Season 5

After 22 years at R1 institutions like LSU, Julia Chan returned to her alma mater last winter to serve as the inaugural holder of The Tim and Sharalynn Fenn Family Endowed Chair in Materials Science at Baylor. In this Baylor Connections, she takes listeners inside her renowned work in quantum materials, explains the goal to build materials with exotic properties and shares the motivation to grow Baylor’s materials science research.

Proximity, policy and research play significant roles in the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty’s fight to end food insecurity. In this Baylor Connections, Jeremy Everett, BCHP executive director, conveys the heart behind the call to feed the hungry—both close to home and around the world—and examines how relationships, high-level research and multi-sector partnerships boost the work they do.

As technology becomes a more prevalent part of health care communication, the role of compassionate communication remains important as mediums change. Ashley Barrett, associate professor in communication, recently earned a prestigious NSF CAREER Award to study how patients and providers adopt and adapt together. In this Baylor Connections, she takes listeners inside that study and examines communication’s role in health outcomes.

Baylor’s rigorous core curriculum was recognized this fall as one of only 22 in the nation to earn an “A” rating from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. On this Baylor Connections, Blake Burleson shares why Baylor’s core curriculum is so highly regarded, how it is shaped and what it instills in students. Dr. Burleson serves as senior lecturer in religion and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, specializing in world religions.

Teens today face an array of challenges that are unique when compared to those of prior generations. In this Baylor Connections, Jessica Peck, clinical professor in Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing and a pediatric nurse practitioner, unpacks ways parents can connect with their teens on mental health issues and other needs, and takes listeners inside the many ways Baylor Nursing research is making an impact through research and service.

What role can a person play in bridging racial divides? In this Baylor Connections, George Yancey, Professor of the Social Sciences, shares insights. Through collaborative conversations, Yancey sees opportunities to find understanding. He shares the qualities of collaborative conversations, examines the impact of language and considers approaches to racial discussions that go beyond colorblindness and antiracism.

The Fall Semester has been a busy time at Baylor—substantial faculty growth, expansion of resources for research and scholarship, and accolades in areas like core curriculum and University trust. In this Baylor Connections, Provost Nancy Brickhouse unpacks those topics and highlights research integrity at Baylor for National Compliance & Ethics Week.

How can citizens, in this political environment, approach politics from a healthy viewpoint and form opinions about complex issues? David Corey, professor of political science and director of the Baylor in Washington program, tackles these topics and more in this Baylor Connections. Dr. Corey examines healthy ways to view the role of politics and shares steps that allow people to better consider their own opinions, and those of others— promoting civil discourse and understanding.

What does it mean to mentor students? How can multiple disciplines come together to examine how churches address social challenges? For Stephanie Boddie, these are questions she lives out every day. Boddie serves as Assistant Professor of Church and Community Ministries—a joint position in Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, School of Education, and George W. Truett Theological Seminary and, in 2020, she was named as an Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year. In this Baylor Connections, she shares how those threads come together to address food insecurity, social services, racial issues and more.

Homecoming week is here! Traditions old and new invite the Baylor Family to re-connect with friends and the campus they love. On this Baylor Connections, go behind the scenes at Homecoming. Jordy Dickey and Kalliyana Tep provide both staff and student perspectives. Jordy Dickey serves as Senior Associate Director of Student Activities, and Kalliyana Tep is a junior Double Major in Finance and Marketing who serves as president of Baylor Activities Council. Hear what it’s like to march in the parade, review new traditions and be reminded of what makes Homecoming at Baylor so special.

Alan Wang brings a prolific record as a researcher and inventor to his role as the Mearse Chair in Biological and Biomedical Engineering at Baylor. Wang, who came to Baylor from Oregon State University, discusses the importance and uses of photonics in everyday life on this Baylor Connections, and unpacks inventions that impact health care, communication, environmental protection and more.

Monday, October 10 is Mental Health Awareness Day, and October is traditionally one of the busiest times of year for university counseling centers across the nation. Meghan Becker serves as Director of CARE Team Services in Baylor Student Health and Wellness. In this Baylor Connections, she discusses mental health resources at Baylor and shares how students can connect with the right resources to address their needs and thrive in school and life.

