News

Abbreviations for degrees conferred on May 2004 graduates.

Twenty-three Baylor University faculty members back in Texas after completing a successful academic conference last week at the University of Dohuk in northern Iraq.

A delegation of 23 Baylor University professors returned to Texas from Iraq on Dec. 23 with tales of Iraqis' jubilation over the capture of Saddam Hussein and appreciation for Baylor's support, as the country seeks to rebuild its higher education system.

Baylor University facilities will vary their usual hours during the Christmas holidays. All university offices and facilities will be closed Dec. 24-25 and Jan. 1-2.

Baylor University's Air Force ROTC detachment will commission two students as second lieutenants at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, in the Baines-Fentress room at the Bill Daniel Student Center.

While most Baylor University students have eagerly anticipated Christmas morning since they were toddlers, some students will be experiencing their very first Christmas celebration this year.

Baylor University will confer degrees on more than 800 graduates in commencement ceremonies at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, in the Ferrell Center.

The design of Baylor University's 500,000-square-foot Sciences Building, slated to open in fall 2004, will exceed the energy-saving requirements of the 2000 International Energy Conservation Code, thanks to designers who used a variety of environmentally responsible approaches to house 21st century science at Baylor.

Baylor University is among a consortium of colleges receiving accolades in the Dec. 15 issue of BusinessWeek for launching Independent 529 Plan, a new prepaid college tuition plan named by the national publication as one of the "Best Products of 2003."

Justice Thomas W. Gray, a 1985 Baylor Law School graduate, was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the 10th Court of Appeals, Waco, during an investiture ceremony Dec. 9 at Baylor Law School.

Dr. David Rudd, professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of the doctoral program in clinical psychology at Baylor University, was elected by his peers as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) for 2004.

The Baylor family kicked off the Christmas season with music and fellowship Wednesday, Dec. 3, on Burleson Quadrangle with Christmas on Fifth Street, a holiday event sponsored by the Place 2BU and Kappa Omega Tau fraternity.

Baylor University President Robert B. Sloan Jr. announced today that George W. Truett Theological Seminary Dean Paul W. Powell, who assumed the post in February 2001 with a commitment to serve up to three years, has agreed to continue as dean beyond his third-year anniversary.

More than 300 Baylor University business students, in 80 teams, vied for cash and awards Dec. 2 in the ninth annual Edward Jones New Venture Challenge at Baylor.

Baylor University recently honored Mrs. Nell Milburn Menn of Appleton, Wisc., for her generosity in establishing an endowed scholarship benefiting students enrolled in the Baylor School of Music.

Baylor University's Library Advancement Office in Moody Memorial Library is selling boxes of Christmas cards and note cards, which feature illustrations from some of the library's rare materials. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Baylor library system.

Baylor University ushered in the holiday season Dec. 3 with "Christmas on Fifth Street," an annual celebration sponsored by the Place 2BU and Kappa Omega Tau fraternity.

Baylor University business student Jessie Fiske wants to keep high school teens from having to "learn the hard way" about personal finances. As a service to the community, Fiske and 29 other members of the Baylor Economists have decided to go into the classrooms of Waco high schools.

The 11th annual Santa's Workshop will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Baylor University in the Student Life Center. More than 975 preschoolers and 200 adults are expected to attend this year. Baylor Student Activities, Baylor Staff Council and ARAMARK will sponsor the event; along with additional help from other Baylor departments.

Longtime Baylor University supporter and Indiana philanthropist Virginia Beall Ball passed away Monday, Dec. 1, in a Miami hospital. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at First Presbyterian Church in Muncie, Ind.

Baylor University will usher in the holiday season Wednesday, Dec. 3, with Christmas on Fifth Street, an annual celebration sponsored by the Place 2BU and Kappa Omega Tau fraternity. Special events include the traditional tree lighting ceremony and performances by award-winning Christian bands Caedmon's Call and Jars of Clay.

Baylor graduate Brig. Gen. Jan "Denny" Eakle knows what it means to overcome adversity. Now serving as Vice Commander of Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, Eakle began her military career when she enlisted as a cadet in Baylor's Air Force ROTC program in 1971.

The Sunday, Dec. 7, concert featuring the Baylor University Chamber Singers is sold out, but tickets are still available for the group's performances at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8, and Tuesday, Dec. 9, in the McLean Foyer of Meditation in Armstrong Browning Library.

Baylor University's Concert Jazz Ensemble -- a 21-member group that performs under the direction of Alex Parker, lecturer in jazz studies -- will present its second concert of the fall semester at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, in Roxy Grove Hall.

