Baylor Connections

Soon, hundreds of students will embark on Baylor summer missions trips, spanning the globe to serve others and share the love of Christ. Becky Kennedy, Assistant Dean for Spiritual Life and Missions and Associate Chaplain in Baylor Spiritual Life, shares the impact of discipline-specific mission trips that form students as they serve.  

Many will recognize Sam Henderson's voice from his role as the announcer of Baylor Commencement exercises, but his impact at Baylor extends far beyond that stage. A professional actor, screenwriter and professor, Henderson shares his path to stage and screen and unpacks the ways those experiences shape his classroom teaching in Baylor's Theatre Arts and Film and Digital Media Departments.

The landmark Global Flourishing Study, one of the most comprehensive studies of human existence ever undertaken and a first-of-its-kind multi-year investigation into human flourishing, recently released key insights from its first wave of data, highlighted by a gathering at Gallup Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Byron S. Johnson, GFS principal investigator and Director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor, and Matthew T. Lee, Professor of the Social Sciences and Humanities at Baylor ISR and a member of the Global Study of Human Flourishing research team, take listeners inside initial findings.

The Robbins Healthcare MBA program in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business is recognized as a top 20 healthcare management program nationally by U.S. News and World Report, with alumni who lead healthcare organizations from coast to coast. Forest Kim, who serves as program co-director, shares program distinctives and highlights the role alumni play in healthcare innovation and service.

How does technology impact our brains as we age? Many worry that reliance on digital devices may lead to a form of “digital dementia,” but a recent study found otherwise. Michael Scullin, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, examines how the challenges of technology can be beneficial to cognitive function as we age, and shares insights for healthy tech use.

Baylor’s Black Gospel Archive collects, preserves and promotes Black Gospel music. Many pieces, once in danger of being lost forever, have been saved through that work. This year, the Black Gospel Archive will be expanding thanks to a meaningful grant that will showcase the music in new ways. Stephen Newby, The Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship, and Darryl Stuhr, Director of Digitization and Digital Collection Preservation Services within University Libraries, take listeners inside those efforts.

Graduate Student Appreciation Week is an annual celebration of the contributions of graduate students across the nation. At Baylor, nearly 6,000 graduate students elevate the University through research, teaching and more. Graduate School Dean Larry Lyon and Graduate Student Association President James Howard share perspectives on graduate education at Baylor and highlight what makes graduate students distinct.

For many Baylor students, Monday nights at 9pm represent an opportunity to join in worship at a weekly service held by Vertical Ministries. This year, Vertical Ministries celebrates its 15th anniversary. Executive Director Myles Olenski and Associate Director Anna Webb share Vertical’s story, explain why Vertical stays focused on Monday services and discuss the organization’s purpose in serving Baylor students.

When the U.S. Senate needed an expert to testify about the future of America’s spectrum communications, they called on Baylor professor Charlie Baylis. Baylis leads SMART Hub, a Baylor-led Department of Defense innovation center providing groundbreaking wireless communications research for the benefit of men and women in uniform and civilians alike. He takes listeners inside a new paradigm to address overcrowding in wireless communication and unpacks the honor of speaking in the seat of U.S. government. 

When Ade Oyedijo studies the supply chain, his approach is to focus on people. Oyedijo joined Baylor in 2024 after teaching and researching in the United Kingdom for over a decade.  Through his work in World Economic Forum, Oyedijo applies research to important global discussions on the supply chain and its impact. He shares insights on supply chain ethics and the path that led him to Baylor.

What is it like to live with your family in community with hundreds of college students? How do living-learning communities (LLC) at Baylor support students as they strive for excellence in pursuit of their calling? Karenna Malavanti, senior lecturer in psychology and neuroscience at Baylor, is also faculty-in-residence at Earle Hall, where she leads the Science & Health LLC. She takes listeners inside Baylor’s nationally recognized learning communities and describes the joys of intentional life on campus.

Renée Umstattd Meyer, a public health professor at Baylor, has built a nationally recognized reputation through helping communities better support the health of their residents. With a focus on active living, she walks alongside communities as they strive to encourage walking, exercise, play and more. Learn how her research connects with practical pathways for children and adults to engage in activities that are healthy and fun.

From a distinct Christian mission to a history of innovation, Baylor has long served as a light in higher education—as its motto says, Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo. February 2025 marks the University’s 180th birthday. Stephen Sloan, Professor of History and Director of Baylor’s Institute for Oral History, takes listeners inside a few of the threads that connect Baylor through the decades.

Many in the Baylor Family know Blair Browning as the longtime host of All University Sing! and Pigskin Revue, but not everyone knows how deep his Baylor roots run. A 2012 Collins Outstanding Professor honoree, he serves as professor and chair of the Department of Communication. Browning takes listeners inside the Sing experience and shares why he loves teaching Baylor students.

Master Teacher is the highest designation awarded to Baylor faculty for sustained excellence in teaching. Wiff Rudd, Professor of Trumpet in the Baylor School of Music, was recently named Master Teacher along with three other colleagues across campus. A longtime educator and performer, Rudd shares how the two threads of his career intertwine and why the role of teacher has represented a high calling in his life.

Preparing students for leadership is a key part of the Baylor mission, and programs across campus embody that calling. One is the Billington Peer Leader program in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, a student-led and student-focused initiative to support Pre-Business students as they navigate the transition to college. Laura Lalani, Associate Director for Student Success Initiatives, and Madeline Prescott, a student leader within the Billington program, share how the program develops leaders and sets students up for a successful college experience.

Expansive leaps in technologies like AI prompt important questions about their impact on people. Pablo Rivas, assistant professor of computer science, is a leader at the intersection of technology and ethics. Rivas, Baylor’s site-director for the Center on Responsible Artificial Intelligence and Governance, unpacks questions around responsible AI and examines the role Baylor can play as an ethical voice amidst this growth.

Baylor’s Institute for Faith and Learning (IFL) offers numerous resources to faculty, staff and students to assist in integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment. Elisabeth Kincaid, a theologian, lawyer and business ethics scholar, was named last Spring as the new IFL director. Here, she shares her path to Baylor and examines why IFL is such a meaningful piece of the University.

All lawyers must understand elements of psychology to successfully navigate the human elements of the legal system. Few people are as qualified in this area as Chris Jaeger, associate professor of law at Baylor. With both a law degree and a Ph.D. in psychology, Jaeger combines both streams to better understand the ways individuals process significant concepts like reasonableness in his award-winning research.

A new strategic plan, an addition to the University’s longstanding motto, and a second-half football surge: these are just a few of the highlights of an eventful 2024 that saw continued growth as a preeminent Christian research university. President Linda A. Livingstone, PhD., takes listeners inside some of the highlights, honors and opportunities that defined the past 12 months and set the stage for 2025.