Season 3

From working on COVID-19 task forces with Baylor University and McLennan County, to partnering with Waco’s Family Health Center to survey the spread of the virus, Michael Muehlenbein’s work has provided insights into the local behavior of a global pandemic. In this Baylor Connections, Muehlenbein, chair and professor of anthropology at Baylor, analyzes ways we can better understand and slow the spread of COVID-19 and shares why safety measures remain vital heading into the winter.

What does it mean to help students discover meaning and build a moral foundation during their time in college? In this Baylor Connections, Perry Glanzer, professor of educational foundations in the Baylor School of Education, shares insights from research into religion and higher education and examines the role of a Christian university both now and in the future.

The season of Advent provides a time to think, reflect and prepare our hearts for Christmas. In this Baylor Connections, William Bellinger, the W. Marshall and Lulie Craig Chairholder in Bible and Professor of Hebrew/Old Testament, shares thoughts on maintaining a faithful hope amidst the trials of the year. An expert on the Psalms and worship texts of the Old Testament, he examines stories of hope and the bonds of community that resonate today.

As the year draws to a close, President Livingstone reflects on the factors that led to a successful in-person semester. In this Baylor Connections, she shares takeaways from the fall, looks ahead to the Spring Semester, and examines new programs like the Hord Scholarship Challenge and Trailblazer Scholars Program, which will open the Baylor experience to greater numbers of future students.

Few Beethoven scholars have as meaningful a connection to the impact of deafness on the composer’s works as Robin Wallace, Baylor professor of musicology. Wallace’s late wife, Barbara, suffered from profound hearing loss, providing insights into the impact of the disability both relationally and creatively. This year marks the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, and on this Baylor Connections, Wallace celebrates his legacy by examining the ways Beethoven, as well as Barbara, found wholeness and expression amidst deep physical challenges.

As a 24-year old, Leigh Greathouse developed a rare form of cancer, an experience that would shape her path into the study of diet and disease. Dr. Greathouse, assistant professor in human sciences & design at Baylor, is a leading researcher into the relationship between diet, the microbiome, disease and health. On this Baylor Connections, she shares her personal story, breaks down key research projects in her field and provides a framework for listeners to think about the relationship between diet and health in their own life.

There’s a lot on the plate of a Baylor University Student Body President, particularly in 2020. On this Baylor Connections, meet this year’s president, Sutton Houser. He shares details about the duties and responsibilities of student body presidents, what it means to be a voice for students, and takes listeners inside his work with Baylor leadership, local churches, campus initiatives and more.

How can we model charitable discourse that bridges political, ideological and theological divides? Dr. David Corey serves as director of the Baylor in Washington program and professor of political science in Baylor’s Honors Program. In this Baylor Connections, he analyzes our political climate and tone, examines how Christians can forge a different path in the midst of the current tenor, and shares how the Baylor in Washington program builds leaders as it promotes opportunities for students to work in the nation’s capital.

With the Fall Semester heading into its home stretch, Baylor University President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., analyzes a variety of topics on this Baylor Connections. From COVID-19 safety measures, to Baylor’s growth in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, to encouraging participation and civility during this election season, President Livingstone shares thoughts on a busy season for the Baylor Family.

What can volcanoes, gemstones and minerals reveal about the geological forces that physically shape our world? Dr. Kenny Befus, assistant professor of geosciences, is a volcanologist who studies clues found in magma flows, gemstones and more that shed light on past and future events. In this Baylor Connections, he shares how these forces interplay, and unpacks an award-winning research project aimed at advancing the study of imperfections in gemstones to uncover geological data.

Kelly Ylitalo combines high-level, data-driven research with practical community partnerships that address upstream health issues. Dr. Ylitalo, assistant professor of epidemiology in Baylor’s Department of Public Health, focuses her research on physical functioning, obesity and the impact of healthy behaviors on aging trajectories. In this Baylor Connections, she takes listeners inside her partnerships with Waco’s Family Health Center and World Hunger Relief to study the effectiveness of innovative health approaches.

Get to know Dr. Shanna Hagan-Burke, the new Dean of Baylor’s School of Education. She came to Baylor this summer after serving at Texas A&M University, the University of Oregon and University of Georgia, and taught children with behavioral challenges for many years prior in her native Florida. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Hagan-Burke tells about a unique parental introduction to Baylor that helped draw her to the University, shares experiences that shape her approach to higher education leadership, examines the School of Education’s contributions to Tier 1 research and more.

In over three decades at the Gallup organization, Frank Newport has spent his career studying objective data about American attitudes on religion, politics, social issues and more. Newport, a Baylor graduate, is co-host of the podcast Objective Religion, launched earlier this year by Baylor’s Institute for the Studies of Religion. In this Baylor Connections, Newport, senior scientist at Gallup after a long tenure as editor-in-chief, and Byron Johnson, Distinguished Professor of Social Sciences and Baylor ISR founding director, discuss religion’s impact on America today and analyze topics at the intersection of faith and data-driven social science.

