News

A program at the Austin Convention Center on Friday, Feb. 3, will mark the formal investiture of Baylor law graduate and former Waco resident Justice Priscilla Owen to the bench of the New Orleans-based Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Baylor student Keron Jackson, a music major, will sing, and a number of faculty, staff and friends of Justice Owen from Baylor Law School are planning to attend.

The 18th varsity sport added at Baylor University recently jumped a major hurdle. Richard (BU '81, '82) and Karen (BU '85) Willis of Colleyville, Texas, have provided the lead gift for the Willis Family Equestrian Center.

Baylor University professor Dr. Christopher Marsh will deliver a lecture titled "Religious Difference and the Intensity of Post-Communist Ethnic Conflict" at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, in Room 116 of the Draper Academic Building as part of the Global Issues Lecture Series.

A two-person delegation representing Mongolia - the northern Asian country between China and Russia - will be visiting Baylor University and its Study Abroad Fair today, as the guests of Jerry and Susan Smith of LifeQwest Ministries and the city of Irving, Texas.

Baylor Law School will open its classrooms to the public on Saturday, Feb. 25, as it hosts the first "People's Law School." The program is free and open to the public.

The recent drought and wildfires that have scorched Texas and Oklahoma are not just causing problems for residents, but also local wildlife. Dr. Susan Bratton, chair of Baylor University's department of environmental studies, said the lack of rain could affect everything from reproduction rates in animals and plants to total displacement of some species.

Baylor University will celebrate the message and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a tribute at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23, in the Barfield Drawing Room of the Bill Daniel Student Center. The annual event, hosted by the Association of Black Students, will feature the artistic talents of students in order to honor the outstanding accomplishments of Dr. King in his pursuit of racial equality.

Baylor University's investment return rate of 14.2 percent on its endowment for fiscal year 2005 ranked the university in the top 6 percent of all U.S. colleges and universities (44th out of nearly 750 institutions), according to information released Jan. 23 by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).

Dr. Giuseppe Mazzotta, chairman of the department of Italian at Yale University and the Sterling Professor of Humanities for Italian, will deliver a lecture on the Italian poet Dante at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, in room 100 at Morrison Constitution Hall on the Baylor University campus. The lecture, "Dante's Quest: Inferno I and II," is sponsored by Baylor's Honors College and the department of philosophy.

A joint exhibition by contemporary New York artists Mary Temple and Carson Fox is on display at Baylor University's Martin Museum of Art through March 4.

The 18th National University of Dallas Print Invitational will open in the Martin Museum of Art at Baylor University on Tuesday, Jan. 24, and will run through March 4.

Dr. Kristian Klefstad, lecturer in piano at Baylor University, will present a faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, in Roxy Grove Hall.

Baylor University is inviting all students to participate in the city-wide collection of $5 gift cards to local fast food restaurants for distribution to the local homeless population.

Of the three Texas teams competing in PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) Extreme Tax Policy competition (xTAX) this year, Baylor University's team is the only one advancing to the final round. Twenty-six teams from colleges and universities across the country participated in this year's competition, and the top five teams - Baylor, Brigham Young, Bryant College, Michigan State and Notre Dame - will compete in the national finals Jan. 27 in Washington, D.C.

On Jan. 27, 1756, one of the supreme geniuses in the history of music -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- was born in Salzburg, Austria. To mark the 250th return of this auspicious date, the Baylor University School of Music will present a gala concert, featuring wind players, vocal soloists, two major choirs, a piano soloist and orchestra.

Baylor Opera Theater will present a pair of one-act operas by Italian master Giacomo Puccini -- his Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi -- from Jan. 28-31 in the Jesse H. Jones Theater of Baylor University's Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center.

Baylor University will be closed and no classes will be held Monday, Jan. 16, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

On Jan. 20, the Baylor Alumni Association will bestow the Distinguished Alumni Award upon four Baylor graduates -- Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, Dr. William T. McKinney Jr., Judge Priscilla Richman Owen and Gary Keller -- at a black-tie banquet in the Cashion Academic Center on the Baylor campus. Presented annually since 1965, the prestigious award has honored governors and scientists, artists and denominational leaders, and educators and entrepreneurs.

