Baylor Connections

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.