Baseball’s Miller earns program’s 7th Academic All-America honor
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Athletics, Baylor 2012, Honors
Exactly a week after receiving All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches, Baylor junior Aaron Miller became the seventh student-athlete in Baylor baseball history to earn Academic All-America honors, following in the footsteps of pitcher Pat Combs (1988), first baseman Charley Carter (1998), pitcher Jason Jennings (1998-99), outfielder Jon Topolski (1998-99), first baseman Ross Bennett (2003) and catcher Zach Dillon (2006). All but Combs were so honored during head coach Steve Smith’s 15 seasons at the helm of the Bears.
Miller, a management and entrepreneurship major, has been the epitome of “Winning with Integrity,” excelling not only in the classroom but also at the plate and even on the mound this season. As the Bears’ right fielder, Miller is batting .328 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI in 53 games; he also has compiled a 3-3 record on the mound, with 59 strikeouts in 47.2 innings. The junior also earned his sixth selection to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, one of a school-record 223 student-athletes to be so honored this spring.
The Academic All-America announcement also came just one day after the Bears learned they would be making their 10th NCAA appearance in 12 years, heading to Louisiana for the Baton Rouge Regional. Baylor will face 21st-ranked Minnesota Friday at 6 p.m. CT; host LSU, the national No. 3 seed, and SWAC champion Southern round out the regional field.
Sic ’em, Aaron and Baylor baseball!
Math professor recognized for teaching excellence by state association
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Baylor 2012, Honors
Another month, another award for a Baylor professor… This weekend, math professor Dr. John M. Davis will receive the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Texas Section of the Mathematical Association of America at the group’s annual meeting.
I love what Davis has to say about the University: “I came to Baylor because of the emphasis Baylor places on research and teaching. Excellence in one area does not preclude excellence in the other. … Baylor is a special place in terms of the students I come in contact with, as well as the faculty who are genuinely interested and engaged in being successful teachers. … My goal each day, and each semester, is to bring something new and better to the classroom than I did the last time I taught the material.” Really, that’s the heart of Baylor’s Vision 2012.
Sic ’em, Dr. Davis!
School of Music takes Baylor to Belgium for two weeks of performances
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Baylor 2012
Over the next two weeks, 24 professors from Baylor’s School of Music will invade Belgium, presenting 21 concerts and recitals, 78 master classes and workshops, 12 scholarly lectures and presentations, and seven governmental relations events. The scope of “Baylor in Belgium: An American Music Festival” is unprecedented among American universities, as Baylor representatives will appear in 16 different cities, including appearances in all of Belgium’s major music conservatories and in a host of music academies for high-school age students.
During the trip, the annual International Contemporary Music Festival will showcase the musical compositions of Baylor faculty composer Dr. Scott McAllister. Another professor (and alumnus), Dr. Loyd Hawthorne, will conduct the Belgium National Radio Choir in two concerts, while other Baylor faculty members will conduct and perform in major public concerts in Brussels and Antwerp.
The goal of all this? Besides the obvious “flinging our green and gold afar” and sharing the Baylor name internationally, the School of Music aims to establish relationships with music colleagues in Europe while offering our own faculty new experiences, which in turn will make them better teachers for students back home in Waco. Both of those purposes help fulfill the goal of emphasizing global education detailed in Baylor’s Vision 2012, as today’s students increasingly enter a world in which they must be comfortable thinking not only regionally or nationally, but globally.
Sic ’em in Belgium, Baylor School of Music!
Heart of service at the core of Baylor’s mission
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, Student life
Earlier this week, Baylor was named to the 2008 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, which “recognizes colleges and universities nationwide that support innovative and effective community service.”
Teaching students the importance of service has always been at Baylor’s core, as seen in both the University’s longstanding mission statement and the more recent Vision 2012. Whether overseas or right here in Waco, Baylor students learn the need to follow Christ’s example in serving one another.