Mentorship is a driving force for John Wood in research that could eventually lead to cancer drugs. Wood serves as the Robert A. Welch Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Co-Director of the Baylor Synthesis & Drug-Lead Discovery Lab. Since coming to Baylor in 2013 after serving at Yale and Colorado State, he has continued to build a nationally recognized research portfolio while focusing on the next generation of researchers who come through his laboratory.

Goals as big as R1 require a team effort to accomplish. Baylor’s research administrators in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) play a significant role in advancing Baylor research as they support faculty throughout the grant process. In this Baylor Connections, Kevin Chambliss, Baylor’s Vice Provost for Research, and Susan Stearsman, Associate Vice Provost for Research, share how OVPR administrators help elevate Baylor’s research enterprise.

Baylor’s Office of External Affairs leads, engages, supports and celebrates the collective impact of Waco and Baylor, engaging in initiatives and relationships for community benefit. Jeremy Vickers serves as associate vice president for external affairs and Krista Brinser serves as director of community relations. In this Baylor Connections, they discuss community growth, describe the strength of Baylor and Waco’s relationship, and share upcoming programs and outreach efforts.

As a new academic year finds its stride, there is much to celebrate and anticipate at Baylor. In this Baylor Connections, President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., shares insights on a variety of topics: national trust in Baylor, enrollment, spiritual formation, leadership in higher education and college athletics, future growth and more.

Baylor’s Department of Public Safety consists of five divisions aligned to protect Baylor students, faculty, staff and guests. Mark Childers is a 26-year federal law enforcement veteran, including 18 years in the U.S Secret Service, who serves as Baylor’s associate vice president for public safety. In this Baylor Connections, he shares how Baylor police and DPS personnel build relationships with students, utilize technology and create new resources to protect students and promote a safe campus community.

The 2022-23 Baylor sports season is underway, and as fans return to campus for their favorite fall sports and traditions, they can impact the game visually as well as vocally. Erin Bean serves as Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Marketing and Fan Engagement and Courtney Scrivano serves as Director of Licensing in Baylor Athletics. In this Baylor Connections, they take listeners inside the Go Gold campaign and share new ways fans can support the program and go gold for the Bears at upcoming games.

As a college student, Jeffry Archer was drawn to the role libraries play in connecting people with the information they needed for research, scholarship and learning. Today, as Dean of University Libraries, he leads Baylor’s libraries, special collections, centers and library technology efforts. In this Baylor Connections, he takes listeners inside the modern library, shares University Libraries’ role in supporting Baylor’s R1 research endeavors and more.

Chaplains serve student-athletes across Baylor’s 17 varsity sports, providing pastoral leadership, teaching, evangelism and care. In this Baylor Connections, discover how chaplains invest in their sport and their students. John Maurer, Dani Price and Stanton Corley share insights from their distinct roles.

A new Baylor Theatre season begins this Fall. In this Baylor Connections, Deanna Toten Beard, department chair and professor of theatre arts, takes listeners behind the scenes to share the details that comprise a Baylor production and previews the upcoming season’s schedule.

ow can a chemistry lab be made accessible so that students with blindness can pursue their love of science and build a career? Bryan Shaw, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, is asking these questions and providing answers. In this Baylor Connections, he takes listeners inside the specific approaches to inclusion science for chemistry labs and concepts, and shares how a significant grant from the National Institutes of Health is boosting these efforts.

Postdoctoral researchers are a fixture on research university campuses, and their numbers are growing at Baylor. In this Baylor Connections, discover the ways postdoctoral researchers enliven research and contribute to Baylor’s R1 recognition. Blake Thomas, manager of Baylor’s Postdoctoral Scholars Program, and Dr. Michelle Herridge, postdoctoral teaching fellow in Baylor’s Academy for Teaching and Learning, highlight the significance of the position in higher education and share how Baylor serves this important group of scholars.

Bradley Bolen has experienced the powerful ways that music can bridge cultural boundaries and brighten challenging circumstances. Bolen is a senior lecturer in piano in Baylor’s School of Music, a Steinway artist and a faculty member for American Voices, with whom he has worked with students in Iraq, Syria and more. In this Baylor Connections, he takes listeners inside powerful cross-cultural experiences around the globe.

In this episode of Baylor Connections, Jason Cook shares a “State of the Baylor Brand” report. Cook, Vice President of Marketing and Communications and Chief Marketing Officer, examines the impact of R1 research recognition, Give Light, new facilities, students and more on Baylor's national perception and interest in the University.