Baylor University today introduced the national steering committee for its proposed George W. Bush Presidential Library Center. The committee's primary objectives are to oversee the university's formal Presidential Library planning committee and to direct fundraising efforts for the library. Streaming video of the news conference is available now at

Baylor University today introduced the national steering committee for its proposed George W. Bush Presidential Library Center.

Baylor University will make an announcement regarding its bid for the George W. Bush Presidential Library during a news conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26, at the Harry and Anna Jeanes Discovery Center on University Parks Drive on the Baylor campus.

The Baylor String Quartet -- four string students with a love for the jazz idiom -- will present a recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, in Roxy Grove Hall.

The Baylor University Handbell Choir will present "A Concert of Music for Thanksgiving and Christmas" at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, in Recital Hall II, located adjacent to the lobby of Waco Hall.

The 210-member Baylor University Golden Wave Band will present its annual "In Concert!" performance at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, in the Ferrell Center.

Baylor University faculty, staff and students are invited to screenings of "Christmas at Baylor," KWBU-TV's first nationally distributed PBS program, which will air on public television stations across the country in December. The screenings will be held at 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, in the SBC Theater in the Harry and Anna Jeanes Discovery Center.

Dr. Lianne Fridriksson, associate professor and director of graduate studies in the department of journalism at Baylor University, has received a Fulbright Scholar grant, the third time she has received the prestigious award. During the spring semester, Fridriksson will lecture at the Ivan Franko National University in Lviv, Ukraine, and will conduct research on media-government relations.

Baylor University President Robert B. Sloan Jr. has appointed R. Kimberly (Kim) Gaynor as interim vice president for university relations, effective immediately. Gaynor joins Baylor after a long career in advertising, most recently with Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt, the largest advertising agency in the U.S. and the fifth largest worldwide.

Baylor University welcomes worship leader Charlie Hall for Chapel at 10 and 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Waco Hall.

The Baylor University Concert Orchestra will present its first concert of the 2003-2004 season at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Jones Concert Hall in the Glennis McCrary Music Building.

Dr. E. Bruce Thompson, professor emeritus of history and former chair of Baylor University's department of history, died Nov. 13 at a Waco hospital. He was 94.

Five Baylor University faculty and staff members - all Waco residents - were honored with the Herbert H. Reynolds Award for Exemplary Service during Baylor's homecoming football game Nov. 8 at Floyd Casey Stadium.

Baylor University graduate Joel Bacon will present an alumni organ recital at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, in the Paul W. Powell Chapel at George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Bacon will perform the second recital during the inaugural season of the new Carter Family Organ.

Baylor University has been chosen as a 2003 "Publisher's Pick" by The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education as a U.S. university that does "a fine job recruiting, enabling and graduating Hispanic students," according to publisher José López-Isa.

The Baylor University Jazz Ensemble, comprised of nearly 20 of the School of Music's finest jazz players, will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, in the Jesse H. Jones Theater of Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center.

Baylor University will welcome the world to campus Nov. 13-21 during International Education Week. As a mandated event from the U.S. Department of State, International Education Week is designed to increase awareness of international influences on university campuses so students can gain the necessary skills to be successful global citizens.

Baylor University will present the inaugural Chaplain Robert P. Taylor Award for a distinguished Baylor War Hero at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, at the Ring of Honor outside Pat Neff Hall. Accepting the award, which will be given posthumously to Taylor, will be his widow, Mildred Taylor of Arlington, and his son, Robert P. Taylor Jr., of Vienna, Va.

Baylor University's Symphonic Band will present its second concert of the 2003-2004 season at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, in Jones Concert Hall in the Glennis McCrary Music Building.

More than 800 Boy Scouts, scoutmasters and merit badge counselors will be on the Baylor University campus from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 15, and again Saturday, Nov. 22, for the Heart O' Texas Council Merit Badge College. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. each Saturday in Waco Hall. Classes will be held at various sites across campus.

The top eight acts from All University Sing 2003 delivered four outstanding performances at the 45th annual Pigskin Revue during Baylor's Homecoming weekend, Thursday, Nov. 6, through Saturday, Nov. 8.

The permanent consultant for Renaissance art to the Vatican Museums will deliver the M.D. Anderson Lecture at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, in room 149 at the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center on the Baylor University campus.

Baylor University's Model United Nations team earned the Best Delegation award and more than half of the delegates returned with individual honors after competing at the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nation Conference Nov. 5-9.

