Baylor in the News – Aug. 13-19, 2023
Contact: Baylor University Media & Public Relations, 254-710-1961
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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.
Aug. 14, 2023
KWTX-TV (CBS/Waco): Baylor University showcases its new Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center
VIDEO: After three years in the making, Baylor University showcased its new Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center, a hub and new front door to campus for prospective Baylor students, current students and alumni as well. KWBU-FM (NPR/Waco) also reported on the Hurd Welcome Center.
KWKT-TV (FOX/Waco): Community Welcomes Students for Greet-A-Scholar Day
VIDEO: On the first day of classes, students at the newly built G.W. Carver Middle School were greeted by teachers and staff, the Waco NAACP, the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and Baylor University’s External Affairs Office. These different groups spread positive messages with love and kindness and passed out pencils to each student.
Healthcare Business Today: Qualities And Skills Necessary For Effective Nursing Leadership
Nursing leaders are constantly faced with tough decisions which may carry significant consequences, such as allocating resources and drafting up policies that can affect the entire organization. This is a core part of the curriculum for Baylor University’s DNP-Executive Nurse Leadership program.
Aug. 15, 2023
KWKT-TV (FOX/Waco): Baylor Students Welcome Incoming Freshmen
VIDEO: Spirits are high as returning Baylor students as well as Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., welcome incoming freshmen as they moved into residence halls across campus. “We want all of our students coming back, whether they’re first-year students or they’ve been here for two or three years, to know that they’re loved. They’re cared for. And that we’re so excited that they’re coming back.” KWTX-TV (CBS/Waco) also reported on Baylor move-in.
BBC Work Life: What rockets a brand into cult following status?
Claudio Alvarez, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing at Baylor, is quoted in this article about what rockets a brand, like Barbie, into a venerated and highly coveted cult status with intense staying power. Alvarez says that certain cult brands feel “almost like being with a friend… When a community of devoted consumers form around a brand, becoming a part of this community adds an extra layer of connection and loyalty.”
Inside Higher Ed: Rental Increases are Slowing Down—Except in Student Housing
This article about rental prices for off-campus purpose-built student housing growing faster than rents for other nearby units, quotes Jeremy Vickers, associate vice president in the Office of External Affairs at Baylor, who said that a number of national student housing companies have moved into Waco and built housing near campus with higher rents but with premium location and amenities.
WalletHub: 2023’s Best & Worst Community Colleges
With college costs rising and more Americans pursuing degrees, community-college proves to be an attractive option for many students. Saralyn McKinnon-Crowley, Ph.D., – assistant professor, higher education studies and leadership at Baylor, is among the higher education experts quoted in this article.
Aug. 16, 2023
EurekAlert: The Global Flourishing Study launches open access of sample research data with the Center for Open Science
The first sample dataset from the Global Flourishing Study (GFS) initiative is now available to researchers through the Center for Open Science (COS). The GFS, a partnership among Gallup, COS and researchers at Baylor University and Harvard University, is a $43.4 million, five-year study of 200,000 individuals in 22 countries.
Waco Tribune-Herald: Baylor reopens Collins dorm after $41.7 million renovation that took 14 months
Students moving into Baylor University this week are seeing the final result of a $41.7 million renovation that has transformed Collins Residence Hall known to generations of alumni. Tiffany Lowe, director for campus living and learning at Baylor, said, “Collins has a long legacy of community and students wanting to live there… It was really exciting to preserve some of that history and also modernize it for today’s students and for the student of the future.”
KWTX-TV (CBS/Waco): Making The Grade: Central Texas public schools show scattered responses to using popular artificial intelligence chat bot in the classroom
VIDEO: Baylor journalism lecturer Matthew Brammer is among the local educators who share his perspective on the use of new artificial intelligence technology. Brammer has been researching ChatGPT since December 2022 said its vital for schools to know and understand this technology. “It is powerful, and it is here,” he said. “Let’s use it morally because it will help us.”
Aug. 17, 2023
Religion Unplugged: Jesus At The Ballpark: Why MLB Teams Host Faith Nights
This article about faith-and-family promotions at MLB games this season, quotes Paul Putz, Ph.D., assistant director of Baylor University’s Faith & Sports Institute, about the Baltimore Orioles organizing what ticket stubs called “Inter-Faith Night” in the 1950s. Later, baseball teams - particularly in the minor leagues - implemented “all-faith days” where anyone presenting a church bulletin got a discounted ticket, Putz said.
Waco Tribune-Herald: Dracula gets new life in original play ‘Stake’ at Brazos Theatre
Count Dracula returns to make an appearance on the Brazos Theatre stage in its original production of Michael Long’s play “Stake,” a time-traveling sequel to Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” For Long, a Baylor professor of Russian and chair of its modern languages department, it’s the realization of a dream that started in a dream more than 10 years ago.
Aug. 18, 2023
Baylor Connections: Major General Joel Carey
AUDIO: Maj. Gen. Joel Carey serves as Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence, and Nuclear Integration of the United States Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, based in Germany. This year, he was recognized as Baylor’s 2023 Alumnus of the Year. In this Baylor Connections, Gen. Carey shares where Air Force service has led him and his family, looks back on his time as a Baylor student and football player, and examines the privilege of working with the men and women of the Air Force.
Waco Tribune-Herald: Baylor bear cubs Indy and Belle move into on-campus habitat
Members of the Baylor class of 2027 were not the only Baylor bears moving into their new homes on campus this week. Judge Indy and Judge Belle, Baylor University’s newest live bear mascots, moved into the Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat in the heart of Baylor’s campus and were met by large crowds of students, parents and Baylor faculty itching for a first sight of the almost 7-month-old cubs.
The Chris Spangle Show: The Power of Family Meals: Personal Stories of Impact from a Catholic Priest and Theology Professor
AUDIO: Rev. Leo Patalinghug, a Catholic priest who founded the Plating Grace Mission and the Table Foundation, and Michael Foley, Ph.D., professor of patristics at Baylor and author of "Dining with the Saints," discuss the importance of family meals and building community around food.
Homelight.com: 7 Questions to Test Your Agent’s Real Estate Marketing Plan
This article about how a real estate marketing approach can make all the difference in attracting potential buyers and securing a quick sale at the right price quotes Randy Hacker, M.B.A., clinical assistant professor of marketing and executive director of the Keller Center for Research at who offers this word of caution: “Sellers should recognize that many marketing efforts require a reasonable amount of time to generate results, so don’t pull the plug too quickly.”
Aug. 19, 2023
Deseret News: Perspective: A better way to work through racial tension
This essay about by George Yancey, Ph.D., professor of sociology at Baylor, about how the path of mutual accountability can lead us out of our current stalemate over racial division, was adapted from his book “Beyond Racial Division.” Yancey researches institutional racial diversity, racial identity, academic bias, progressive Christians and anti-Christian hostility.
ABOUT BAYLOR MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Baylor's Office of Media and Public Relations (M&PR) supports the University's Illuminate strategic plan as a top Christian research university by focusing on faculty research and expert opinions, innovative teaching, major awards and recognition, and community involvement. Through its media training workshops, the Baylor M&PR team develops faculty experts to effectively communicate the impact of their research or speak as subject-matter experts into national trends and conversations with media outlets, through Hot Topics and on the Baylor Connections podcast. Our faculty expert directory is available on the M&PR website.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.