Organist Richard Benefield will present the opening recital at Baylor University's 12th annual Midwinter Organ Conference, which runs from Feb. 12-14. He will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, on the Carter Family Organ in George W. Truett Theological Seminary's Paul Powell Chapel.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded one of its highly coveted fellowships to a Baylor University history professor. Dr. Thomas Kidd has been named a recipient of the fellowship for 2006-2007, which will allow him to work full-time on his forthcoming book "Awakenings: The First Generation of American Evangelical Christianity," which is under contract with Yale University Press.

Dr. Terry S. Maness, dean of the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University, has announced the appointment of Dr. Mitchell Neubert to the position of Chavanne Chair for Christian Ethics in Business.

January marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Benjamim Franklin, and Baylor's Dr. Blaine McCormick, professor of management and a nationally recognized scholar on Franklin's business practices, is available for interviews about the famous statesman and entrepreneur.

Baylor University has named the conductor of the famed St. Olaf Choir as the recipient of the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching, the single largest award given to an individual for great teaching. Dr. Anton Armstrong, the Harry R. and Thora H. Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, will receive $200,000 plus $25,000 for his home department and will teach in residence at Baylor during the 2007 spring semester and first summer session.

Dr. Bruce Winter, warden of Tyndale House, an international center for biblical research in Cambridge, England, will deliver the keynote lecture at the Minette and Huber Lelland Drumwright Jr. Endowed Colloquium in New Testament Studies at Baylor University.

Baylor University's 13th President, Dr. John M. Lilley, officially began his Baylor presidency on Jan. 1, with a busy week that had Baylor's leader traveling from coast to coast on behalf of his alma mater.

Gerald R. Powell, The Abner V. McCall Professor of Evidence at Baylor Law School, has been named the new director of Baylor Law School's Practice Court Program. Powell, who recently was named a Master Teacher, the highest honor granted to Baylor faculty members, will assume leadership of the Practice Court Program, which has been the bedrock of Baylor's advocacy training since 1922.

Baylor University offices and campus facilities will vary their normal operating hours during the Christmas and New Year's holidays. University administrative offices, with the exception of the development office and other essential services, will be closed for the Christmas break Dec. 26-Jan. 2.

High profile Waco attorney Jim Wren will teach in Baylor Law School's nationally ranked advocacy program after being named the school's Practice Court Professor for the 2006 Spring Quarter. Wren, who will assume his new responsibilities at Baylor on Jan. 1, 2006, has been a partner in the law firm of Williams Squires Wren Brown & Gilliland, L.L.P. since 1997.

As Iraqi citizens headed to the polls to vote in historic elections, four Baylor University professors returned to Texas soil, after helping their colleagues at Dohuk University in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq establish and dedicate Dohuk's Center for Democracy and Diplomacy.

Helping the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program brought Baylor law students a welcome relief from the ordeal of being called upon in class by their professors.

Baylor University will confer degrees on more than 700 graduates during commencement ceremonies at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, in the Ferrell Center on the Baylor campus.

With Iraqi citizens heading to the polls to vote in historic elections, four Baylor University professors are headed back to Texas after helping their colleagues at Dohuk University in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq establish and dedicate Dohuk's Center for Democracy and Diplomacy.

After serving for nearly a year in Iraq, more than 2,500 soldiers of the 56th Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division, returned to their families and their civilian jobs, after a rousing and emotional welcome home ceremony Dec. 10 at Baylor University's Floyd Casey Stadium.

Baylor University Interim President William D. Underwood has announced the appointment of Dr. William H. Bellinger, professor and director of graduate studies in the department of religion, as chair of the religion department, effective June 1, 2006. The appointment was made following the recommendation of department of religion faculty.

John F. Baugh will be presented with the Abner V. McCall Religious Liberty Award by the Baylor Alumni Association during fall commencement at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at Baylor University. The award is given to Baylor alumni or friends who exemplify the dedication and commitment to religious liberty demonstrated by former Baylor president, Judge Abner V. McCall.

The campus of Baylor University is alive with the Christmas spirit. Baylor faculty, staff, students and the community have been celebrating the season during many special events held on campus during December.

The Association for Recorded Sound Collections has selected Robert Darden, associate professor of journalism at Baylor University, as a winner of an Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research for his book "People Get Ready: A New History of Black Gospel Music."

Baylor University students attending chapel on Nov. 28, were presented with a gift that hopefully will impact their lives and give them guidance for the future. Nearly 3,000 copies of Understanding God's Will: How to Hack the Equation Without Formulas, written by the late University Baptist Church pastor Kyle Lake, were distributed to students in both morning services.