Baylor University students, alumni, faculty and staff proved they weren't fair-weather fans Saturday when they braved chilly weather and drizzle to watch Baylor's 94th annual Homecoming parade.

The Baylor Opera Theater will present "An Evening of Opera Scenes" at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, and Saturday, Nov. 15, in the Blackbox Opera Theater on the Baylor University campus.

Dr. Eileen Hulme, vice president for student life, will speak to Baylor University students during Chapel at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, in Waco Hall.

The Baylor Percussion Ensemble and the Baylor Steel Band -- a "spin-off" group of percussion students -- will perform a joint concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, in Jones Concert Hall in the Glennis McCrary Music Building.

Two faculty members from Henderson State University in Arkansas - pianist Jeri-Mae G. Astolfi and composer/synthesizer player Phillip Schroeder - will perform "The Music of Phillip Schroeder," during a guest recital at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, in Roxy Grove Hall.

Assistant Professor of Horn Jeffrey Powers will present a faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, in Roxy Grove Hall.

Baylor University's Air Force ROTC cadets will hold a 24-hour flag vigil beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, at the flag pole in front of Pat Neff Hall. The vigil is held annually in conjunction with Veterans Day.

Baylor University's first Master Teacher designees in 10 years - Dr. Ray Wilson, professor of biology, and the late Dr. Helen Ligon, professor emeritus of information systems - were recognized with Baylor's highest faculty honor during the Nov. 7-8 performances of Pigskin Revue.

Baylor University Bookstore will celebrate Homecoming by hosting various alumni authors Friday, Nov. 7, at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 8, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Thirteen authors will be available to visit, sign books and share with interested readers about their different literary works. Baylor University Press also will be present to promote several featured titles.

University Ministries and the Baylor journalism department have joined together to bring Newsweek Contributing Editor Kenneth L. Woodward to Chapel to discuss the integration of faith and the media at 10 and 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 10, in Waco Hall.

Baylor University's Board of Regents at its Homecoming meeting today approved establishment of a new Department of Statistical Science and heard interim reports from three review committees established at its September meeting.

Baylor University will celebrate its 94th Anniversary Homecoming Nov. 5- 9 with an assortment of events and activities for Baylor family and friends.

Baylor University's annual Homecoming Parade will be streamed live on the Internet on

It's still under construction, but the new North Village Residential Community is already proving to be a hit with students, who hope to be among those living at the new complex next fall.

Two Baylor Law School mock trial teams distinguished themselves at prestigious mock trial tournaments in November - the 2003 National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers' Mock Trial Competition and Tournament of Champions, sponsored by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.

Baylor University law students have again led the state of Texas in the passing percentage of the Texas Bar Examination. Baylor School of Law had a 95.33 percent passing rate, topping the other eight law schools in the state for the bar exam taken in July of this year.

Baylor alums on campus for Homecoming can view three-dimensional models of possible designs for the Bill Daniel Student Center renovation.

The sights and sounds of "Christmas at Baylor" will be coming to a PBS station near you in December. Find out more about this national holiday special that features Baylor choirs and orchestras performing at familiar sites around campus.

The Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, in the lobby of the North End Zone Complex at Floyd Casey Stadium. The drive will be held for Daniel Blumrick, a Baylor University student who was critically injured in a motorcycle accident near campus Oct. 30.

Dr. Ellen T. Charry, The Margaret W. Harmon Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, will deliver the eighth annual Willson-Addis Lecture Nov. 5 at Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary.

The Baylor University Alumni Association will honor five recipients with the W.R. White Meritorious Service Award during the annual membership meeting of the Baylor Alumni Association. The presentation will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, in Jones Theater of the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center.

The Baylor University Alumni Association will honor five Baylor University graduates as Outstanding Young Alumni during Pigskin Revue at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, at Waco Hall. This year's honorees are Brad Carson of Claremore, Okla.; Tim Gibbs of Roeland Park, Kan.; John L. Howard Jr. of Washington, D.C.; Yifei Li of Beijing, China; and Joey Seeber of Tyler.

Dr. Walter Bradley, Distinguished Professor of Engineering and associate dean for research in the School of Engineering and Computer Science, and his wife, Ann, will be among the 600 new residents of Baylor University's North Village Residential Community when it opens in fall 2004.

A forensic engineer who spent four months reassembling the space shuttle Columbia will speak on "Columbia Reconstruction and Debris Assessment (Putting all the Pieces Together in the World's Largest Puzzle)" at noon Monday, Nov. 10, in room 109 of the Rogers Engineering and Computer Science Building on the Baylor University campus.