I could share countless other examples (and we often have), but here’s a new one I just heard about. About a year ago, we covered the ONE Campaign’s efforts at Baylor and nationwide towards raising awareness of extreme poverty. In December, the Baylor chapter raised funds to support Malaria No More, a non-profit group that aims to end deaths from malaria. Above and beyond that, the Baylor group also worked with faculty to incorporate Malaria No More’s message into curriculum in classes across campus. Professors in departments as diverse as engineering, social work, Spanish, journalism and biology all pitched in to help spread the word about the over one million people who die worldwide each year from the disease.
Sic ’em, ONE Campaign supporters and all Bears who serve!
More students than ever applying for international Fulbright Program
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Baylor 2012, Student life
Since the launch of Baylor’s Vision 2012, the University has placed extra emphasis on global education. An important part of that has been helping students apply to the Fulbright Program, a federal international educational exchange program which gives scholarships to help students study abroad.
Earlier this week, a record 20 Baylor students submitted their applications for the Fulbright Program; the proposals come from a variety of subject areas, ranging from music and journalism to international studies, from business to modern foreign languages.
Applications have gone forward for Fulbrights to Austria, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Nepal, Armenia, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Brazil and Taiwan. About 80 faculty members supported these students’ bids by providing letters of recommendation, completing language assessments, reviewing student proposals and interviewing applicants.
The application process is intense, and not something to be taken lightly. The program has been administered through the dean’s office in the College of Arts and Sciences for the past three years; since the College began a concerted effort to promote the program more widely on campus, Baylor has had 10 Fulbright winners. Not only do the individual students benefit from the effort, but Baylor’s strong academic reputation is strengthened.
Sic ’em, potential Fulbright scholars!
Students help those in need during summer of service
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Alumni, Baylor 2012, Student life
How did you spend your summer? For many Baylor students, the answer to that question is “helping others.”
* Over 160 students visited AIDS clinics, installed hydro-electric generators, tutored children and shared the Gospel on Baylor-sponsored mission trips across the globe this summer. Baylor Magazine compiled this powerful series of journal entries and reflections on the trip from some of the students who went.
* More recently, students and faculty from Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing spent a week in Mexico this summer, providing free health services to nearly 1,000 patients in need. The team provided general and women’s health care, plus eye and dental assistance and even free medications.
* In a related note, nursing school graduate Rose Nanyonga was profiled by a leading Ugandan media outlet. Nanyonga overcame an incredible series of obstacles growing up in Uganda and earned her master’s from Baylor in 2005. She has since returned to her homeland and is director of clinical operations at the International Hospital Kampala there.
An important part of Baylor 2012 and the school’s mission is “to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service.” What an excellent way for this to be put into practice!
Sic ’em, Baylor students with servant hearts!
Another look at this fall’s freshman class
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Baylor 2012, Student life
Incoming freshmen and their parents are all over campus this month for orientation. A couple of months ago, we gave you a sneak peak at some of the students who will make up this fall’s incoming freshman class. Here are a few more faces you’ll see on campus in August when the class of 2012 arrives at Baylor.
* Stephenville (Texas) High School salutatorian Brandon Ratliff is one of a number of National Merit Scholars entering Baylor this fall. Baylor annually ranks among the nation’s leaders in attracting National Merit Scholars; last year’s class ranked 26th nationally. The Stephenville Empire-Tribune profiled Ratliff here.
* In a few years, you may be hearing the work of Deer Park (Texas) High School co-valedictorian Derek Schnitzer in movies and on TV. Another National Merit Scholar, Schnitzer plans to study music composition with the goal of writing TV and film scores after graduation. The Deer Park Progress ran this Q&A with Schnitzer.
* Kansas City, Mo., student Patricia Salgado says she and her twin sister, Leah, have never been apart for more than a few days. That will change this fall when Patricia comes to Baylor while her sister heads to Cornell. Both graduated with honors; Patricia will study pre-med here. The Kansas City Star featured the twins in this article.
* Further south, Monterrey, Mexico, native Monica Gonzalez-Ruggeberg was the valedictorian of IDEA Academy and College Preparatory high school in South Texas. Before moving to the Valley her freshman year, she said the only colleges she knew of were Harvard and Texas; then she visited Baylor. “I have a great vibe from the school,” she says. Read about her and other Valley graduates in this article from The Monitor.