Baylor University officials announced this morning that the university will be open on Thursday and will operate on a regular schedule.

Baylor University Interim President William D. Underwood has announced the designation of Master Teacher - the highest honor granted to Baylor faculty members - will be conferred upon Dr. D. Thomas Hanks Jr., professor of English at Baylor, and Gerald R. Powell, The Abner V. McCall Professor of Evidence at Baylor Law School.

Baylor University Interim President William D. Underwood was elected Friday by the Mercer University Board of Trustees as the university's 18th president. Underwood will succeed Dr. R. Kirby Godsey, who has served as Mercer's president for the past 27 years. Underwood will assume the presidency on July 1, 2006.

Baylor University senior Jamie Gianoutsos has been selected a 2006 Marshall Scholar, one of 42 university students in America to receive this premier scholarly award for study in the United Kingdom.

More than 500 area children will be treated to Christmas carols, a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus and, most importantly, presents at the 13th annual Santa's Workshop Friday, Dec. 2 from 10 a.m. to noon at the McLane Student Life Center on the Baylor University campus.

Kappa Omega Tau (KOT) and the Place2BU are teaming up to host the 40th annual KOT Christmas Tree Lighting/Christmas on Fifth Street at 7 p.m. Thursday in Burleson Quadrangle on the Baylor campus.

Baylor University will hold a campus-wide memorial service for Dr. Daniel E. Wivagg, professor of biology and director of undergraduate studies, at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, in Miller Chapel.

After serving for nearly a year in Iraq, soldiers of the 56th Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division "T-Patchers," will return to their families during a welcome home ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, at Baylor University's Floyd Casey Stadium.

The John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship at Baylor University, along with the City of Waco, the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, and the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Inc. at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, will honor its 19th class of graduates from the FastTrac Entrepreneurial Training Program. The ceremony and reception will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, at Baylor's Hankamer School of Business, in the Blume Conference Room.

Baylor University's Burleson Quadrangle is blooming with winter flowers, and university faculty, staff and students are invited to stroll among the gardens while enjoying homemade Christmas cookies and hot chocolate at the Cookies and Blossoms holiday party from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2.

Baylor University's Bruiser the Bear and five other top vote-getters in this year's Capital One Mascot of the Year contest have advanced to the playoffs. More than 15 million votes were cast to decide the final six, consisting of Nebraska's Herbie Husker, Massachusetts' Sam the Minuteman, Purdue's Purdue Pete, UCLA's Joe Bruin, Tennessee's Smokey, and Baylor's Bruiser.

Due to the Thanksgiving holidays, Baylor University facilities will alter operating hours for many of its facilities and offices. Baylor administrative offices will be closed on Wednesday, Nov. 23, through Sunday, Nov. 27.

Baylor University Interim President William D. Underwood today appointed Larry D. Brumley, senior associate vice president for external relations, to serve as the university's interim vice president for university relations, effective Dec. 1. Brumley succeeds R. Kimberly Gaynor, who has served as interim vice president since November 2003.

Baylor University's CRIAD (Center for Religious Inquiry Across the Disciplines), the Louis Finkelstein Institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Feinstein Center for American Jewish History at Temple University will co-host a conference that will examine the relationship between Christian Evangelicals and Jews.

Dr. Kenneth Hafertepe, professor in museum studies at Baylor University, was one of three winners of the 2005 Publication Awards at the Southeastern Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians (SESAH) conference Oct. 12-15 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary Alumni Association honored Kyle Truman Reese, pastor of First Baptist Church of San Angelo, with its Distinguished Alumnus Award. The award presentation was made at the Friends of Truett dinner Monday, Nov. 14, during the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) in Austin.

Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary Alumni Association has announced the establishment of the Kyle Lake Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund at Truett Seminary. The announcement was made at the Friends of Truett dinner Monday, Nov. 14, during the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) in Austin.

The Baylor University chapter of Chi Omega will host its annual All-University Chili Cook-Off from 6 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 17 at Burleson Quadrangle on the Baylor campus. Benefits from the Chili Cook-Off will benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which helps grant the wishes of terminally ill children.

Baylor University Theatre announces the opening of its production of Noises Off, an award-winning comedy by Michael Frayn, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at the Jones Theatre of the Hooper-Schaeffer Fine Arts Center. Other performances include shows at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18-19 and Dec. 1-3 and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Nov. 20 and Dec. 4.

