Baylor Connections

President Linda Livingstone

Anticipation abounds at the start of a new school year, and the Baylor Family has much to celebrate. In this Baylor Connections, President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., takes listeners inside the Fall Semester at Baylor. From the launch of a new strategic plan to a focus on Baylor’s global impact as a Christian university, President Livingstone highlights a number of themes key to the year ahead at Baylor.

Leslie Hahner and Kevin Villegas

A contentious election season highlights the need for citizens who can engage with respect and understanding amidst disagreement. As a Christian university, Baylor seeks to both model civil discourse and train students to do the same. Leslie Hahner, Professor of Communication, and Kevin Villegas, Dean of Intercultural Engagement, work with students as they navigate these complexities. In this Baylor Connections, they share those experiences, along with practical insights to encourage discourse commensurate to the call to love our neighbor.

David Wills

David Wills has a passion for generosity and helping others live generously. The two-time Baylor graduate was named the 2024 Baylor Alumnus of the Year. In this Baylor Connections, Wills lists the questions that everyone should ask to consider generosity in their own lives, explains why generous people are happy and shares the impact of his Baylor experience on the path his life has taken.

Jason Cook

New additions to the Baylor campus, national rankings, Big 12 expansion and more highlight the conversation with Jason Cook in this week’s Baylor Connections. Cook, who serves as Baylor’s Vice President for Marketing and Communications and Chief Marketing Officer, takes listeners inside Baylor’s national reputation, examines the impact of new facilities in the last year and looks ahead to the coming months at Baylor.

Jimmy and Janet Dorrell

Legendary organizations Mission Waco-Mission World and Church Under the Bridge are known for their commitment to serve others and efforts to overcome injustice in Waco and beyond. Their work has blessed thousands of individuals and inspired generations of Baylor students to pursue their own calls to serve. In this Baylor Connections, co-founders Jimmy and Janet Dorrell, recipients of Baylor’s 2024 Pro Ecclesia Medal of Service, share the heart behind a life committed to the poor and marginalized.

Nathan Shelburne and Kaleigh Wiffler

For incoming students and families, Orientation and Line Camp are core moments in the final weeks before they officially become Baylor students. In this Baylor Connections, experience these events through the eyes of their participants. Nathan Shelburne, director of New Student Programs, and Kaleigh Wiffler, a rising senior and team captain on the Student Leadership Team, share favorite activities, key experiences and more.

Gabe Madison

After 22 years in corporate America, Gabe Madison wasn’t expecting the call to lead an urban farm addressing food insecurity and community wellbeing in South Dallas. In this Baylor Connections, Madison, the 2024 recipient of Baylor’s Pro Texana Medal of Service, shares her journey to Bonton Farms and examines needs in the community that this farm continually grows to meet.

Julie Anne Sweet

In this Baylor Connections, a Baylor history professor transports listeners to Revolutionary times. Julie Anne Sweet, Professor of History and Director of Military Studies has been featured on C-SPAN as she lectures in full Revolutionary War-period military gear. As we approach Independence Day, she shares why that period is so meaningful to her, gives insights on making history come alive, and recounts some of her favorite people and moments from the times surrounding the founding of the U.S.