Such students certainly seem to fit the Vision 2012 goal of attracting a top-tier student body.
Sic ’em, incoming freshmen!
Baylor’s leaders of tomorrow studying in Russia today
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Baylor 2012, Honors
Russia is an important actor on the world stage in just about every arena, one of a few key players that will help direct international happenings for the foreseeable future. For that reason, it’s good to see today’s Baylor students — tomorrow’s leaders — studying Russian language and culture.
Three Bears were selected to receive Critical Language Scholarships from the U.S. Department of State to study in Russia during an intensive two-month program this summer. Seniors Gary Guadagnolo and Sara Garrett and junior Ross Irons were three of the 525 scholarship recipients selected from more than 6,000 applicants.
As Baylor works to “prepare its graduates to enter a pluralistic and global society,” programs like these help students dive into the culture they are studying, preparing our leaders of the future for the world stage.
Sic ’em, Gary, Sara and Ross!
More faculty moving onto campus to increase interaction with students
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, Student life
It’s great that Baylor has so many professors who are so eager to get to know their students that they actually want to move in right alongside them, living in the residence halls. Three more professors will soon join the ones already living on campus, bringing Baylor’s total to nine faculty-in-residence.
Dr. Laine Scales and her husband, Dr. Glenn Blalock, will be the first faculty-in-residence in Kokernot Hall, while Steven Pounders will be the first to live at University House in the North Village. They join Drs. Doug and Michele Henry (pictured, in their apartment in Brooks College), Cindy Fry (Heritage House, North Village), Dr. Julie Sweet and Dr. Tom Riley (Texana House, North Village) and Dr. Sarah-Jane Murray (Honors Residential College, Alexander-Memorial).
The combination of these professors’ interactions with students and the growth of the various Living-Learning Centers, I think, have a lot to do the rise in the number of upperclassmen living on campus. The administration reports that that number is up 26 percent over a year ago, with more than 1,700 students already signing up to return to the residence halls next year. About 40 percent of students will live on campus next year — good progress toward Baylor’s goal of having 50 percent of students in the residence halls by 2012.
Sic ’em, faculty-in-residence and Campus Living & Learning staff!
Students learning international relations through model organizations
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Baylor 2012, Honors, Student life
I was never much for model cars, model airplanes or any other sort of model. I lacked the coordination to keep things together and in the right places, and everything always came out not quite right.
Thankfully, Baylor students involved with a different sort of model aren’t having those troubles. Baylor students have enjoyed success competing in Model United Nations, Model Arab League and Model Organization of American States (MOAS) competitions.
In April, Baylor’s Model UN team received honorable mention at the National Model UN conference in New York, placing among the top 15% of the 290 colleges and universities competing at the prestigious event. Senior Will Masters received the top award in his committee.
Meanwhile, Baylor’s Model Arab League team was honored with one of two Outstanding Delegation awards at the Southwest University Model Arab League competition in Fort Worth. The Secretary General of the conference said afterward, “While I was speaking to Baylor delegates, I felt as if I was speaking to students who had lived in the Arab world and saw the culture, history, and passion of the Arab people first-hand. Their dedication to this competition and their desire to learn about the Arab states makes them one of the most respected and feared teams at the conference.” Four Bears (Tim Semons, Eric Headstream, Ryan Holder and Joji Suzuki) won Outstanding Delegate Awards.
Finally, the Baylor MOAS team’s co-head delegate, Seth Reed, was elected as the general assembly’s president during the Washington MOAS conference in Washington, D.C. Over 30 schools from nine different countries participated, but for the fourth time eight years, it was a Baylor student who was elected president. Three other Bears (Cassidy Ford, Manny Munoz and Joshua Hyles) earned positions of leadership during the competition.
Imperative XI of Baylor’s Vision 2012 recognizes the need to emphasize global education. I think these students have got it.
Sic ’em, model organization participants!
