News

Elite CAREER Awards spur high-level research by young Baylor faculty

Baylor University’s Office of Engaged Learning (OEL) honored students, faculty, staff, and community partners at its annual banquet April 30, celebrating a year of achievement in leadership, research, civic engagement, and global learning.

Twelve Baylor professors have been honored with Outstanding Faculty Awards for exceptional teaching, scholarship and contributions to the academic community.

Recipients of the Vardaman Awards, named in tribute to Professor Elizabeth Vardaman, are Baylor faculty members who go above and beyond in mentoring undergraduate students.

Twelve faculty members have received Outstanding Faculty awards from the Baylor University College of Arts & Sciences for the 2025-2026 academic year. 

The Baylor University Office of the Provost has announced tenure and promotions within the College of Arts & Sciences for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Two teams from Baylor have qualified to compete in this year’s national tournament in March against the best debaters from around the country. It’s the University's 22nd consecutive year to qualify at least one team in the National Debate Tournament, and the 66th time since 1948 that Baylor has been represented there.

Baylor University has released a YouTube playlist featuring talks from its inaugural TEDxBaylor University event, featuring speakers from across the Baylor campus and the Waco community.

Baylor University experts to share ideas for resolutions that are easier to maintain while making a positive impact on our lives.

Obituary for Professor David W. Schlueter, who passed on November 4, 2025. 

Baylor has named experienced media and brand executive and former athletics administrator Doug McNamee as the Bears’ next Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Baylor proudly announces the lineup of eleven dynamic speakers from across campus and Waco for its first-ever TEDx event, TEDxBaylor University: Innovation in Deeds. 

Baylor has announced a gift from Michael and Jennifer Hillman of Waco, establishing The Kathy Robinson Hillman Endowed Chair in Communication in honor of Kathy Hillman, B.A. ’73, and her 50 years of service at Baylor. 

The second session of the 2025-2026 Readers Meet the Author series will take place Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at 12:00 p.m., and feature Dr. Luke Winslow, Associate Professor of Communication and Director of Communication & International Politics Study Abroad Program. Winslow will speak about his new book, “Oligarchy in America: Power, Justice, and the Rule of the Few” (The University of Alabama Press, 2024), in conversation with Former Editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald, Bill Whitaker. The session will be held in the Schumacher Flex Commons of Moody Memorial Library and available online via Zoom Webinar. A time for Q&A, reception with light refreshments, and a book signing will follow the conversation. The Readers Meet the Author series is presented by the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost and hosted by the Baylor Libraries.

On August 7, 2025, Provost Brickhouse announced her selections for the annual Readers Meet the Author series that recognizes recent single-author faculty book publications and invites shared reflection and collegial conversation about big ideas.

Undergraduate certificate programs offer students a flexible pathway to gain specialized skills and increase the value of their degree. 

Communication mistakes occur in organizations of all shapes and sizes, but a Baylor MBA equips students with methods to mitigate clarity issues and enhance communication strategy. MBA faculty Jacob Ford and April Rowsey dissect the common communication pitfalls, how to avoid them, and how to use emotional intelligence (EQ) to help an audience understand the meaning behind business communications.

Research findings from three Baylor University professors debunk the common myths about break time in the workplace, revealing how “intentional rest” is a key factor in employee well-being.

The Baylor debate team of Lorilei Lassen and Omar Darwish advanced to the Sweet 16 round at the 2025 Cross Examination Debate Association National Tournament.

Oligarchy is being thrown around a lot these days. But what does the term mean? Is America an oligarchy? And how does oligarchy help explain American democracy today?

For the 21st year in a row, a Baylor University debate team has qualified to compete in the nation’s top debate tournament, while another Baylor debate team won a recent national competition.

For the 21st year in a row, members of the Baylor University debate squad have qualified to compete in the nation’s top debate tournament, while a Baylor debate team has also won a recent national competition.

The Fall 2024 version of Baylor University’s “Best of the Best” speech contest was held on Monday, December 9, 2024. Communication Department graduate students nominate the best speakers from each of the 60 students in their public speaking groups. Those students give their final speeches before an audience of 200 students who vote to determine the outcome. The “Best of the Best” speech contest at Baylor is administered by Dr. Rich Edwards, professor of communication.

