Baylor Connections

For Baylor students, career success begins when they set foot on campus, with the help of the Baylor University Career Center. Baylor's placement rate of 91 percent is one of the best in the nation, and its approach is student-centered, walking alongside students and helping them define success. Michael Estepp, newly appointed Assistant Vice Provost in the Career Center, showcases the approach that helps students successfully pursue their calling.

Archaeologist and anthropologist Julie Hoggarth heads to Belize this week to continue her nationally recognized research on ancient Maya cultures, uncovering what their experiences can teach us today. Hoggarth was recently recognized as a prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, and she takes listeners inside the findings that yield new insights from her digs.

Soon, hundreds of students will embark on Baylor summer missions trips, spanning the globe to serve others and share the love of Christ. Becky Kennedy, Assistant Dean for Spiritual Life and Missions and Associate Chaplain in Baylor Spiritual Life, shares the impact of discipline-specific mission trips that form students as they serve.  

Many will recognize Sam Henderson's voice from his role as the announcer of Baylor Commencement exercises, but his impact at Baylor extends far beyond that stage. A professional actor, screenwriter and professor, Henderson shares his path to stage and screen and unpacks the ways those experiences shape his classroom teaching in Baylor's Film and Digital Media Department.

The landmark Global Flourishing Study, one of the most comprehensive studies of human existence ever undertaken and a first-of-its-kind multi-year investigation into human flourishing, recently released key insights from its first wave of data, highlighted by a gathering at Gallup Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Byron S. Johnson, GFS principal investigator and Director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor, and Matthew T. Lee, Professor of the Social Sciences and Humanities at Baylor ISR and a member of the Global Study of Human Flourishing research team, take listeners inside initial findings.

The Robbins Healthcare MBA program in Baylor's Hankamer School of Business is recognized as a top 20 healthcare management program nationally by U.S. News and World Report, with alumni who lead healthcare organizations from coast to coast. Forest Kim, who serves as program co-director, shares program distinctives and highlights the role alumni play in healthcare innovation and service.

How does technology impact our brains as we age? Many worry that reliance on digital devices may lead to a form of “digital dementia,” but a recent study found otherwise. Michael Scullin, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, examines how the challenges of technology can be beneficial to cognitive function as we age, and shares insights for healthy tech use.

Baylor's Black Gospel Archive collects, preserves and promotes Black Gospel music. Many pieces, once in danger of being lost forever, have been saved through that work. This year, the Black Gospel Archive will be expanding thanks to a meaningful grant that will showcase the music in new ways. Stephen Newby, The Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship, and Darryl Stuhr, Director of Digitization and Digital Collection Preservation Services within University Libraries, take listeners inside those efforts.

Graduate Student Appreciation Week is an annual celebration of the contributions of graduate students across the nation. At Baylor, nearly 6,000 graduate students elevate the University through research, teaching and more. Graduate School Dean Larry Lyon and Graduate Student Association President James Howard share perspectives on graduate education at Baylor and highlight what makes graduate students distinct.

For many Baylor students, Monday nights at 9pm represent an opportunity to join in worship at a weekly service held by Vertical Ministries. This year, Vertical Ministries celebrates its 15th anniversary. Executive Director Myles Olenski and Associate Director Anna Webb share Vertical's story, explain why Vertical stays focused on Monday services and discuss the organization's purpose in serving Baylor students.

When the U.S. Senate needed an expert to testify about the future of America's spectrum communications, they called on Baylor professor Charlie Baylis. Baylis leads SMART Hub, a Baylor-led Department of Defense innovation center providing groundbreaking wireless communications research for the benefit of men and women in uniform and civilians alike. He takes listeners inside a new paradigm to address overcrowding in wireless communication and unpacks the honor of speaking in the seat of U.S. government.

When Ade Oyedijo studies the supply chain, his approach is to focus on people. Oyedijo joined Baylor in 2024 after teaching and researching in the United Kingdom for over a decade.  Through his work in World Economic Forum, Oyedijo applies research to important global discussions on the supply chain and its impact. He shares insights on supply chain ethics and the path that led him to Baylor.

What is it like to live with your family in community with hundreds of college students? How do living-learning communities (LLC) at Baylor support students as they strive for excellence in pursuit of their calling? Karenna Malavanti, senior lecturer in psychology and neuroscience at Baylor, is also faculty-in-residence at Earle Hall, where she leads the Science & Health LLC. She takes listeners inside Baylor's nationally recognized learning communities and describes the joys of intentional life on campus.

