no victories, let alone titles, are earned in college basketball in the month of July. That may be what teams are building toward as they go about their offseason workouts and recruiting, but it’s way too early to think about rankings. Right? Okay, maybe not.

With the caveat in the very title, ESPN’s annual “Way-Too-Early” rankings are out — and both Baylor’s men and women are ranked in the Top 10. Head coach Scott Drew’s team came in at No. 6, while Nicki Collen’s squad is ranked No. 9 nationally.

Nathan Shelburne, Ph.D., and student leader like Kaleigh Wiffler join the Baylor Connections podcast to discuss Baylor’s New Student Programs, which are essential to helping new students feel at home and ready to embark on their Baylor journey.

MLB’s All-Star game is considered one of best all-star contests among professional sports, but Baylor sports marketing expert Kirk Wakefield says the game faces continued headwinds.

It’s so good to be back in Waco – even with this summer heat – after spending the past several weeks with groups of Baylor Study Abroad students in Europe and then a little vacation time with the First Gent in Greece. 

In the world of sports cards, a “Future Star” or “Rated Rookie” means you’ve got a card of someone who merits paying attention to — someone whose career looks like it’s about to take off.

In the world of higher education, early career awards function in a very similar fashion — recognizing up-and-coming faculty who have already shown indications of excellent research and scholarship, with the potential to be future leaders in their fields.

Among research universities, Baylor is distinct — a Christian R1 university. Faculty are engaged in high-level research that addresses challenges in health, engineering, and other fields. Solving these problems is the ultimate goal, but along the way, Baylor researchers are competing for — and winning — competitive grants that other top institutions strive to attain.

Here are just a few recent examples of significant projects where you’ll find Baylor faculty and students hard at work:

What a wonderful opportunity we have today to reflect upon the liberties we enjoy as Americans and to contemplate the ongoing promise of our nation as we come together to celebrate Independence Day!

Baylor is regularly named among the most beautiful college campuses in the United States — but sometimes, you just want to get off campus and into more natural settings.

Thankfully, Waco has plenty to offer those looking for a serene getaway. From hiking trails near the Brazos River to sunsets in Woodway Park, here are six of our favorite places to escape the daily grind and enjoy the beauty of Central Texas!

It’s become commonplace to hear Baylor names called in the first round of the NBA Draft. But to hear two of them called in a three-pick span? That’s raising the bar even further.

Ja’Kobe Walter and Yves Missi became Baylor men’s basketball’s first pair of teammates ever drafted in the first round of the same draft. Walter was selected with the 19th overall pick by the Toronto Raptors, while Missi went two picks later, at No. 21, to the New Orleans Pelicans.

As Independence Day approaches, a Baylor management professor - and longtime Ben Franklin scholar - shares his thoughts on a four aspects of the Founding Father's legacy.

Baylor University’s Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center is hard to miss as the campus’s spectacular front door right off Interstate 35 in Waco. Throughout July, the Hurd Welcome Center will serve an additional purpose for road-weary travelers: a convenient daytime Travel Stop offering a cool place indoors to take a break.

The beginning of this summer has been an amazing chance for the First Gent and me to see the unmistakable Baylor spirit in action – this time across Europe. We are taking time to rejuvenate, but the best part of our trip has been seeing Baylor Study Abroad programs up close and personal.

Once again this summer, Baylor students can be found around the globe, ministering and serving in 10 countries across four continents on Baylor Missions trips.

What makes Baylor’s mission trips distinct is the blending of service and calling. These trips are discipline-specific: students with similar career goals or interests come together for trips that allow them to further develop in areas like healthcare, business or music as they meet significant needs wherever they travel.

Earlier this month, the Baylor Facebook page asked its nearly 250,000 followers a simple question: “What’s the most random place you’ve met another Bear?”

More than 500 answers later, a couple of things became clear:

Something special happened in April when the Texas Rangers hosted the Oakland Athletics. Former Baylor standout Davis Wendzel had just been called up, joining a Baylor teammate, Cody Bradford, on the Rangers. In the opposite dugout, another of their former teammates, Shea Langeliers, was preparing to play for the Athletics. This is believed to be the first time three Baylor alums were all on active rosters in the same game.

That series highlighted just how special of a time this is for Baylor baseball fans, as five Bears have played in the big leagues this year, tying the single year high-water mark for Baylor alums.

Almost six years ago — Nov. 2, 2018 — we wrote about the public launch of “Give Light,” Baylor’s new fundraising plan aimed at helping the university reach some of its strategic, long-term goals.

The goal: $1.1 billion to support increased student scholarship support, more endowed faculty positions, area-specific funds for research and other projects, and capital projects such as renovating Tidwell Bible Building, expanding Memorial and Allen halls to grow the Honors Residential College, a new welcome center, a new basketball arena, and a new football operations center.