Oligarchy in America offers a survey of the history of political and economic ideas in the US that have led to an increasingly entrenched ultra-rich class of oligarchs. 

Dr. Aric Gooch from the Department of Political Science gave a guest lecture on American Democracy to Dr. Luke Winslow's class. Combined with Coach Drew's lecture to Dr. Browning's class, the Department of Communication has hosted guest two guests lecturers with Big XII championships and a national title this week. 

The applications for Baylor Communication & International Politics Summer 2025 is now open! Join Dr. Luke Winslow in a study abroad trip to Spain & Portugal for 3 weeks in May and June.

The call to address human health needs takes many forms at Baylor. Researchers may study molecules and cells to find treatments for disease, examine waterways for pollution or search for connections between diet and health.

Ten Baylor University faculty members have been selected by Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., to serve as 2024-2025 Baylor Fellows for their excellence in teaching and desire to advance Baylor’s commitment to transformational education.

The latest episode of Baylor Connections features Dr. Leslie Hahner as she shares her insight on learning to navigate complex conversations about civil discourse while embodying the call to love our neighbor.

Baylor’s Leslie Hahner, Ph.D., and Kevin Villegas, Ed.D., talk about the complexities of navigating civil discourse from both an academic and student life perspective on Baylor Connections podcast. 

A new Baylor certificate program trains students in the rapidly growing field of health communication.

This week, Isabella Harvison, Graduate student in Communications, was honored as the 2024 Cissie Leary Award recipient for Sportsmanship in the Texas region.
 
The ITA Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship goes to a Division I women's player from each region who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team's performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis. It dates back to 1997 and is in memory of the late and widely admired Penn women's tennis coach Cissie Leary.

McNair scholar, Ashlynn Main, has received full funding to attend a PhD program in Political Science at Washington State University.  Ashlynn is a first-generation college student who just graduated this May with a B.A. in Communication major. 

The Department of Communication wants to congratulate the following graduates for all of their hard work and perseverance to complete their Master of Arts in Communication degree:

• Kim Caronia
• Heather Davenport
• Kylie Drossner
• Mauricio Funes
• Ellie Allison
• Eldad Eyimife

On Friday, April 26th, Matt Schreiner--under the direction of Dr. Luke Winslow—successfully defended his Honors thesis: Stare Decisis and Originalism: A Comparative Analysis of Two Legal Appeals.

Baylor Debate attended the 78th National Debate Tournament earlier this month, extending Baylor's streak of qualifying and competing at nationals to over 20 years! 

The Department of Communication is so blessed to have such a fabulous Graduate Student Worker. 

Dr. Luke Winslow's Children as Rhetorical Advocates in Social Movements examines “Rhetorical Children” as visible and vocal communicators, shaping public discourse on contentious social issues related to organized labor, civil rights, gun violence, and climate change.

The mandatory pre-departure meeting for the Communication & International Politics study abroad course will be Thursday, March 21 in Castellaw 240 at 4:30 pm.

At Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, MBA students follow the footsteps of impactful communicators by taking a broad range of practical courses in communication. In this article, two communications instructors share the guidance they impart to their MBA students.

The Spring Communication Majors Meeting is happening soon.

Earlier this year, Baylor Debate competed at Weber State University, with one team invited to the prestigious Val Browning Round Robin and another competing in the tournament itself.

The team traveled to the University of Central Oklahoma to qualify for the NDT in a rigorous 8 round competition against other universities from a district covering Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

The University Libraries, College of Arts & Sciences and the Office of the Provost at Baylor University will host a joint event – Discovering DH: Honoring Women’s Stories – featuring five presentations from women faculty highlighting their scholarship in the digital humanities. 

Wanting to study abroad over the summer? Dr. Luke Winslow is leading a study abroad trip to Spain, France, and Italy, AND you earn six credit hours through the program. For more information follow @baylorcomm_ineurope on Instagram. 

