News

WACO, Texas (Sept. 28, 2023) – Baylor University and the Waco communities will have the opportunity to hear from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin during this year’s Beall-Russell Lecture in the Humanities at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, in the Grand Ballroom of the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center, 905 S. University Parks Drive. The lecture is free and open to the public, but registration is requested.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 28, 2023) – Baylor University will serve as the originating site for the 2024 Collegiate Day of Prayer broadcast, the University announced on Thursday. The Collegiate Day of Prayer is an evening worship and prayer service focused on college-aged students, traditionally held on a university campus and live-streamed around the world.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 28, 2023) – Baylor University researchers along with City of Waco leaders in sustainable infrastructure are among the 19 teams advancing to stage 2 of the Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC), a national research and action competition focused on rapidly transitioning emerging technologies and concepts into a local community to address their long-standing challenges.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 27, 2023) – Baylor University announced its official fall enrollment today, including an overall enrollment at nearly 21,000, with increasing diversity, retention and graduation rates.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 25, 2023) – Baylor University is celebrating National Research Administrator Day to highlight top-tier research throughout the University and the teamwork required to advance significant research projects. After attaining Research 1 recognition in 2021 from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, researchers and research administrators throughout the University have continued to elevate Baylor’s research output and impact, addressing complex global challenges in the process.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 20, 2023) – Richard Rankin Russell, Ph.D., professor of English and graduate program director of English at Baylor University, has been selected as a member of the inaugural cohort of Inklings Project Fellows for the academic year 2023-2024. Based out of the University of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life, the Inklings Project is an intercollegiate initiative that invites scholars to explore the worlds of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and the other members of the famed Inklings author group.

Sept. 25 is National Daughters Day, celebrating adult daughters often overlooked for their role in relationship with parents

WACO, Texas (Sept. 19, 2023) –  Simulated fires in residence halls, learning to tie tourniquets, visiting with a therapy dog, as well as other activities like axe throwing and a simulated residence hall room fire demonstration, are among the highlights of Sic ’em for Safety Day, an annual event for students hosted by the Baylor University Department of Public Safety (BUDPS).

WACO, Texas (Sept. 18, 2023) –  Baylor University’s transformational undergraduate academic programs and experiences were Top 10 national highlights in the 2024 Best Colleges rankings, released today by U.S. News & World Report.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 15, 2023) – The new Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center officially opened less than a week ago, and Baylor’s new “front door” is already packed with events for the fall semester.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 12, 2023) – Baylor University moved up to No. 75 among the Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents in 2022, a list published by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). This new list was created to highlight and celebrate American innovation and to showcase the universities that play a large role in advancing the innovation ecosystem within the U.S. and beyond.

Experience campus life with your student this weekend—learn more about Family Weekend.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 11, 2023) – For the 12th time in 13 years, Baylor University has attained elite Honor Roll status as a 2023 Great College to Work For, according to a new survey by The Great Colleges to Work For® program.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 10, 2023) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about a DNA enzyme complex linked to infertility and some cancers, the important role of the board professional in higher education and the opening of new Central Texas Cyber Range designed to meet current and future national cybersecurity needs.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 8, 2023) – Under bright blue Texas skies, hundreds of special guests and members of the Baylor Family gathered for a significant moment in Baylor University’s history – the official dedication of the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center, the University’s spectacular new “front door” to campus at the corner of Interstate 35 and University Parks Drive.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 7, 2023) – John L. Wood, Ph.D., The Robert A. Welch Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and co-director of the Baylor Synthesis and Drug-Lead Discovery Lab, has received the Ernest Guenther Award in the Chemistry of Natural Products from the American Chemical Society.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 7, 2023) – Baylor University today officially launched the Central Texas Cyber Range (CTCR), a multi-million-dollar center to provide comprehensive research in cybersecurity and cyber resilience and training for the cybersecurity workforce to address critical  needs at the local, national and international levels. The CTCR, in partnership with McLennan Community College (MCC) in Waco, will specialize in applied research and education.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 6, 2023) – The best hour of the week – Baylor University’s Dr Pepper Hour – is kicking off year three of its highly lauded Dr Pepper Hour Tour, delivering sweet treats and a VIP Baylor experience to high school students and Baylor Alumni families across the country.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 6, 2023) – This year marks Baylor University’s ninth annual Boundary Breaking Women’s Panel, hosted by the Women’s and Gender Studies program, which will take place from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday,  Sept. 11,  on the fifth floor of the Cashion Academic Center.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 3, 2023) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about sleep chronotypes that determine if you are a morning lark or night owl, how paleontological discoveries illuminate the grand history of life on Earth and a Baylor program that breaks new ground in autism treatment by focusing on sibling relationships.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 30, 2023) – George Cobb, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Science at Baylor University, has been selected to serve as chair of the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC), which provides independent advice on science and technical issues to assist the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in implementing the Toxic Substances Control Act