Renée Umstattd Meyer, a public health professor at Baylor, has built a nationally recognized reputation through helping communities better support the health of their residents. With a focus on active living, she walks alongside communities as they strive to encourage walking, exercise, play and more. Learn how her research connects with practical pathways for children and adults to engage in activities that are healthy and fun.

From a distinct Christian mission to a history of innovation, Baylor has long served as a light in higher education—as its motto says, Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo. February 2025 marks the University's 180th birthday. Stephen Sloan, Professor of History and Director of Baylor's Institute for Oral History, takes listeners inside a few of the threads that connect Baylor through the decades.

Many in the Baylor Family know Blair Browning as the longtime host of All University Sing! and Pigskin Revue, but not everyone knows how deep his Baylor roots run. A 2012 Collins Outstanding Professor honoree, he serves as professor and chair of the Department of Communication. Browning takes listeners inside the Sing experience and shares why he loves teaching Baylor students.

Master Teacher is the highest designation awarded to Baylor faculty for sustained excellence in teaching. Wiff Rudd, Professor of Trumpet in the Baylor School of Music, was recently named Master Teacher along with three other colleagues across campus. A longtime educator and performer, Rudd shares how the two threads of his career intertwine and why the role of teacher has represented a high calling in his life.

Preparing students for leadership is a key part of the Baylor mission, and programs across campus embody that calling. One is the Billington Peer Leader program in Baylor's Hankamer School of Business, a student-led and student-focused initiative to support Pre-Business students as they navigate the transition to college. Laura Lalani, Associate Director for Student Success Initiatives, and Madeline Prescott, a student leader within the Billington program, share how the program develops leaders and sets students up for a successful college experience.

Expansive leaps in technologies like AI prompt important questions about their impact on people. Pablo Rivas, assistant professor of computer science, is a leader at the intersection of technology and ethics. Rivas, Baylor's site-director for the Center on Responsible Artificial Intelligence and Governance, unpacks questions around responsible AI and examines the role Baylor can play as an ethical voice amidst this growth.

Baylor's Institute for Faith and Learning (IFL) offers numerous resources to faculty, staff and students to assist in integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment. Elisabeth Kincaid, a theologian, lawyer and business ethics scholar, was named last Spring as the new IFL director. Here, she shares her path to Baylor and examines why IFL is such a meaningful piece of the University.

All lawyers must understand elements of psychology to successfully navigate the human elements of the legal system. Few people are as qualified in this area as Chris Jaeger, associate professor of law at Baylor. With both a law degree and a Ph.D. in psychology, Jaeger combines both streams to better understand the ways individuals process significant concepts like reasonableness in his award-winning research.

A new strategic plan, an addition to the University's longstanding motto, and a second-half football surge: these are just a few of the highlights of an eventful 2024 that saw continued growth as a preeminent Christian research university. President Linda A. Livingstone, PhD., takes listeners inside some of the highlights, honors and opportunities that defined the past 12 months and set the stage for 2025.

What does it mean to readers that the Psalms are a book of poetry? What can the topics embedded within the 150 chapters of the Psalms tell us about God's relationship to man? Truett Seminary's Dennis Tucker, PhD., is a researcher and expert on the Psalms. He shares how we can better consider the Psalms through approaches both practical and scholarly, and shares readings to consider for the New Year.

Students who participate in Study Abroad opportunities find that the experiences shape them long after the trip is through. In this Baylor Connections, a student and professor immerse listeners in their trip to Costa Rica. Kim Smith, clinical assistant professor in Health, Human Performance and Recreation, led the Health Sciences Abroad  trip; Will Bergin, a senior Health & Sciences Studies major, participated. They provide insights from a life-changing summer trip.

The Baylor University Board of Regents features two Student Regents, Xavier Dawes and Meghan Fletcher. Student Regents, like their fellow board members, work on behalf of the best interest of Baylor University while facilitating and communicating the views and experiences of students. In this Baylor Connections, Dawes and Fletcher share more about the unique role they hold and examine the ways it shapes their time at Baylor.

Baylor's Academy for Teaching and Learning (ATL) helps faculty become better teachers through enrichment and development opportunities. Toby Brooks joined the Baylor faculty this year as ATL director and clinical professor in HHPR. In this Baylor Connections, he unpacks insights on serving teachers and the teaching profession, and shares his path from athletic training to higher education leadership.

Gratitude—it's a positive human emotion shown to provide health benefits. Jo-Ann Tsang, associate professor of psychology, is a social psychologist and leading researcher into gratitude. In this Baylor Connections, she shares how listen can take healthy steps to focus on gratitude in their own lives and unpacks the ways scientists study and measure gratitude across groups of people.

