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 : Baylor 2012, Academics, Student life, Honors
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!
A look ahead at this fall’s freshman class
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, Academics, Student life
Part of Baylor’s Vision 2012 has been to attract a top-tier student body by “recruiting students with strong academic records and characters consistent with Baylor’s mission” — outstanding students like Alana Akers, Miriam Garcia and Andrew McCleskey. These three students have each chosen Baylor and are just a sampling of the 3,000-plus students who will begin classes this fall.
* Akers, an incoming freshman from Beaumont, Texas, is a National Merit finalist and an aspiring doctor who has already been shadowing a pediatrician on a weekly basis (pictured at right). The Beaumont Enterprise profiled her here.
* Garcia is one of four El Paso-area students who received Gates Millennium Scholarships, given to top minority students with financial need. Garcia is the No. 2 student in her class and chose Baylor over schools like Notre Dame, Texas Tech and TCU. The El Paso Times wrote about her and the other local Gates Millennium Scholars.
* McCleskey, a Richardson, Texas, native, was highlighted by The Dallas Morning News in their ongoing series of “Good Kids.” An Eagle Scout and mission work volunteer, McCleskey plans to major in film and digital media at Baylor.
We are truly blessed at Baylor to have student after student with backgrounds like these entering year after year.
Sic ’em, incoming freshmen!
Geology chair elected president of international society
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, Academics, Research, Honors
The chair of Baylor’s geology department, Dr. Steven Driese, can now add another title to his name. Driese was elected president of the Society for Sedimentary Geology, an international organization “dedicated to the dissemination of scientific information” in various geological fields.
Driese has been an active member of the organization for over 30 years, most of that time as a professor at the University of Tennessee before coming to Baylor as chair in 2004. He has published more than 75 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has served as associate editor for two of the Society’s journals.
Part of Baylor’s Vision 2012 is “developing a world-class faculty;” the explanation under that imperative describes professors who are “recognized as leaders in their respective disciplines.” I think being elected president by your peers fits that description, don’t you?
Sic ’em, Dr. Driese!
Baylor prof named national entrepreneurship teacher of the year
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, Academics, Honors
Dr. Bill Petty is nearing his 40th year teaching, having spent the last 18 years in the Hankamer School of Business. He’s racked up plenty of awards over the years, including being designated one of Baylor’s Master Teachers in 2004 — the highest honor given to faculty members.
This month, he added another award to his mantel as he was named the national Entrepreneurship Teacher of the Year by the Acton Foundation for Entrepreneurial Excellence, “a nonprofit organization that trains and inspires entrepreneur-teachers to assist aspiring entrepreneurs of the future.”
Petty, the W.W. Caruth Chair of Entrepreneurship, has done a remarkable job balancing research (serving as editor of a couple of finance journals) and teaching–exactly the sort of professor described in Baylor’s Vision 2012 as “world-class faculty.” He’s the sort of professor who doesn’t wait for you to stop by the office, but invites you in; who doesn’t just talk about the next assignment, but about the dreams and goals of students, as well.
Sic ’em, Dr. Petty!
Student retention rates up this spring
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, Academics
Baylor released its spring 2008 enrollment numbers Monday, and student retention rates are up across all undergraduate groups. According to the University, the retention rate for all undergraduates increased to 94.9% this spring; last spring saw 94.6% of students returning. Retention rates were also up among first-time freshmen, provisionally admitted students, and transfers.
For the fourth straight year, enrollment is up compared to the previous spring. This spring’s enrollment of 13,289 undergraduate and graduate students is up 120 over a year ago, 276 versus two years ago, and up 574 compared to three years back.
In the press release, Diana Ramey, assistant VP for enrollment management, pointed to the strong academic profile of this year’s freshman class and the opening of the Paul L. Foster Success Center as important factors in the increased retention rates. Both factors are important parts of Baylor 2012’s Imperative IV: “to attract and support a top-tier student body,” and these retention numbers show Baylor’s progress toward that goal.
Sic ’em, returning students!
New Scholars award goes to Baylor prof for 2nd straight year
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, Academics, Research, HonorsBaylor’s reputation as a university with faculty recognized as leaders in their discipline received a nice boost this week as, for the second year in a row, a Baylor professor took home the New Scholars Achievement Award from the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS).
The CSGS, which includes all major graduate schools in 17 states and the District of Columbia, gave its 2008 Achievement Award for New Scholars in Math, Physical Sciences and Engineering to Dr. Ian Gravagne, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Baylor. Last year, English professor Dr. Richard Russell received the New Scholars award in the humanities.
Gravagne is not only a prolific researcher, but also an involved teacher leading one of three Engaged Learning Groups (ELGs) currently on campus.
Sic ’em, Dr. Gravagne!
Alive and biking from Waco to Anchorage
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, Student life
Just about every college student does something others might call “crazy” at least once while in school, but few take it to as grand a scale as this: four Baylor juniors are going to bicycle from Waco to Anchorage, Alaska, this summer to raise awareness for suicide prevention.
After talking to a friend who had attempted suicide, the quartet started a group on Facebook.com to raise awareness of the issue, promising that if the group reached 250,000 members, they would make the trek. As of today, the group has already surpassed 150,000 members, and plans for fundraising and even possible incorporation as a non-profit group have begun. I’d say these students have a good handle on the “understanding life as a stewardship” part of Baylor 2012.
For more on the Alive Campaign, visit their Facebook or MySpace pages or e-mail Alivecampaign@gmail.com. Edited to add: Since hitting 250,000, the guys have posted an update video on YouTube.
Sic ’em, students!
Gifts like the Robinsons keep Baylor affordable
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, AlumniAs college tuition costs have risen across the nation in recent years, many parents are wondering how they will ever afford a college education for their children.
The desire to fund more scholarships for students is at the heart of Baylor’s push towards a $2 billion endowment (an important part of Vision 2012). Thankfully, Baylor alums are stepping up to the plate; just this week, a $5 million gift from Clifton and Betsy Robinson was announced that will endow new scholarships for students in the Honors College.
For 2007-08, Baylor awarded more than $23 million in need-based scholarships alone. Future gifts like the Robinsons’ will help the University keep Baylor affordable for all deserving students. To find out how you can help, click on the “Give to Baylor” link on the right side of this page.
Sic ’em, Robinsons!
Two Baylor profs make ALA Top 10 books list
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, Research, Honors
Not one, but two books by Baylor professors made the American Library Association’s list of the Top 10 Books in Religion for 2007.
The Listening Heart: Vocation and the Crisis of Modern Culture, by the late Dr. A.J. “Chip” Conyers, and Discovering God: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief, by Dr. Rodney Stark, were among the list of 10 books that were honored in what the ALA noted was an exceptional year for books on religion.
Before his death from cancer in 2004, Dr. A.J. “Chip” Conyers was one of Truett Seminary’s first professors. A prolific writer, Conyers finished his final book not long before his death. Stark is the co-director for Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion, which gained national recognition for the University last year for its survey on American religious beliefs.
An honor like this is nice recognition that Baylor professors are among the leaders in the study of religion — one of the goals of Baylor’s Vision 2012, and a status befitting the world’s largest Baptist university.
Sic ’em, Baylor professors!