WACO, Texas (Aug. 30, 2023) – Ten Baylor University faculty members across the disciplines have been selected by Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., to serve as 2023-2024 Baylor Fellows for their excellence in teaching and commitment to pedagogical innovation, inspirational teaching and the cultivation of these areas among Baylor faculty.

***TEST COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY*** WACO, Texas (Aug. 30, 2023) – 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, Sept. 1. 

WACO, Texas (Aug. 28 , 2023) – Michael A. Trakselis, Ph.D., professor and director of graduate affairs for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, overcame two barriers to conduct his groundbreaking research on a novel DNA enzyme. 

WACO, Texas (Aug. 28, 2023) – Hot flashes are one of the most concerning and most reported symptoms among menopausal women and breast cancer survivors. In an article published this month in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, researchers at Baylor University tested the efficacy of paroxetine by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of six clinical trials, finding that the benefits of paroxetine in the treatment of hot flashes to be comparable to that of the placebo response.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 27, 2023) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about the ways in which Christians can think critically about their relationship with technology, the "failure to launch" among many college-aged adults and the need for real-world experiences and community support and a gaming study finding that online gaming groups provide young men with social support.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 22, 2023) – Baylor University is hosting a “welcome home” party for Judge Indy and Judge Belle – the University’s new American black bear cubs – at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat. The block party-style event will be held at the Bear Habitat from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 26.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 21, 2023) – Baylor University will celebrate the dedication of the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center – the University’s spectacular new “front door” to campus – with HOWDY at the Hurd, presented by Pi Beta Phi and Baylor University, a free students-only event at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, on the south lawn of the Hurd Center.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 20, 2023) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about the skyrocketing Barbie obsession as a case study of cult fandom in action, the history behind faith-and-family promotions at baseball games and mutual accountability as a solution to the stalemate over racial division.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 17, 2023) – Baylor University is mourning the death of Provost Emeritus John S. Belew, B.A. ’41, Ph.D., who served as a longtime chemistry professor well into the 2000s, The Jo Murphy Chair of International Education, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and later as provost, the University’s chief academic officer. Dr. Belew passed away Aug. 9 at the age of 102.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 16, 2023) –The first sample dataset from the Global Flourishing Study (GFS) is now available through the Center for Open Science (COS). The project, a groundbreaking five-year, $43.4 million longitudinal study of approximately 200,000 individuals in 22 countries, represents the largest funded research project in Baylor history.  

WACO, Texas (Aug. 16, 2023) – 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. 

WACO, Texas (Aug. 15, 2023) – Hot summers in Texas are nothing new, but the excessive heat the state is experiencing this summer can quickly cause heat exhaustion and other serious complications. With temperatures expected over or around 100 degrees for the first few weeks of the semester, it is important for students, faculty and staff to take precautions to protect themselves and their friends and loved ones. 

WACO, Texas (Aug. 13, 2023) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about the triggers that lead to explosive volcanic eruptions, why some veterans struggle to integrate back into society and how Baylor’s disaster relief outreach team called BearAid helps meet needs in Texas and across the country after national disasters.

WACO, Texas  (Aug. 14, 2023) - Memorial Dining is now open with a temporary entrance off 7th Street while renovation work is underway on Memorial/Alexander residence halls, home of the Honors Residential College. The entrance off 8th Street to Memorial Dining is unchanged and easily accessible.