Have you ever imagined yourself living in New York? The Baylor in New York Program is now accepting applications for Fall '24 and Spring '25 semesters. 

The Fall 2023 version of Baylor University’s “Best of the Best” speech contest was held on Monday, December 4, 2023. Communication Department graduate students nominate the best speakers from each of the 60 students in their public speaking groups. Those students give their final speeches before an audience of 200 students who vote to determine the outcome.

In The Power of Regret, bestselling author Daniel Pink surveyed 15,000 people near the end of their lives and asked them to name their greatest regret.  According to his research, the #1 regret was not studying abroad in college!

Dr. Luke Winslow and Baylor undergraduate, Daniel Ho, won the Religious Communication Association's Top Overall Paper at the National Communication Association's annual convention. 

Dr. Matt Gerber was awarded the 2023 American Forensics Association (AFA) Distinguished Service Award for his decades of service to the college debate community.

Dr. Luke Winslow and Baylor undergrad Daniel Ho will present their paper "Constrained by (Methodological) Freedom: Synthesizing the Wesleyan Quadrilateral and Postmodern Rhetorical Theory" to the Top Papers Panel in Religious Communication at the National Communication Association annual convention in Washington D.C. next week.  

Congratulations to Erica Kolson, Baylor Communication MA '23, for her award for scholarship at the 2023 Religious Communication Association's Annual Convention. 

The Baylor Department of Communication hosted Dr. Craig Scott for the 2nd Annual Baylor Organizational Communication Symposium.

Dr. Arden Roeder’s newest publication (co-authored with Dr. Ryan Bisel of The University of Oklahoma) in Communication Monographs extends Organizational Communication research related to resilience and reliability. The paper details how individuals and teams in organizations can more effectively use communication to minimize the impacts of disruptive workplace events.

Join Lambda Pi Eta on Thursday, October 25th from 8:00am to 7:00pm for their profit share at Mamaka Bowls.

The Baylor Debate freshman team went undefeated at their most recent Weber State Debate Tournament. 

Faculty member, Kelly Nagel recently published a new piece in the Rhetoric Society Quarterly. Her essay examines confederate memory sites and argues that these sites are a form of a space for encounter. 

Join Dr. Luke Winslow in June 2024 for a study abroad trip visiting France, Spain and Italy to study Communication and International Politics.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 4, 2023) – The summer blockbuster Barbie made a big impression on both moviegoers and critics alike. Three faculty members from Baylor University will offer their ideas and takeaways from the film during Living in a Barbie World: A Panel Discussion at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10. 

Anyone who has visited the doctor in recent years — whether in-person or virtually — can see that the ways patients and doctors share information is changing. From online patient portals to computerized files medical professionals can reference while talking to the patient, new technologies ensure that everyone involved is both adopting and adapting together. […]

As healthcare organizations adopt new information technologies, patients and providers alike must adapt to the role technology plays in communication that occurs in both in-person and virtual settings.

Ashley Barrett earns milestone award to study impact of technology on communication in healthcare settings.

The Baylor University Board of Regents will be on campus today and tomorrow for its quarterly meeting. This is an important group of Baylor volunteers, as they serve as the official governing body of the University and ensure alignment with our Christian mission and financial integrity.

Ashley Barrett, Ph.D., earns $440,381 grant, the first non-STEM award presented to a Baylor faculty member by the National Science Foundation.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 3, 2022) – Ashley Barrett, Ph.D., BA ’07, MA ’09, associate professor in Baylor’s Department of Communication, has earned a highly coveted CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study the impact of new information technologies on the communication they facilitate in healthcare settings and seek ways to promote compassionate communication and empathy in these ever-evolving patient-provider interactions.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 11, 2022) Jeff Nagel, Ph.D., has returned to his alma mater as The Glenn R. Capp Chair of Forensics and director of the premiere debate program, the Glenn R. Capp Debate Forum.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 4, 2022) – Baylor University will continue its Baylor Conversation Series this fall, with discussions focusing on civil discourse for the campus community. The annual series will begin with a virtual faculty panel discussion at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11.