"Born Again Don" Michael Franzese will address Baylor University students during Chapel at 10 and 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, in Waco Hall.

A noted American history scholar will lecture on "Historical Memory and the African-American Landscape" on Wednesday, Nov. 16. Dr. Edward Linenthal, editor of the Journal of American History, will speak at 4 p.m. in the SBC Theater at the Sue and Frank Mayborn Museum on the Baylor University campus.

Baylor University representatives and officials from the Mexican government will hold a news conference to discuss their collaboration on a new program instituted by the Mexican government to identify the remains of immigrants who died crossing the border. The news conference will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, in room A207 at the Baylor Sciences Building.

The Paul and Jane Meyer Family Foundation has honored Dr. William M. "Bill" Hinson - a 1953 Baylor University graduate and longtime pastor who now serves as vice chairman and CEO of the Haggai Institute - with a permanently endowed chair at Baylor's George W. Truett Theological Seminary.

The African Student Association (ASA) of Baylor University will host its seventh annual cultural extravaganza weekend Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11 and 12, on the Baylor campus. The theme for this year's cultural extravaganza weekend is "R.O.O.T.S. - Recognizing Our Origin through Solidarity," and will conclude with ASA's annual jazz banquet.

Fort Hood Army Capt. Tony Rodriguez will speak to Baylor University students tonight in Bennett Auditorium about his unit's experiences in the high-profile capture of Saddam Hussein. Rodriguez's appearance also marks the launch of "Baylor Adopts," a new adopt-a-soldier program sponsored by Baylor Student Government.

The Guerrilla Comedy Troupe of Baylor University will showcase its all-new improvisation performances at 8:30 and 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, in Theater 11 of the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center on the Baylor campus.

Baylor University's chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha will host the 13th annual Miss Black and Gold Scholarship Pageant Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. in the Barfield Drawing Room. This year's pageant is called "The Nubian Gifts of the Nile."

The 2005 winner of the National Award for Distinguished Teaching of Art History will deliver this year's M.D. Anderson lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, in room 149 at the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center at Baylor University.

Baylor University will host Dr. Gerhard Besier, director of Germany's Hannah Arendt Institute for Research on Totalitarianism, for a series of three lectures Nov. 8-9. The lecture series, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the division of German and Russian in the modern foreign language department, the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies, the department of political science and the Center for International Education.

The Herbert H. Reynolds Awards for Exemplary Service were presented to five individuals during halftime of Baylor University's Homecoming football game on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Floyd Casey Stadium.

The growth of world Christianity will be the focus of the annual Pruit Memorial Symposium, scheduled for Nov. 10-12 at Baylor University. The symposium, which is sponsored by the Institute for Faith and Learning, will feature historians, political scientists, sociologists, theologians and others to discuss past manifestations and future trends of global Christianity.

Baylor University's physics department was recently awarded a three-year, $360,000 grant by the United States Department of Energy for its submission titled, "Elementary Particle Physics at Baylor," a project dedicated to research in high energy physics.

For the ninth year in a row, a Baylor team has won a top team award, and nearly half of all honors, at the Model Organization of American States competition, held Nov. 3-5 at St. Mary's University in San Antonio.

On Saturday, Nov. 12, the Mayborn Museum Complex will host the November Sensational Saturday - Science Magic.

Arthur Schwartz, executive vice president of the John Templeton Foundation, will deliver at Baylor University's inaugural CRIAD (Center for Religious Inquiry Across Disciplines) lecture Nov. 14. Schwartz's lecture will focus on "From Biology to Beliefs to Behavior: Exploring the Nature and Benefits of Religious Experience."

Baylor Law School's winning tradition continues as its students again posted the highest passing percentage in the latest Texas Bar Exam. Results announced this week show that Baylor law students achieved a 93.51 percent pass rate for the bar exam taken in July 2005, topping the pass rates of students from the other eight law schools in the state.

The Baylor University Board of Regents unanimously elected Baylor Distinguished Alumnus and University of Nevada, Reno President Dr. John M. Lilley as the University's 13th president. Dr. Lilley was the 11-member Regent Presidential Search Committee's unanimous choice and will take office Jan. 2, 2006.

The Baylor University Board of Regents today unanimously elected Baylor Distinguished Alumnus and University of Nevada, Reno President Dr. John M. Lilley as the University's 13th president. Dr. Lilley was the 11-member Regent Presidential Search Committee's unanimous choice and will take office Jan. 2, 2006.