As Chair of the Board of Regents, Mark Rountree works closely with President Livingstone and Baylor leadership. This year, he assumed the role of Chair as the University navigated a global pandemic and addressed important social issues. In this Baylor Connections, Rountree examines leadership amidst rapidly-changing conditions, sharing how the university worked towards an in-person semester and pursues racial healing and justice as an expression of Christian faith.

For Baylor faculty members, the monumental efforts to deliver interactive, engaging classes amidst the COVID-19 public health crisis necessitate learning new technologies and methods of class content delivery. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Nancy Brickhouse, Baylor University Provost, breaks down resources to enhance class instruction both virtually and in-person and shares how the University is continuing to advance meaningful research goals to address critical challenges.

Terms like face-to-face, virtual learning and hybrid classes have rapidly become commonplace throughout higher education. Baylor has invested time and resources to equip professors to engage students at the highest levels in both traditional and non-traditional classrooms. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Gary Carini, vice provost for institutional research and professional education and professor of entrepreneurship and corporate innovation, shares how Baylor is proactively supporting professors in this environment and casts a vision for Baylor as a recognized leader in these new models.

Student Success Initiatives at Baylor University walks alongside students to help them successfully navigate the incumbent challenges of the collegiate journey. In this Baylor Connections, Michelle Cohenour, Student Success Initiatives director, shares how SSI helps students from a variety of backgrounds be their best self, in and out of class, so they can find holistic success and make the most of their time at Baylor.

Months of preparations for an in-person fall semester have led to the arrival of Baylor students on campus for the start of classes Monday, August 24. In this Baylor Connections, President Linda Livingstone goes deep inside the process of welcoming students back to campus safely, preparing meaningful modes of class instruction both virtually and in-person, readying Baylor’s physical spaces for students and more.

The world of sports has been squarely in the news in recent weeks, as teams, leagues and players grapple with the implications of the COVID-19 public health crisis. Dr. Kirk Wakefield, the Edwin W. Streetman Professor of Retail Marketing and executive director of Sports Strategy & Sales in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business is a nationally-recognized researcher and sports business expert. In this Baylor Connections, he analyzes how teams at both the professional and collegiate levels navigate change, engage fans and work to make the best of uncertain times.

Every parent wants to support their student through the unique joys and challenges of the college years. As Baylor University’s director of parent engagement, Gail Offringa and her team serve parents as they become a part of the Baylor Family and help them navigate questions that arise. In this Baylor Connections, she shares tips for parents to best support their students and anticipate adjustments throughout the college journey, and addresses common questions heading into the new school year.

Thirty years ago, Dorina and Marius Mitrea left everything behind in Romania to come to the United States and pursue a career in higher education. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Dorina Mitrea, Chair and Professor of Mathematics, and Dr. Marius Mitrea, Professor of Mathematics, share their story of life and work together, the drive to teach, research and impact students, and the factors that brought them to Baylor after more than two decades at Missouri.

No one knows Joy and Lady, Baylor’s beloved black bears, better than their caretakers. Dakota Farquhar-Caddell, associate director of Student Activities and the Robert Reid Director of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce, oversees the Baylor Bear program and Bailey Havis, a rising senior student, is one of two lead caretakers for the bears. In this Baylor Connections, they help us get to know Joy and Lady better—their favorite foods, personalities, what it takes to care for them, Lady’s recovery from a health scare and more.

The uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 public health crisis has placed added focus on mental health. Dr. Holly Oxhandler, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and Assistant Professor in Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, is a recognized expert on the intersection of faith and mental health. In this Baylor Connections, she shares how individuals can prioritize their own mental wellbeing through both immediate and long-term practices, and discusses the role of an individual’s faith in their mental health.

What happens when Christianity enters a new market? Throughout history, Christians have shared the gospel around the world, and the way people receive that message is inevitably informed by their own customs and culture. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi, the Frederick E. Roach Professor of World Christianity in Baylor’s Department of Religion, examines interpretations of the Christian movement and shares trends that shape the transmission of the faith across the globe.

Get to know Baylor University’s First Gentleman. Brad Livingstone is an educator, basketball player, World War II expert, and Baylor’s inaugural “First Gent.” As a high school history teacher, Livingstone has brought hundreds of veterans into his classroom to share their stories with students, and the impact of those moments have become a hallmark of his classes. In this Baylor Connections, he shares how those experiences have been so meaningful, reminisces about meeting President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., in college, and offers insights into his role as First Gent.