Making the transition from a relaxed summer schedule to the routine of school can be jarring, but a veteran teacher and faculty member at Baylor University’s School of Education offers some ideas to help make the start of the new school year less stressful, especially for younger students.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 9, 2023) – Baylor University’s McNair Scholars Program, along with the Baylor Graduate School, hosted the fifth annual national McNair Research Conference on Aug. 3-4 on the Baylor campus. More than 200 undergraduate McNair Scholars and non-McNair students presented their faculty-mentored research, participated in professional development and engaged with some of the nation’s top graduate schools.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 6, 2023) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about the critical need for data literacy in math classrooms, divert food waste from university dining halls into compost and the rising number of seniors in solo households, which has been fueled by the rise in divorce rates among adults over 50.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 3, 2023) – 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 outdoor tornado sirens, beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 4.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 3, 2023) – During its regular July retreat meeting last week, the Baylor University Board of Regents approved an agreement with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) to convey a parcel of land adjacent to campus to the Texas Baptists for construction of a Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) center.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 3, 2023) – Benjamin Rose, Ph.D., who joined Baylor University Aug. 1 as an assistant professor of physics, will serve as one of four project leaders for a research team which recently earned $11 million in NASA funding to investigate infrastructure solutions for the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope.

WACO, Texas (July 31, 2023) - On Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, the Baylor University Department of Public Safety (BUDPS) and its branches, including the Baylor University Police Department (BUPD), along with 19 other local and federal law enforcement partners and emergency responders, will conduct a joint active threat training exercise in and around Baylor Law School and McLane Stadium on the Baylor campus.

WACO, Texas (July 31, 2023) – Nearly 60 rising middle school students will attend Baylor University’s nationally recognized iEngage Summer Civics Institute July 31-Aug. 4, with campers on the Baylor campus daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WACO, Texas (July 30, 2023) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about a $2.5 million federal grant for Baylor social work faculty to expand its training in providing mental health services in Waco schools, the importance of respect and dignity of collecting data in the workplace and how Baylor’s 2023 Young Alumna of the Year serves as a role model for students hoping to follow her footsteps into the STEM fields.

WACO, Texas (July 27, 2023) – Daniel Romo, Ph.D., The Schotts Professor of Chemistry at Baylor University and co-director of the Baylor Synthesis and Drug-Lead Discovery Lab, is providing synthetic chemistry leadership on an international team of researchers in pursuit of a groundbreaking drug to treat hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI) in newborns.

WACO, Texas (July 26, 2023) - Baylor University announced today the appointment of Garritt J. Tucker, Ph.D., as the inaugural Eula Mae and John Baugh Chair in Physics with a focus on innovative research and teaching in the area of materials science.

WACO, Texas (July 23, 2023) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about how the evolution of Barbie reflects changing roles and perceptions about gender and  American culture, the role of Quakers in the women’s suffrage movement in the U.S., and how the Baylor University Career Center plays an important role helping students build a successful approach to their careers.

WACO, Texas (July 20, 2023) – Baylor University today announced the second-highest fundraising year in Baylor’s history, with more than $179 million given by alumni, parents and friends during the 2023 fiscal year (FY23). This achievement came during the penultimate year of fundraising for Give Light, Baylor’s comprehensive philanthropic campaign that has seen more than $1.37 billion given to support the University’s endowment, capital priorities and current funds.

WACO, Texas (July 20, 2023) – Baylor University announced today the appointment of Stephen Newby, D.M.A., as the inaugural holder of The Lev H. Prichard III Chair in the Study of Black Worship. Newby brings a background in music, scholarship and ministry to the new position, which provides interdisciplinary leadership, research and scholarship efforts associated with the growth of Baylor’s Black Gospel Music Preservation Program.

WACO, Texas (July 20, 2023) – Mark and Paula dreamed of creating a space where prospective and current students, alumni and visitors would be able to learn about the University, visit for homecoming and games, celebrate events and find top-notch Baylor gear, all in one location.