Baylor School of Music’s Randall Bradley, D.M.A., Honored Among Big 12 Faculty of The Year
Baylor University's Randall Bradley, D.M.A., has been honored by the Big 12 Conference as one of its Big 12 Faculty of the Year honorees. (Robert Rogers/Baylor University)
Contact: Kelly Craine, 254-297-9065
Follow us: @BaylorUMedia on X and LinkedIn
The Big 12 Conference today announced that Baylor University’s Randall Bradley, D.M.A., Interim Dean of the School of Music, The Ben H. Williams Professor of Music and professor of church music, has been honored as one of the recipients of the Big 12 Faculty of the Year Awards. The annual awards celebrate one top faculty member from each member school for excellence in innovation and research on their campus. Together, the 16 honorees represent what makes college campuses thrive as places of learning and growth.
The Big 12 Faculty of the Year Award is an opportunity to showcase the diversity of research breakthroughs and educational opportunities afforded to students attending Big 12 institutions and helps attract future students.
"The Big 12 continues to shine on and off the field and that’s evidenced in the diversity of academic offerings and achievements of our faculty across the Conference,” said Jenn Hunter, JD, Big 12 Conference Chief Impact Officer. “Their work has a profound impact on both their campuses and society as a whole. We’re proud that these outstanding educators call the Big 12 home."
The Faculty Members of the Year were nominated by their institutions in conjunction with Big 12 Faculty Athletics Reps, Provosts and other university leaders. Bradley is the third Baylor professor to earn conference recognition. Stephen Sloan, Ph.D., professor of history and director of the Institute for Oral History, was honored with the Big 12's inaugural 2024-2025 award. Heidi J. Hornik, Ph.D., professor of art history and chair of the Department of Art and Art History, was recognized in 2025-2026.
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected as Baylor’s Big 12 Faculty of the Year Award recipient,” Bradley said. “Working at Baylor for the last 26 years has been a tremendous honor and one for which I am grateful. Baylor has given me the opportunity to invest my life in teaching, mentoring and building programs that have impacted students who serve in music leadership throughout the United States and around the world. I am deeply humbled to have been a part of this work, and I am honored to receive this important recognition.”
Bradley was honored, in part, for securing two grant awards from the Lilly Endowment supporting innovative faith formation and worship initiatives for children, youth and congregations. Baylor’s Building Bridges to the Future project helped church congregations design, test and implement new models for nurturing the religious lives of middle and high school youth and engaging them more fully in the congregations’ mission and ministries. Another Lilly Endowment grant funded the Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative that connected children’s worship scholars and practitioners while creating comprehensive resources to support the training of children’s leaders and nurturing of young worshipers.
"As a Christian Research 1 university, Baylor is committed to pursuing excellence in discovery, teaching and service while remaining grounded in our Christian mission. Dr. Randall Bradley embodies that commitment through innovative scholarship, visionary leadership and a deep investment in students and communities,” said Interim Provost Lee C. Nordt, Ph.D. “His work has advanced the study and practice of church music, secured significant external support for innovative research initiatives and demonstrated how faith-informed scholarship can address important challenges facing congregations and families. We are proud to see Dr. Bradley recognized among the Big 12's Faculty of the Year."
About Randall Bradley, D.M.A.
A member of the Baylor School of Music faculty since 2000, Bradley has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in church music and led the Dunn Center for Christian Music Studies, a preeminent and collaborative center of study for Christian music worldwide, until his appointment as interim dean. Through Bradley’s vision and perseverance, the Dunn Center has been sustained by endowed support, which includes three major Lilly Endowment Inc. grants for Bradley exceeding $3.5 million and a $6 million estate gift from the late Baylor alumnus Harold Dunn for whom the Dunn Center is named.
A sought-after worship leader, conductor, lecturer and conference presenter, Bradley launched two of the School of Music’s enduring events for church musicians: Alleluia, a one-of-a-kind enrichment event to re-energize and inspire worship leaders, church musicians and volunteer teams, and the Hearn Innovators in Christian Music Series, which enriches Baylor’s academic and spiritual life by bringing prominent innovators and leaders in the field of Christian music to campus. A church music scholar, he also has published articles related to worship, church music and music education, as well as several books, including “Christian Worship: Its Theology and Practice” and “From Postlude to Prelude: Music Ministry’s Other Six Days,” which serve as popular resource books for ministers and textbooks at numerous seminaries and colleges.
In 2014, Bradley was instrumental in establishing doctoral programs in church music, including the D.M.A. and Ph.D., in addition to nurturing its rich academic offerings for undergraduate and master’s students. Internationally, he led the first School of Music & Missions trip to Kenya in 2005 and has led 16 student groups since then to Kenya, Malaysia, El Salvador, Argentina and Indonesia. He also serves as the longtime director of the Baylor University Men’s Choir, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with 300 alumni returning to Baylor for the milestone and to honor their director.
Bradley is a B.M.E. graduate of Troy State University and later earned his M.M. in conducting and D.M.A. in Church Music from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
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 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.
ABOUT THE BAYLOR UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Celebrating more than a century of musical excellence, the Baylor University School of Music offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs serving approximately 350 students and presenting more than 300 performances each year, including the nationally televised production, A Baylor Christmas. Recognized for its high academic standards, the School is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music. In addition to its enrolled majors, the School of Music serves musical opportunities to more than 1,200 students across the Baylor campus. As part of a Christian research university, the School of Music integrates faith, artistry and scholarship – preparing students to become whole musicians and thoughtful leaders who pour into communities, elevate culture and serve the world through their art. Visit the School of Music website to learn more.