Like many people, Dr. Ashley Otto doesn’t enjoy making decisions; however, she’s become an expert on the topic. Dr. Otto, Assistant Professor of Marketing in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, focuses her highly-regarded research on how people make decisions. In this Baylor Connections, she defines terms like “decision-averse” and “decision sidestepping” and explains how such individuals strategically approach the choices they face at home, work and more.

John Morris capped off his 25th season as “The Voice of the Bears” with a meaningful honor, being selected as the 2019 Texas Co-Sportscaster of the Year. In this Baylor Connections, he reflects on great Baylor moments and working with longtime Baylor announcer Frank Fallon, shares how he prepares for games and spent a spring without sports, and talks about the meaning of the Sportscaster of the Year honor.

Patricia Shih is an internationally-renowned violinist who has performed as a recitalist and soloist with top global musicians in some of the world’s most prestigious venues. Last year, she joined the Baylor faculty as Associate Professor of Violin in the Baylor University School of Music, and still maintains an active performing schedule. In this Baylor Connections, she shares her appreciation for her instrument, love of music, and why she felt the call to teach.

Vaccine development and public health approaches to contagious diseases have captured public attention in recent months. Dr. Peter Hotez is an international leader in tropical medicine and vaccine development. He serves as the Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Co-Director of Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and University Professor of Biology at Baylor University, and leads a unique partnership with Baylor to provide a summer tropical medicine institute experience for Baylor undergraduate students. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Lee Nordt, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Baylor, engages Dr. Hotez on a variety of subjects such as COVID-19, vaccines, undergraduate research and more.

Chemical compounds found in many household products can be major contributors to obesity and other lipid diseases, a Baylor study has found. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Ramon Lavado, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, shares important information from his research. Learn more about where such compounds are found, the impact of early exposure to those chemicals, and the ways the study expands our understanding of weight gain and disease.

How do you help students maintain social connections and meaningful traditions amidst a time of social distancing? In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Matt Burchett, Director of Student Activities, shares ways Baylor helped students stay connected to campus during the semester and honored the Class of 2020 during a different kind of Senior Week. Learn more about what Burchett and student life professionals have learned about interpersonal connections, the power of social media and other online tools, and ways these unplanned adjustments can shape future interactions.

Dr. Daniel Romo, The Schotts Professor of Chemistry at Baylor, describes his lab’s role as “construction engineering at the molecular level,” spurring potential drug leads for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, and more. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Romo shares how he and his lab students go about that process through the synthesis of natural compounds, the innovation of new synthesis strategies and more.

As a semester like no other draws to a close, President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., shares insights into leadership during a public health crisis and Baylor University’s response to COVID-19 on this Baylor Connections. From ensuring that student support services remained readily available to planning for potential challenges throughout higher education, she shares how Baylor adjusted and communicated those changes. Looking ahead, she highlights new programs and talks about Baylor’s plans for a phased re-opening of campus for the fall.

COVID-19 has forced the global supply chain into the spotlight as consumers seek products that have been, at times, difficult to find. What factors impact the supply chain, and how do industries respond? In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Pedro Reyes, Associate Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management in Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business and longtime operations leader, shares lessons in “Supply Chain 101.” He details how disruptions lead to a domino effect and analyzes how supply chain professionals can process current challenges to ensure more products on the shelves when consumers need them.

On this Baylor Connections, Baylor faculty share lessons in building community and engaging with students remotely during COVID-19. Dr. Mona Choucair, Senior Lecturer of English and Faculty-in-Residence at South Russell Hall, has spoken to many students after the suspension of in-person classes, and talks about maintaining community ties and being there for them amidst uncertainty. Dr. Anne Jeffrey, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, pivoted her Bioethics class to focus on real-world ethical questions related to resource allocation and more during the pandemic. She shares how students can engage with classmates and topics from separate locations.

While the Baylor campus is sparsely populated during the COVID-19 public health crisis, the University continues to provide services and resources to address students’ educational, spiritual and emotional needs. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Kevin Jackson, Vice President for Student Life, shares how the University quickly ramped up a number of key programs when it became apparent that instruction would be moving online. Learn more about Bear Care, where Baylor faculty coach and support students amidst today’s myriad changes, telecounseling, Spiritual Life programming, and adjustments to longstanding Spring campus traditions like Diadeloso and Steppin’ Out.

How does the Church celebrate Easter amidst a worldwide pandemic? In this Good Friday edition of Baylor Connections, Dr. Todd Still, The Charles J. and Eleanor McLerran DeLancey Dean and The William M. Hinson Professor of Christian Scriptures in Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, examines what it means to be the Church when we’re physically separated, recounts how the Church has grown during past times of plague and crisis and shares how the current moment compels us to find hope more deeply in Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection.