The Baylor University Board of Regents today unanimously elected Baylor Distinguished Alumnus and University of Nevada, Reno President Dr. John M. Lilley as the University's 13th president. Dr. Lilley was the 11-member Regent Presidential Search Committee's unanimous choice and will take office Jan. 2, 2006.

Baylor University has scheduled a news conference at 3 p.m. today following a called meeting of the Baylor Board of Regents. The news conference will be held in the first floor law library at Baylor Law School, 1114 S. University Parks Dr.

Baylor University's biannual day of service, Steppin' Out, will take place Sunday, Nov. 6, with the assistance of resources awarded by State Farm Insurance.

Accomplished political adviser, writer and educator Eric Liu will address attendees of Baylor University's Asian Student Association during the organization's annual banquet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, on the fifth floor of the Cashion Academic Building.

Before hundreds of students, alumni and donors on campus for Homecoming, Baylor University officially dedicated the Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat Complex, the newly expanded and renovated facility that houses Baylor's North American black bear mascots.

Instead of sleeping in or taking a short vacation over their fall break, a group of Baylor University students traveled to southeast Texas to assist in relief work related to Hurricane Rita. The powerful storm struck the Gulf coast on Sept. 24, causing extensive damage in the coastal areas in southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas.

Professor Gerald R. Powell, who serves as The Abner V. McCall Professor of Evidence Law, will give the keynote address at Baylor Law School's commencement ceremonies at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, in the Paul W. Powell Chapel at George W. Truett Theological Seminary.

The Baylor University family is deeply grieved by the tragic death of Kyle Lake, pastor of University Baptist Church in Waco. Not only has the university lost a local pastor to students, but also a friend and visionary voice.

The Baylor University Board of Regents at its Homecoming meeting today set tuition and fees for 2006-07 and approved amendments to the institution's articles of incorporation that will reduce the size of the board from 36 members to 16 members over a nine-year period. The news conference is available via streaming video on BaylorTV.com.

Dr. Anton Armstrong, Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College in Minnesota and a finalist for Baylor University's 2006 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching, will lecture on "Vocation and Music Education: Our Calling as Pastoral Musicians" from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, in Meadows Recital Hall on campus.

Dr. Joe Feagin, The Ella C. McFadden Professor of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University and a Baylor University alumnus, will present the third annual Sociology Alumni Homecoming Lecture at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, in room 116 at the Draper Academic Building on campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

On Thursday afternoon, more than 75 middle and high school debaters from nine Waco ISD schools will take part in a new initiative between WISD, Baylor's nationally ranked debate team and Baylor Law School.

Charles Gus Glasscock Jr., an oil executive, former Baylor University trustee and "visionary" supporter of Baylor's environmental studies program, died Oct. 22 in Columbus, Texas. He was 87.

Baylor University will celebrate its 96th anniversary Homecoming Oct. 26-30 with a variety of traditional events and activities.

Best-selling mystery novelist Alexander McCall Smith, author of the "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series, will deliver Baylor University's annual Beall-Russell Lecture at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, in Jones Theater at the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Building. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Due to an 11:30 a.m. kickoff this Saturday between Baylor and Texas Tech, the annual Baylor Homecoming Parade will start earlier with a shortened route.

To show its appreciation for the Central Texas community, Baylor University invites families to the campus on Friday, Nov. 4, for an evening of food and entertainment during Heart of Texas Community Night.

Five graduates of Baylor University were honored by the Baylor Alumni Association with the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, presented on Friday, Oct. 28, during the 7 p.m. performance of Pigskin Revue in Waco Hall.

The National Park Service (NPS) will hold a public hearing on the Waco Mammoth Site at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Mayborn Museum Complex on the Baylor University campus.

Baylor University's bears are throwing a housewarming party to show off their new home. The university will formally dedicate the Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, on Fifth Street and the M.P. Daniel Esplanade, across from the Bear Habitat on the Baylor campus.

The Baylor Alumni Association honored five recipients with the W.R. White Meritorious Service Award during the association's annual membership meeting at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, in Jones Theatre of the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center.

A new exhibit focusing on hurricane damage to library materials of historical and cultural institutions in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama will be featured at an open house hosted by the Baylor Collections of Political Materials (BCPM) on Tuesday, Oct. 25.