History Professor Honored as a 2026 Piper Professor for State of Texas
Stephen M. Sloan, Ph.D., recognized by The Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation for dedication to teaching and outstanding academic, scientific and scholarly achievement
Baylor University President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., presented history professor Stephen M. Sloan, Ph.D., with the Piper Professor designation May 14 in the president's office in Pat Neff Hall. (Matthew Minard/Baylor University)
Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-709-5959
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Baylor University history professor Stephen M. Sloan, Ph.D., who also serves as director of the Institute for Oral History and executive director of the national Oral History Association housed at Baylor, has been honored as a Piper Professor of 2026 for the state of Texas by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation.
The Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation honors 10 professors each academic year across Texas for their dedication to the teaching profession and their outstanding academic, scientific and scholarly achievement. Piper Professors receive a certificate of merit, a gold pin and a $5,000 honorarium.
“As a first-generation college student who changed majors more than once, I never imagined I'd one day receive the Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award as a historian,” Sloan said. “Looking back, I'm reminded that providence writes a better story than we could ever imagine for ourselves. I'm deeply grateful that God called me to teaching and for the students, colleagues and mentors who have made this journey such a joy.”
Sloan was presented with the Piper Professor designation May 14 by Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., marking the fourth Baylor Piper Professor honored since 2021 and 15th overall since the program began in 1958.
“Dr. Stephen Sloan embodies the very qualities the Piper Professor Award celebrates through his exceptional teaching, impactful scholarship and unwavering commitment to students and communities across Texas,” President Livingstone said. “From inspiring curiosity in the classroom to elevating Texas stories through nationally recognized oral history research, Dr. Sloan has made a profound and lasting impact on Baylor, his profession and our state. We are incredibly proud to see him honored as a Piper Professor and grateful for the many ways he enriches the lives of our students and the broader Texas community.”
Academic research, public service
Sloan has built a distinguished career preserving and sharing the stories that shape Texas and the nation through oral histories. A native Texan and first-generation college student, Sloan earned both his B.B.A. and M.A. from Baylor before completing a Ph.D. in public history and U.S. history at Arizona State University. After serving on the faculty at the University of Southern Mississippi, he returned to Baylor in 2007 and rose through the ranks to become one of the University’s most respected teachers, scholars and public historians.
Sloan’s scholarship is deeply rooted in Texas history and the power of oral history to connect personal experiences with larger historical events. His research has documented the stories of Texas veterans, concentration camp liberators, genocide survivors and other individuals whose firsthand accounts offer invaluable insights into the past. He is the author or editor of five books, including Tattooed on My Soul: Texas Veterans Remember World War II, and has published extensively on Texans’ experiences during World War II. His work has earned numerous honors, including the Texas Historical Commission’s Award of Merit, the Oral History Association Book Award, the Elizabeth B. Mason Oral History Project Award and the 2023 Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation from the Texas Historical Commission.
Beyond the classroom, Sloan has made a lasting impact on public history across Texas through leadership, community engagement and innovation. He has served as president of Historic Waco and the Heart of Texas Regional History Fair and created the award-winning Waco History app and website and the Waco History podcast, which bring the city’s rich history to life for residents and visitors alike. Under his leadership, Baylor’s Institute for Oral History has gained international recognition while continuing to preserve thousands of oral histories that document the experiences of Texans and strengthen the connection between academic research and public service.
In addition, Sloan was the first Baylor recipient of the inaugural Big 12 Faculty of the Year Award in 2024, commemorating his innovation and research on his home campus, and also was honored by the University as the 2024 Cornelia Marschall Smith Professor of the Year for his superlative contribution to the learning environment at Baylor through exemplary teaching, research and service.
Past Baylor faculty who have been recognized as Piper Professors include Charles G. Smith, 1960; Cornelia Marschall Smith, 1966; Daniel Sternberg, 1968; Glenn R. Capp, 1972; William J. Boswell, 1975; Robert L. Reid, 1978; Calvin A. Kent, 1988; Robert M. Baird, 1994; Raymond J. Cannon, 1997; Rachel H. Moore, 2003; Larry Kent Gilbreath, 2007; Robert F. Darden, 2021; Alden Smith, 2022; and Andrea L. Dixon, 2023.
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