Earlier this month, the university announced the successful conclusion of Give Light. So, how did the campaign do?

Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) is getting a new space on Baylor’s campus!

This spring, Baylor deeded over land for a new BSM center to the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which is working to complete fundraising for the new facility. The new center (see the rendering above) will be built at the corner of South Fourth Street and Daughtrey Avenue — near East Village and the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation.

Baylor University will join with the Greater Waco community in celebration of Juneteenth, a national holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

I trust your summer is off to a fantastic start! The First Gent and I are flying “across the pond” this week for some much-needed rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. We look forward to some time away from campus to reflect on an incredible academic year with the Baylor Family and to explore new areas of God’s creation. The highlight of the trip will be Baylor-related, of course, as we will be connecting with several groups of Study Abroad students across Europe. We can’t wait to fling our green and gold afar!

For two decades now, Baylor’s Mayborn Museum has been a beacon of curiosity and discovery, illuminating the path to knowledge for Bears and Wacoans alike with its unique blend of history, science and education.

It was 20 years ago this summer — May 14, 2004 — that the Mayborn was officially dedicated in its new home along University Parks Drive. But the museum’s history dates much further back — almost to the university’s very beginning.

Baylor University’s Give Light comprehensive philanthropic campaign has raised a historic $1.5 billion, an achievement that shattered its initial $1.1 billion goal and concluded Give Light as the most successful comprehensive fundraising campaign in Baylor’s 179-year history, the University announced today. 

More than 5,200 Baylor University students have been named to the Spring 2024 Dean’s Academic Honor List, which recognizes Baylor undergraduates for their outstanding academic work during each semester.

I know Baylor has a beautiful campus. You know Baylor has an incredible campus. But it’s always fun when others recognize the allure of Baylor’s campus, as well.

This spring, two notable sources — Architectural Digest and U.S. News — each included Baylor on their lists of the nation’s most beautiful college campuses.

In 2019, Baylor set a school-record with seven Fulbright scholarship recipients — part of the nation’s flagship program for international graduate study and education. In 2022, Baylor doubled that record with 14 Fulbrights.

Now, just two years later, a new school record has been set — again — as 18 (!!!) Baylor students and recent alumni have won prestigious Fulbright awards for 2024. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Though summer’s only just begun, it won’t be long before students are streaming to Waco for the start of a new school year.

Baylor is known for its incredible student experience — and a look at what students can expect during their first 100 days on campus illustrates that beautifully:

For almost 20 years, legendary music executive Mike Curb has supported what was previously known as the Sports Strategy and Sales (S3) program in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business. In honor of his longtime support, the S3 program has been renamed the Curb Sales Strategy in Sports and Entertainment (S3E) program.

Last week, business leaders and business researchers came together at Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business to dive into an important topic. They weren’t there to discuss revenue or industry disruptions; instead, they came to talk about faith — specifically, what it means to be a Christian leader in the workplace.

Over parts of two days, businesspeople of all levels took part in the first-ever Armes Family Christian Leadership in Business Summit, which featured presentations from a series of keynote speakers along with interactive panel discussions on the integration of faith and topics like innovation, inclusion, and ethics. Held May 16-17 inside Baylor’s Foster Campus for Business and Innovation, the event brought together CEOs, founders, leading researchers and others to talk about living out one’s faith in the workplace.

Even though we are at the beginning of the summer months, we had some big news come out of the University last week as the Baylor Board of Regents affirmed a new institutional strategic plan that will take us through 2030.

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 18th Fulbright Scholarship.

On Thursday, May 23, 2024, the Baylor University Department of Public Safety and its branches, including the Baylor University Police Department, along with 16 other local and federal law enforcement partners and emergency responders, will conduct an annual joint active threat training exercise on the Baylor campus in and around the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation.

Marking 20 years of sparking curiosity and inspiring lifelong learning, the Mayborn Museum at Baylor University celebrated its milestone anniversary by officially unveiling and dedicating a life-size landmark for the community – stunning bronze Mammoth sculptures that stand as timeless symbols of the Mayborn Museum’s commitment to inspire and educate generations.

For the seventh time in program history — all under head coach Glenn Moore — Baylor softball is headed to the NCAA Super Regionals!

The Bears are one of the last 16 teams standing after winning three of four games at the Lafayette Regional last weekend, including a pair of victories over the host team, No. 13-ranked Louisiana.

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.

Looking to make it to the big leagues? Sure, you could be a first-round pick… or, you could earn a graduate degree from Baylor’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences.

Not one, not two, but three recent Robbins College grads have reached the pinnacle of pro sports just a few years after earning their Baylor diplomas — in athletic training, nutrition sciences and physical therapy:

As Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences celebrates its 10-year anniversary, take a look back at its programs' histories, learn more about modern growth, and hear about the future of one of Baylor University’s fastest growing academic unit.

