Baylor Connections

Mandy McMichael

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.

Kendra Gagnon

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.

Larry Lyon

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.

Gary Mortenson

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.

Khristian Howard

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.

Robert Darden

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.

Stephen Sloan and Adrienne Cain

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.

Bernd Zechmann

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.