When Baylor's longstanding motto was expanded to include Pro Mundo, the University heralded its goal to have a greater global impact as a Christian research university. Every department on campus contributes in some way, but for Baylor's Center for Global Engagement, global focus is a core characteristic. In this Baylor Connections, Eduardo Contreras, Baylor's Vice Provost for Global Engagement, shares how the division facilitates cultural exchange and opportunity.

This year marks Truett Seminary's 30th anniversary and is a meaningful time to consider the institution's impact. Todd Still serves as the Charles J. and Eleanor McLerran DeLancey Dean and holder of the William M. Hinson Chair of Christian Scriptures. In this Baylor Connections, he recalls Truett's founding and examines how the seminary has grown, and will continue to grow, in advancing its mission to equip individuals for ministry.

When Baylor recruited Karen Foli as the first endowed chair in the Louise Herrington School of Nursing, the University opened new possibilities to speak into mental health needs experienced in the nursing profession. Foli, a leading scholar and author on these topics, comes to Baylor from Purdue University to serve as the Louise Herrington Endowed Chair of Mental Health Nursing. In this Baylor Connections, she discusses a lifetime of addressing needs in nursing and examines her new role at Baylor.

You probably already know that Baylor hosted the nation's first Homecoming in 1909—and remains the standard for collegiate Homecomings to this day. But there is likely much you don't know about the roots of Homecoming, the traditions that have become Baylor icons and even the occasional shenanigans that accompany college students through the years. In this Baylor Connections, Alan Lefever—Truett professor, Baptist historian, and the author of The History of Baylor Sports—takes listeners on a tour from 1909 to the present to paint a picture of why Baylor Homecoming is so special.

Nearly 16 percent of Baylor students are the first person in their family to attend a four-year college. Baylor's First in Line program serves these students to help them maximize their success on campus. In this Baylor Connections, Michelle Gonzalez, First in Line Program Manager, highlights the ways Baylor walks alongside first-generation students as they navigate the college years, and shares why the program was recognized among the nation's best.

In today's political environment, numerous factors serve as obstacles to civil discourse and healthy approaches to political consumption. Thomas Hibbs, the J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy and Dean Emeritus in the Honors College, has long studied the intersection of politics and philosophy, and recently wrote the column “A Guide to Political Detox” in The Dallas Morning News. In this Baylor Connections, he unpacks concepts and actionable suggestions to help listeners examine their own relationship to political news and discourse.

Character formation is a foundational element of the Baylor student-athlete experience, and a new grant will enable Baylor to deepen work in this area through a partnership between the Faith and Sports Institute in Truett Seminary and Baylor Athletics. In this Baylor Connections, Paul Putz of the Faith and Sports Institute, along with Cori Bolts and Kenny Boyd of Baylor Athletics, takes listeners inside their collaborative work and examine opportunities to better serve student-athletes in the area of Christian character development.

When military equipment breaks down, those who rely on it need it returned to operation as quickly as possible. Brian Jordon and Paul Allison are developing a technology that could do just that on the battlefield, in Space and more. Jordan and Allison came to Baylor in 2022 and brought a national reputation for elite materials science research with them. In this Baylor Connections, they share how their work in Baylor's Point-of-Need Innovations Center could make repairs faster, cheaper and more sustainable in a variety of settings.

Baylor in Deeds is here, a new strategic plan which charts a course for greater global impact, stewardship and service. With a focus on action and deed across every part of the University, Baylor in Deeds invigorates exciting new opportunities for the University to live out its scriptural calling and Christian mission. In this Baylor Connections, Provost Nancy Brickhouse and Chief of Staff Tiffany Hogue introduce the new plan and unpack the commitments and imperatives that will shape the years ahead.

A new school year provides countless opportunities to engage and support students. Baylor Student Life offers a vast array of resources to support the total development of students. In this Baylor Connections, Vice President for Student Life Kevin Jackson takes listeners inside the moments and resources that enrich the Baylor experience for a new generation of Bears.

College athletics is in the midst of a season of change as new legislation and rule changes open new revenue streams to student-athletes. In this Baylor Connections, David Kaye gives listeners an “NIL 101” session. Kaye, who serves as Baylor's NIL general manager, unpacks the ways Baylor University is adapting to the changing landscape to best serve student-athletes and provides insights into factors like revenue-sharing, collectives, in-house units and more.

