Baylor in the News – Nov. 5-11, 2023

Contact: Baylor University Media & Public Relations, 254-710-1961 
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WACO, Texas (Nov. 12, 2023) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories about how technology, staff and space were key to the success of Baylor’s Black Gospel Music Preservation Project, sharing the affinity for science, technology, engineering and math with Waco-area students and a rock-climbing Baylor professor who broke his second Guinness World Record.  

Nov. 6, 2023 

Baptist News Global: Black Gospel Music Preservation Program fine tunes the art of cultural preservation 

Technology, staff and space has been the key to the success of Baylor’s Black Gospel Music Preservation Project and its preservation of rare recordings and histories of Black gospel music. Robert Darden, emeritus professor of journalism, public relations and new media at Baylor, is quoted.  

Texas Baptists: Baylor BSM looks to new building to host expanding ministry  

Baylor’s Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) will have a dedicated 12,000-square-foot facility located on campus to meet the needs of the growing ministry. The facility will serve as a center of activity for fellowship and worship nights.  

KTBC-TV (FOX/Austin): Texas cheerleader back on the mat at Baylor University after Elgin shooting 

VIDEO: Baylor University freshman student-athlete Payton Washington is back with the Baylor acrobatics and tumbling team after recovering from injuries sustained when she was shot in a grocery store parking lot last April.  

Nov. 7, 2023 

Religion News Service: The Gospel According to James Baldwin with author Greg Garrett 

AUDIO: Greg Garrett, Ph.D., The Carole McDaniel Hanks Professor of Literature and Culture at Baylor, is interviewed in this podcast about his latest book, “The Gospel According to James Baldwin.” Garrett speaks on the importance of Baldwin’s insights and the application of those insights today.  

The Badger Herald: Food for thought: Clash between engineered and biological food systems creates challenges, waste 

Craig Gundersen, Ph.D., The Snee Family Endowed Chair in Food Security at the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty and a professor of economics at Baylor, is quoted about the importance of recognizing populations that are food insecure. Gundersen shares his expertise on the factors causing food insecurity across the nation and the importance of food assistance programs. 

Miami Vibes: Shaping the Future of Music 

The University of Miami’s Frost School of Music awarded its first-ever Frost Centennial Medals to exceptional alumni, including acclaimed choral director Lynne Gackle, Ph.D., emeritus professor of ensembles at Baylor, for significant contributions to the music school, the music industry and the possibilities for how music and the arts can benefit society at large.

Nov. 8, 2023 

FOX News: The Faulkner Focus: More than 80 colleges, universities condemn Hamas  

VIDEO: Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., joined Rabbi Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University, discussed the ongoing issues related to the Israel-Hamas war on college campuses. President Livingstone said Baylor was supportive alongside Yeshiva and others in condemning Hamas and that a main role of universities in this conflict is to educate and guide the students to understand the meaning of their words and to participate in civil and respectful discourse. 

Baptist Standard: Around the State: HPU opens new site at New Braunfels 

This roundup highlights Baylor alumna Debbie Chou, the fifth Baylor student teacher in the last seven years to receive the Clinical Teacher of the Year award. In addition, Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing in Dallas was commended for obtaining the highest undergraduate program enrollment. 

Baylor Lariat: Beyond the lab: Baylor researchers celebrate STEM Day at local schools  

Seal expert Sarah Kienle, Ph.D. assistant professor of biology at Baylor, was among four Baylor STEM researchers who visited students at J.H. Hines Elementary School, G.W. Carver Middle School and Connally High School, to celebrate STEM Day. With the goal of inspiring an affinity toward STEM in local students, Kienle provided grade-appropriate presentations about her and her team’s work studying leopard seals. 

Nov. 9, 2023 

Washington Times: Theologians call Christian churches to acknowledge, address systemic racism 

Christian churches must acknowledge their historic role in systemic racism and teach that bigotry goes beyond personal sin to unite Americans on racial issues, a panel of Protestant and Anglican theologians said during "The Church and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism," a discussion Nov. 8 in Washington, D.C., sponsored by Baylor in Washington. Baylor participants included Jonathan Tran, Ph.D., associate dean and associate professor of theology in the Honors College, and moral theologian Matthew Anderson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Honors Program and associate director of Baylor in Washington. 

KXXV-TV (ABC/Waco): Baylor professor breaks Guinness World Record 

VIDEO: Alexander Pruss, Ph.D., professor and director of graduate studies in philosophy at Baylor, broke a Guinness World Record for his second time, completing the fastest mile on a rock-climbing wall.  

Waco Tribune-Herald: Back to the classics: Baylor, MCC stage Chekhov, Dickens  

Baylor Theatre will perform an Anton Chekhov’s classic, “Three Sisters,” directed by Baylor graduate student Lucas Skjaret as his thesis project. Chekhov’s play follows a family of four siblings as they navigate their careers and relationships. 

The Wacoan: Waco’s Veterans Day: A time to thank and remember 

This article about Veterans Day in celebration of America’s veterans’ patriotism and sacrifice includes perspectives from Eden Milian, who served for 20 years in the Army and is currently a full-time student at Baylor; Meagan Noranbrock, a Baylor alumna and Army veteran who works at the Waco Veterans’ One Stop; and Veterans of Baylor president and Marine Corps veteran Caroline Burten. 

Nov. 10, 2023 

Baylor Connections: Sharon Stern, M.D. 

AUDIO: Baylor University students can access physicians, nurses, physical therapists, psychiatrists and more through the Baylor Health Center. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Sharon Stern, medical director for Baylor Health Services, shares how the University provides for student health and is proactive in meeting needs throughout the year. 

Baptist Standard: Baylor regents OK funds for Memorial to Enslaved Persons 

Baylor Regents approved $6.3 million to fund a “Memorial to Enslaved Persons” as an addition to Founders Mall. At a Nov. 10 meeting, the University’s Board of Regents authorized the expenditure for the memorial, designed to recognize enslaved people who were involved in building Baylor’s original campus at Independence. The Board meeting also was covered by the Baylor Lariat and Waco Tribune-Herald. 

Waco Tribune-Herald: Waco WWII veteran Rufus Spain recounts 100-year legacy 

Baylor Emeritus Professor of History Rufus Spain is 100 years old, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War and an early advocate of integration during his 56-year career at Baylor University. On Veterans Day, the Waco Tribune-Herald featured Dr. Spain, including memories of his military service. He compiled a book of 300 letters he wrote during the war that provides a rare glimpse into the life of a World War II soldier. 

Texas Lawyer: Longtime Baylor Law Professor to Become School's Next Dean 

Jeremy Counseller, who has been on the faculty of Baylor Law School for 20 years, is set to become the institution’s next dean July 1. 

Southeast Texas Record: Professor of Law Liz Fraley Honored by Dallas Women Lawyers Association with the 2023 Louise B. Raggio Award 

Elizabeth M. Fraley, The Gerald Reading Powell Chair in Advocacy and co-director of the Executive LL.M. in Litigation Management at Baylor Law, has been honored with the Louise B. Raggio Award by the Dallas Women Lawyers Association. The award recognizes Fraley’s outstanding achievements as a trial lawyer, legal educator and advocate for women in the profession. 

Waco Tribune-Herald: A. Christian van Gorder: 45 years after Jonestown, Rev. Jim Jones’ cult yields sobering lessons 

A. Christian van Gorder, Ph.D., associate professor of Islamic studies and world religions at Baylor, writes in this column about how religions worldwide have often been tremendous resources of healing, encouragement and inspiration but also can be abusive, divisive, even evil.   

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.