From national championships and Big 12 titles to new facilities and GPA records, the 2021-22 academic year heralded much to celebrate throughout Baylor Athletics. In this Baylor Connections, Mack Rhoades, Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, examines key milestones from the past year, previews upcoming facilities, discusses the process of coaching searches and more.

How can buildings be designed with the health of their occupants in mind? The answers can be found in evidence-based design, where research uncovers design elements that can promote the health of those who live or work in them. Debra Harris, associate professor of interior design, co-leads a research team creating software that makes evidence-based design accessible to building designers. In this Baylor Connections, she takes listeners inside healthy buildings and previews the upcoming software launch.

International experiences are an integral part of the Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON). From missions projects around the globe to study abroad opportunities, students grow as professionals as they serve those around them. In this Baylor Connections, Lori Spies, tenured associate professor and missions coordinator in Baylor Nursing, takes listeners around the world to locations where LHSON students and faculty can be found.

The summer months present a significant opportunity to connect incoming Baylor students to the Baylor Family. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Sharra Hynes, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students in the Division of Student Life, shares how. From Line Camp to New Student Orientation, discover how distinct programs give incoming students a head start on friendships, campus traditions and more.

From stark renderings of the Texas desert to soaring mountain scenes and more, Winter Rusiloski brings landscapes to life on canvas. Rusiloski serves as associate professor of painting in Baylor’s Department of Art and Art History, and is an award-winning professional painter. In this Baylor Connections, she discusses the scenes that compel her to paint and examines the meaning of teaching the art to students.

Families throughout the community benefit from the services provided by the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD), serving those with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other disabilities. In this Baylor Connections, Kristen Padilla, BCDD Director and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology in the School of Education, takes listeners inside the array of services provided by Baylor to address a disorder that impacts an estimated 1 in 44 children.

Baylor students have set an incredible standard this year in the number of prestigious scholarships and fellowships received—Fulbright, Goldwater, Churchill and more. In this Baylor Connections, Andy Hogue, who serves as Associate Dean of Engaged Learning in the College of Arts & Sciences and directs Baylor’s Office of Engaged Learning, highlights the meaning and impact of these honors and examines the reasons these numbers continue to grow.

After nearly 40 years at the helm of the Baylor Symphony Orchestra and Waco Symphony Orchestra, Stephen Heyde is retiring. On this Baylor Connections, he looks back at decades of music and leadership. Learn the roots of his love of music, Heyde’s favorite moments working with students, the impact of his final concert and more.

As an organic chemist, Liela Romero creates “recipes” from naturally occurring molecules that could lead to the discovery of future cancer drugs. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Romero, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, takes listeners inside her journey from attending Baylor as a student to prestigious graduate education experiences and back to Baylor to serve as a faculty member, researcher and mentor.

This summer marks five years of leadership for President Livingstone at Baylor University. In this Baylor Connections, we look back at major benchmarks from the past year, and revisit 10 significant moments from her first five years as president in academics, athletics, student life, culture and more.

Every college student faces questions about finances as they plan for the future while navigating the present. In this Baylor Connections, Sara Ray, program manager for Student Financial Literacy at Baylor, shares how her office provides resources to build financial literacy and equip them, through individual counseling and education programming, to prepare for success.

Why does John Duns Scotus still resonate, more than 700 years after his death? Tom Ward, associate professor of philosophy at Baylor, was captivated by Duns Scotus as a student. Today, he translates his work through a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities grant and is writing an introductory book on Duns Scotus more broadly. In this Baylor Connections, Ward explains how Duns Scotus’ work enables us to consider God, faith and the “first principle” still today.

Supporting mental health and wellness is a priority at Baylor, with numerous resources available for students. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Jim Marsh, Dean of Student Health and Wellness, examines the challenges students face and shares the heart behind programs designed to meet their mental and physical health needs.

Erika Abel and Leigh Greathouse are passionate about providing opportunities for undergraduate students to become involved in research, focusing in Greathouse’s lab on the relationship between the microbiome, health and disease. Abel is a clinical professor of biology in the Honors Program, while Greathouse serves as associate professor in nutrition science in Human Science and Design. In this Baylor Connections, they share how an investment from the Honors College is opening new pathways for students to engage in high-level cancer and diet research.

