TEDxBaylor University Is Coming to Campus with “Innovation in Deeds”

Contact: Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin, 254-327-8012 
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Baylor University will host its inaugural TEDx event, presenting ideas of “Innovation in Deeds” on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in the McClinton Family Auditorium in Baylor’s Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation. Organized independently under a license from TED, TEDxBaylor University will feature a dynamic lineup of speakers from across campus and Waco sharing innovative ideas, groundbreaking research and inspiring personal stories. The event is led by the Baylor University External Affairs team.

“We originally decided to pursue a TEDx license because we saw an opportunity to bring innovators, thought leaders and changemakers to campus for a day to explore new and creative ideas that could change the world, all starting on our campus,” said Jeremy Vickers, Ph.D., associate vice president for Innovation & Economic Development at Baylor. “Bringing TEDx to Waco and Baylor not only helps to encourage and foster a community of innovation, but it also shows that our community and institution are thought leaders in the global landscape of big ideas.

“Bringing TEDx to Waco and Baylor not only helps to encourage and foster a community of innovation, but it also shows that our community and institution are thought leaders in the global landscape of big ideas." - Jeremy Vickers, Ph.D.

“Innovation in Deeds” will showcase the power of bold, innovative ideas in action, embodying Baylor’s Pro Mundo vision through interdisciplinary collaboration, creative ingenuity and shared learning. This theme shines a spotlight on how courageous thinking, when turned into action, can ignite transformative change across the world. 

“TEDx emphasizes how ideas can change everything and represents the perfect intersection between the Baylor Waco initiative and our goals,” said Krista Brinser, senior director of External Affairs at Baylor. “There is an incredible opportunity to amplify innovative ideas emerging from Waco, right here at Baylor University, on a global stage, in strong alignment with Baylor's Pro Mundo vision."

Speakers for the event – which will include Baylor faculty, staff and students as well as local community members – will be selected by a curation committee through an invitation-only process.

“I’m looking forward to learning from our speakers, particularly our students, on their ideas that will impact the world,” Brinser said.

“What excites me most about hosting our first TEDx event is the opportunity to engage our student body in the thought process of hearing and synthesizing unique expressions and then challenging them to go change the world for good,” Vickers said. 

A limited number of tickets will be made available to Baylor University faculty, staff and students. Video recordings of the talks will be available at a later date on TED.com.

ABOUT TEDx, x = INDEPENDENTLY ORGANIZED EVENT

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED

TED is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to discovering, debating and spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community. 

TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, but today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues. In addition to the TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed) and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, thousands of independently run TEDx events bring people together to share ideas and bridge divides in communities on every continent. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze more than $3 billion in funding for projects that seek to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just. In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero future, and in 2023 TED launched TED Democracy to spark a new kind of conversation focused on realistic pathways towards a more vibrant and equitable future. View a full list of TED’s many programs and initiatives.

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. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.