For each of the last nine years, Baylor has been recognized as a “Great College to Work For” by the Chronicle of Higher Education. In this Baylor Connections, Cheryl Gochis, vice president of human resources and chief human resources officer at Baylor, shares reasons why. From the university culture to benefits and more, Gochis examines ways that Baylor supports faculty and staff year-round, and specifically talks about the University’s response to help employees transition to remote work during the COVID-19 public health crisis.

The Baylor University Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty recently announced a partnership to provide nearly one million nutritious meals weekly across the U.S. through a private/public partnership to ensure children are fed when school is not in session. The COVID-19 public health crisis has forced the closure of schools across the country, and the United States Department of Agriculture has called on Baylor to help meet the escalating need. In this Baylor Connections, Jeremy Everett, founder and executive director of the Collaborative, shares how they have responded to COVID-19, ramping up long-standing efforts to end hunger across the state of Texas and around the nation.

The response to the COVID-19 public health emergency means that many across the U.S. will be working from home in the weeks ahead to promote social distancing and slow the spread of the virus. Dr. Sara Perry, associate professor of management in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, is a leading expert and researcher on remote work. In this Baylor Connections, she shares how individuals and families can approach working from home from a variety of angles—a work-from-home checklist, parenting considerations for children home from school, physical workspace, routines, connectedness with coworkers and more.

Dr. Juan Carlos Esparza Ochoa is a leading expert on religion across Latin America and the Global South. He joined the Baylor faculty at the start of the 2019-20 season after managing the Pew Research Center’s religious demography projects. In this Baylor Connections, he paints a picture of the impact of religion on Latin American life and culture and shares his Baylor journey.

Dr. Amanda Hering applies her statistical expertise to a “once in a generation effort” to improve water treatment in the U.S. Hering, associate professor of statistical science, is an internationally-recognized leader in data sciences and their intersection with the environment. In this Baylor Connections, she shares about how data can help us utilize new paradigms of water treatment and delivery and examines the need for students trained in the data sciences in the years ahead.

Dr. Linda Olafsen, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, researches semiconductors for a variety of applications from her lab in the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative. In this Baylor Connections, she shares how her research advances the search for lasers and other products that are more safe, useful and efficient, and talks about the impact of Baylor’s Tier 1 research vision in the School of Engineering and Computer Science.

Alan Schultz’s research takes him deep into the Amazon rainforests of Bolivia, where he studies the Tsimane’, an indigenous people group who have lived a pre-industrial forager-farmer lifestyle for generations. In this Baylor Connections, Schultz, an assistant professor of anthropology, examines the forces of change on the Tsimane’. As the outside world encroaches on their traditional lifestyle, he shares the impact on community, health, families and more.

Baylor University’s Black Gospel Music Restoration Project houses more than 14,000 digital copies of classic black gospel music songs and albums, preserving them for future generations. In this Baylor Connections, Robert Darden, Professor of Journalism, Public Relations and New Media and founder of the Project, shares how black gospel music tells the story of the African-American experience through the generations and examines its underappreciated role in the Civil Rights movement.

Baylor University recently partnered with Texas Business Journals for a survey highlighting the insights of Texas business leaders into the state’s economy and attitudes towards industry-university research partnerships. In this Baylor Connections, President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., and Jason Cook, Vice President for Marketing and Communications and Chief Marketing officer, analyze the results and share how Baylor’s research focus drives innovation, uncovers solutions and prepares leaders for the future workforce.

Biblical scholar Stephen Reid’s research is an example of the ways modern technology can give voice to individuals who might otherwise go unheard. Dr. Reid, Professor of Christian Scriptures in Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, recently utilized text mining to learn how African-Americans in the 1700s and 1800s interpreted the book of Deuteronomy. Inside University Libraries, Baylor Digital Scholarship offers powerful technologies to enhance research in the digital humanities. Learn more about how Reid’s experience accelerated his research and provided deep insight into the ways African-Americans shared the Bible on the path to emancipation.

Stress, and its impact on health, is the broad focus of Annie Ginty’s work. Dr. Ginty, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor, is an Association for Psychological Science Rising Star whose research bridges understanding of the ways the mind and body react to stress. In this Baylor Connections, Ginty defines stress, shares tips for recognizing the body’s response to stress and offers practical approaches to managing the unique stressors that listeners face.

Baylor’s Department of Public Health seeks solutions to global health issues related to disease, lifestyle, community factors and more. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Eva Doyle, Department Chair of Public Health and Professor of Community Health, discusses the ways Baylor Public Health professionals conduct meaningful research, enrich students through studies around the globe, and partner with other disciplines to solve critical health challenges.

2019 was an exciting year at Baylor University, providing many successes on which to build in the new year. In this Baylor Connections, President Linda A. Livingstone looks back at successes in areas like athletics, fundraising, hiring and more, and examines how Baylor is poised to build on those superlatives in 2020 as the University celebrates its 175th birthday.