What does it mean to help students become globally minded? In this Baylor Connections, Holly Joyner unpacks how the Center for Global Engagement (CGE) brings the world to Baylor and sends Baylor into the world. Joyner, who serves as assistant director of marketing and communications at CGE, explains how the Center for Global Engagement offers programming and other resources to help students engage internationally.

Baylor’s Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching promotes the value of teaching and honors those who do it well. The $250,000 award is the single largest monetary award presented by a university to an individual for exceptional teaching. In this Baylor Connections, Michael Thompson, committee chair for the award and professor and associate dean in Baylor Engineering and Computer Science, discusses the Cherry Award and highlights the role of great teachers.

The history of Baptist women in ministry has long gone untold, but Dr. Mandy McMichael, associate director and the J. David Slover Assistant Professor of Ministry Guidance in Baylor’s Department of Religion, is working to change that. In partnership with Baylor’s Institute for Oral History, she is curating an oral history on the struggles and joys of Baptist women leaders. She examines that topic, and her research on the cultural intersection of faith and beauty pageants, in this Baylor Connections.

Baylor’s Department of Physical Therapy blazed trails as the first doctoral program to blend a two-year degree program with hybrid delivery. Baylor DPT students and faculty reach across the country, learning virtually while regularly visiting Waco for intensive in-person immersion sessions on the Baylor campus. In this Baylor Connections, Kendra Gagnon, clinical professor and chair, takes listeners inside the fast-growing program and shares how it meets needs in communities across the nation.

Baylor’s attainment of R1 research recognition represents a team effort that played out over a two-decade span. In this Baylor Connections, Larry Lyon takes listeners inside that journey. Dr. Lyon, Vice Provost and Dean of Baylor’s Graduate School, shares how initiatives like Baylor 2012, Pro Futuris and Illuminate helped Baylor advance on a path to research preeminence while remaining committed to its Christian mission.

The Baylor University School of Music is celebrating its centennial this year—100 years of making music with spirit and excellence. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Gary Mortenson, Dean of the School of Music, takes listeners inside the celebration and highlights a meaningful transition within Baylor orchestral studies.

Texas’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits families both nutritionally and financially. Many who are eligible, however, do not access available benefits. The Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty (BCHP) is working to bridge that gap to address food insecurity. In this Baylor Connections, Khristian Howard, Waco Manager for SNAP Strategy, shares how BCHP works to encourage participation in the program through a collaborative, comprehensive approach.

Baylor’s Black Gospel Music Restoration Project preserves classic Black Gospel music—pieces that were at risk of being lost forever—in digital form for future generations. In this Baylor Connections, journalism professor Robert Darden, founder of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project, updates listeners on ways that the project’s reach has expanded in recent months, from a new listening center on the Baylor campus to involvement with a PBS documentary and more.

Baylor’s Institute for Oral History preserves history through the collection of stories that would otherwise go untold. In this Baylor Connections, Stephen Sloan, director of the Institute and associate professor of history at Baylor, and Adrienne Cain, associate director and lecturer, share more. They explain how oral historians democratize history and offer tips for individuals seeking to preserve the stories of family or friends.

Core research centers at Baylor contain state-of-the-art equipment that students and faculty across campus utilize for impactful research projects. Bernd Zechmann leads one of these centers—he serves as director of the Center for Microscopy and Imaging and as an associate research professor at Baylor. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Zechmann takes listeners inside labs that advance multidisciplinary projects and spur R1 research.

Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary enjoyed incredible growth in 2021, from new academic programs and campuses to initiatives that reduce the cost of tuition for students. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Todd Still, The Charles J. and Eleanor McLerran DeLancey Dean and The William M. Henson Professor of Christian Scriptures at Truett, takes listeners inside a variety of exciting benchmarks and explains how they enhance the ways Truett is “of, by, and for the Church.”

How can vocal athletes perform at their best, and with optimum health? Kimberly Monzon and Lauren Weber are teachers and performers who seek to help people who use their voices on stage and in other settings. In this Baylor Connections, Dr. Monzon, assistant professor of voice in Baylor’s School of Music, and Weber, a certified vocologist who serves as a lecturer of musical theatre at Baylor, take listeners inside their research and training to advance new understanding in vocal performance.