Laila Sanguras has plenty to share with parents and teachers as they encourage their students to succeed in school. A leading researcher into student grit and coping, Sanguras serves as Graduate Program Director of Baylor's EdD program in Learning and Organizational Change and is a lecturer in Curriculum & Instruction in the School of Education. In this Baylor Connections, she examines questions many may have to support their students in the year ahead.

Anticipation abounds at the start of a new school year, and the Baylor Family has much to celebrate. In this Baylor Connections, President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., takes listeners inside the Fall Semester at Baylor. From the launch of a new strategic plan to a focus on Baylor's global impact as a Christian university, President Livingstone highlights a number of themes key to the year ahead at Baylor.

A contentious election season highlights the need for citizens who can engage with respect and understanding amidst disagreement. As a Christian university, Baylor seeks to both model civil discourse and train students to do the same. Leslie Hahner, Professor of Communication, and Kevin Villegas, Dean of Intercultural Engagement, work with students as they navigate these complexities. In this Baylor Connections, they share those experiences, along with practical insights to encourage discourse commensurate to the call to love our neighbor.

David Wills has a passion for generosity and helping others live generously. The two-time Baylor graduate was named the 2024 Baylor Alumnus of the Year. In this Baylor Connections, Wills lists the questions that everyone should ask to consider generosity in their own lives, explains why generous people are happy and shares the impact of his Baylor experience on the path his life has taken.

New additions to the Baylor campus, national rankings, Big 12 expansion and more highlight the conversation with Jason Cook in this week's Baylor Connections. Cook, who serves as Baylor's Vice President for Marketing and Communications and Chief Marketing Officer, takes listeners inside Baylor's national reputation, examines the impact of new facilities in the last year and looks ahead to the coming months at Baylor.

Legendary organizations Mission Waco-Mission World and Church Under the Bridge are known for their commitment to serve others and efforts to overcome injustice in Waco and beyond. Their work has blessed thousands of individuals and inspired generations of Baylor students to pursue their own calls to serve. In this Baylor Connections, co-founders Jimmy and Janet Dorrell, recipients of Baylor's 2024 Pro Ecclesia Medal of Service, share the heart behind a life committed to the poor and marginalized.

For incoming students and families, Orientation and Line Camp are core moments in the final weeks before they officially become Baylor students. In this Baylor Connections, experience these events through the eyes of their participants. Nathan Shelburne, director of New Student Programs, and Kaleigh Wiffler, a rising senior and team captain on the Student Leadership Team, share favorite activities, key experiences and more.

After 22 years in corporate America, Gabe Madison wasn't expecting the call to lead an urban farm addressing food insecurity and community wellbeing in South Dallas. In this Baylor Connections, Madison, the 2024 recipient of Baylor's Pro Texana Medal of Service, shares her journey to Bonton Farms and examines needs in the community that this farm continually grows to meet.

In this Baylor Connections, a Baylor history professor transports listeners to Revolutionary times. Julie Anne Sweet, Professor of History and Director of Military Studies has been featured on C-SPAN as she lectures in full Revolutionary War-period military gear. As we approach Independence Day, she shares why that period is so meaningful to her, gives insights on making history come alive, and recounts some of her favorite people and moments from the times surrounding the founding of the U.S.

Candi Cann spent last year in South Korea after earning a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award. An assistant professor of religion in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, Cann is a noted researcher on death and dying around the world. In this Baylor Connections, Cann takes listeners to South Korea and shares experiences from her time there, while further delving into her research and why she hopes to make it easier for people to discuss challenging topics like death and grief.

Before he even knew his last name carried a legal connotation, Jeremy Counseller showed signs of pursuing a career in law as a child. Today, he serves as the Abner V. McCall Chair of Evidence Law and will take over as Dean of the Baylor Law School in July. In this Baylor Connections, get to know Baylor's newest dean.  Counseller shares his experience as both a Baylor law student and faculty member and paints a picture of the qualities that make Baylor Law distinct.

Baylor's McNair Scholars program serves undergraduates from low-income, first-generation and other underrepresented backgrounds through mentorship, research opportunities and other scholarly activities. Steven Fernandez serves as director of Student Opportunity and Achievement Resources at Baylor. In this Baylor Connections, he shares how the program fosters relationships and opportunities that have helped propel students to elite academic posts when their time at Baylor is through.

The Mayborn Museum celebrates 20 years of serving Central Texas in 2024. This Spring, they unveiled signature bronze mammoth sculptures to welcome visitors. Rebecca Nall serves as Assistant Director of Exhibits, Communication, and Visitor Services. In this Baylor Connections, she shares more about the sculptures, takes listeners on a tour of the museum and highlights new summer exhibits.