The academic year is complete: finals graded, books returned, students graduated — and Baylor faculty honored! Congratulations to this year’s Baylor professors of the year:

Baylor Law earns top national honors for practical training

Congratulations, Class of 2024 — you did it!

This weekend, more than 3,500 Bears walked the Ferrell Center stage to receive their hard-earned diplomas. Thousands of their friends and family filled the Ferrell Center for each ceremony, and countless more watched online and joined in the celebration via social media to honor Baylor’s newest graduates.

When the world came to a halt in Spring 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, high school students around the country lost the opportunity to walk the stage at graduation.

Four years later, having overcome countless unknowns and challenges, those students are ready to finally take that step as the Class of 2024 graduates from college. Kayla Carmer is one such student.

The first time Auldynn Chambers heard someone suggest he consider pursuing his doctorate after graduating from Baylor, his immediate thought was, “Only really smart people get Ph.D.s. I’m not smart enough to do that.”

Soon, Chambers will be doing just that, and pursuing a passion he discovered at Baylor — artificial organ development.

Congratulations to the more than 3,500 students who have earned a Baylor degree this spring – including the more than 3,300 who will walk across the Ferrell Center stage as part of Commencement ceremonies this Friday and Saturday. 

When Stephanie Mendoza (BBA ’21) was in high school at Waco’s University High, she had no idea where she wanted to go to college, or what she wanted to do when she got there.

The first question seemed solved after she attended a two-week overnight camp at Baylor — but unfortunately, her family couldn’t make the finances work, and she headed to McLennan Community College instead. There, she discovered her way into Baylor: a full-ride transfer scholarship from the Waco Foundation, given to three top MCC students each year.

Every spring, the Baylor Family bids happy retirement to professors and staff who have dedicated their professional lives to the university and its students. It’s always a bittersweet mix — sadness in seeing them go, happiness for a well-deserved next step — but we wish them all well in the next phase of their lives.

Here, we honor some of the longest-serving and most recognizable professors who are retiring this year — men and women whose faces will be missed, but whose impact will not be forgotten:

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 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.

Today is the National Day of Prayer, an annual day of observance designated by the U.S. Congress in which people are asked to “turn to God in prayer and meditation.” 

Looking for practical training that will prepare you to practice as a lawyer? You can’t do any better than Baylor Law School — literally.

So says a new ranking from preLaw Magazine, which put Baylor at No. 1 in the nation for practical training.

Chances are, if you attended Baylor, you have memories of studying in Moody and/or Jones libraries. Maybe you remember late nights preparing for a paper or exam, or the fun of running into friends and then having to make yourself get back to work.

Baylor’s libraries have long been a sort of academic community square, and that’s never been more true than today. As the ways students use libraries has evolved, Baylor Libraries has adapted to meet the needs of today’s Bears. Here are four examples:

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.

On Saturday, Baylor Acrobatics & Tumbling won its ninth — NINTH!!!!!!!!! — straight national title! The win extends a run that dates back to 2015 (there was no championship in 2020 due to COVID). Over those 10 seasons, head coach Felecia Mulkey’s squad has gone a mind-boggling 98-2, including a current 38-meet winning streak.

The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado WATCH for Central Texas, including Waco and McLennan County, Texas, effective until 6 p.m. CT tonight (Friday, April 26, 2024).

High school students choosing a college are often looking for a school big enough to offer their desired major and extracurriculars, but small enough where they feel like a person, not a number.

That’s a niche Baylor fills in higher ed — a caring community regularly recognized for students’ academic and social experience and opportunities, all built on a foundation of Christian faith. That sort of support and care is a big reason why a recent national survey of parents named Baylor the No. 2 most-trusted major university in the country.

The histories of Baylor University and Texas Baptists have been intertwined since our founding in 1845. 

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.

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."

More than 2,000 Baylor students are the first in their family to attend college. Baylor’s “First in Line” program exists to help these Bears navigate all aspects of college — from academics to student life to finances and beyond.

Word of First in Line’s successes is getting out; the program was recently honored by NASPA, an international student affairs organization, with a 2024 Excellence Award for first-generation student success.

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. 

It only makes sense that a university whose motto reads “Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana” — “for the Church, for Texas” — would build programs designed specifically to serve the Church, both close to home and around the world.

And that’s exactly what you’ll find, all across Baylor’s campus — efforts designed specifically to build up and support pastors, congregations, theologians, and other parts of the body of Christ. Here’s just a sampling:

It’s that crazy time of the spring semester, with so many assignments, projects, events and activities happening all at once – and final exams right around the corner. 

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.

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.