Four national architectural firms that specialize in college student center renovation projects are on the Baylor University campus this week, participating in a design competition exercise for the Bill Daniel Student Center renovation/expansion project.

Dr. Judy Wright Lott, dean of Baylor University's Louise Herrington School of Nursing, will be one of two Texas nurses inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing during the organization's annual national meeting and conference Nov. 15 in San Diego.

With Baylor University students studying overseas in record numbers, the newly established Glennis McCrary Goodrich International Scholarship Program will allow more students than ever to study abroad, where they share in other cultures and learn more about themselves in the process.

Baylor University President Robert B. Sloan Jr. has announced the designation of Master Teacher - the highest honor granted to Baylor faculty members - on Dr. F. Ray Wilson II, professor of biology, and the late Dr. Helen H. Ligon, Emeritus Professor of Information Systems.

A portion of the under-construction Baylor Sciences Building was damaged by an early morning fire Friday, Oct. 31, but an early assessment by university and Beck Construction officials showed the damage to be less substantial than first thought.

Four Baylor University faculty members will discuss the bioethical issues in Mary Shelley's classic "Frankenstein" at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3, in Barfield Drawing Room at the Bill Daniel Student Center. "Playing with Fire: The Frankenstein Myth through the Ages" coincides with the traveling exhibit on Frankenstein that is on display in Moody Memorial Library.

One-hundred Central Texas mayors have endorsed Baylor University's proposal to locate the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Waco, outlining in a letter to President Bush the educational and economic benefits of a presidential library in Central Texas. The mayors represent communities in 23 counties across the region. The letter was forwarded Oct. 30 to the White House.

Funeral services for Judge Connally McKay, a Baylor Law School graduate and former Baylor trustee, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at Green Acres Baptist Church, 1607 Troup Hwy 110 in Tyler, with the Rev. Paul Powell and the Rev. David Dykes officiating. Burial will follow at Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler. Judge McKay died Thursday, Oct. 23, at the age of 89.

Baylor University's Air Force ROTC detachment will host an area conclave Friday through Sunday, Oct. 31-Nov. 2. ROTC cadets from 14 universities from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas are expected to attend. Brig. Gen. Jan Denny Eakle, a Baylor University alumna, will serve a guest speaker at a military banquet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Barfield Drawing Room.

Two Baylor University graduate students and a British debate team will debate the United States' involvement in the World Trade Organization as part of the Rufus and Alline Huff Debate on U.S. Foreign Policy at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, in Roxy Grove Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

David Graves, a lecturer in low brass in the Baylor University School of Music, will present a faculty tuba recital at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, in Meadows Recital Hall, located in the Glennis McCrary Music Building. He will be joined by graduate pianist Jesse Davis.

The Baylor Organ Department will present its 11th annual Halloween Organ Recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, in Roxy Grove Hall.

Mairead Corrigan-Maguire, winner of the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize, will speak Oct. 29 at Baylor University's 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Chapel services in Waco Hall. Corrigan-Maguire has advocated for peace in more than 25 countries and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to bring peace to her homeland in Northern Ireland.

Baylor University's Center for Community Learning and Enrichment will hold its popular Super Saturday classes for preschoolers through high school seniors, beginning Nov. 1.

Renowned scholars in ethics and education will gather on the Baylor University campus Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, to participate in the Pruit Memorial Symposium. The annual event will focus on "The Schooled Heart: Moral Formation in American Higher Education" and will explore questions about the nature of and need for moral direction within the context of American higher education.

Baylor Law School's outstanding advocacy reputation received yet more praise and success in both on-campus and off-campus contests recently.

Six graduates of Baylor University School of Law are scheduled to receive juris doctor degrees during commencement ceremonies at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Sheila and Walter Umphrey Law Center on the Baylor campus.

An interdisciplinary team of Baylor University researchers will study homeland security options for detecting and removing nuclear, chemical and biological contamination of drinking water supplies, as a result of a $300,000 contract from Advanced Concepts and Technologies International (ACT I) of Waco.

Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff, a finalist for the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching, will deliver a lecture at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, in room 100 at Morrison Constitution Hall.

Since the first week in September, 78 parents and community members in the 40-block area around an inner-city Waco middle school have enrolled in LEAF (Learning English Among Friends), a joint family literacy project of the Baylor University Schools of Education and Social Work, GEAR UP Waco, Cesar Chavez Middle School, the Texas Baptist Literacy Missions Center and the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

In observance of National Archives Week, Baylor University's Collections of Political Materials (BCPM), located on the first floor of the W.R. Poage Legislative Library, will host an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23.