Department faculty Dr. Ashley Barrett and Dr. Jessica Ford collaborated on a piece that was recently published in Health Communication. Their publication builds a preliminary theoretical model for communication overload in hospitals.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 13, 2022) – Ten extraordinary women and their histories will be introduced by 10 Baylor faculty members during the seventh annual Boundary Breaking Women’s Panel, sponsored by Baylor’s Women’s and Gender Studies program.

Each summer, high schoolers hungry for competition come to campus, where they are prepared for the next level by the leaders of a program that’s won three national championships and appeared in nine Final Fours. If you’re thinking athletics, that’s not a bad guess; Baylor’s championship-level coaches host camps in almost every varsity sport each […]

Lambda Pi Eta (the official honor society for Communication) recently held a ceremony for their new inductees.

The department hosted an alumni panel where current students asked Communication alumni questions about their career paths.

Almost from the time when Baylor University began classroom instruction in May 1846, Baylor students have honed their abilities to reason, research and defend ideas and policies through meeting their peers in formal debates.

For more than a century, Baylor debaters have successfully examined the important issues facing society

Congratulations to the Bachelor/Master of Arts candidates who successfully completed their Praxis Practicum internships, reports, and presentations this Spring.

Congratulations to the Master of Arts candidates who successfully defended thesis projects this Spring.

Accelerated master's student and volleyball player Hannah Sedwick balances school and athletics, returning to BU for Fall 2021 season.

Sam Aker (BA/MA Communication), Jessica Owston (BA Communication), and Kieran Cunninham (BA/MA Communication) selected as outstanding students in the Department of Communication.

The deadline to apply for the Bachelor's/Master's (4+1) program has been extended to June 1, 2021. Admitted applicants will begin taking graduate-level coursework in Spring 2022.

With sadness, we share the passing of Dr. Lee Rivers Polk. Dr. Polk served the Department of Communication for more than 30 years as a professor, department chair, and the Director of Forensics and Debate.

In the words of our department chair, Dr. David Schlueter: We are saddened by the passing of Dr. Martin J. Medhurst. We are humbled by his impressive legacy of scholarship, teaching, and service. Thank you, Marty, for being a wonderful friend, mentor, and colleague over the last twenty years.

At a time in which political views are polarizing and tensions are high, civil discourse is necessary now more than ever. However, our ability to respectfully and productively discuss topics with those who hold a different view has significantly waned in recent years.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 7, 2020) – Brief “huddles” — rather than a barrage of emails and texts about safety and risk — may be the fastest and simplest way for hospital workers to avoid communication overload as they deal with the flood of COVID-19 cases, a Baylor University researcher says.

WACO, Texas (April 17, 2020) – As couples and families shelter in place throughout the nation to slow the spread of COVID-19, they are navigating the unique combination of crisis, change and close quarters together.

WACO, Texas (March 4, 2020) – The Glenn R. Capp Debate Forum will host a public debate featuring Baylor Debate and the Japanese National Debate Team at 7 p.m. Thursday in Room 101 of Castellaw Communications Center, 219 Baylor Ave.

WACO, Texas (April 23, 2019) – Jane Damron, Ph.D., senior lecturer in communication and this year’s Collins Outstanding Professor Award recipient, will lecture from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, in the Packard Lecture Hall at the Marrs McLean Science Building, 1214 S. Fourth St.

WACO, Texas (March 21, 2019) – Jane Damron, Ph.D., senior lecturer in the department of communication in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, has been selected as the 2019 Collins Outstanding Professor, an honor voted on annually by the senior class.

WACO, Texas (March 7, 2019) – Members of Baylor University’s nationally ranked debate program, the Glenn R. Capp Debate Forum, will be spending their spring “break” researching and fine-tuning their arguments for the 73rd National Debate Tournament (NDT), which begins March 20 at the University of Minnesota.

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research is pleased to announce the 2018-2019 class of Rising Stars Fellows. Selected from nominations provided by their deans, Rising Stars represent a broad range of disciplines that includes the sciences, arts and humanities and professional schools.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 24, 2018) – Leslie Hahner, Ph.D., associate professor of communication at Baylor University, received the James A. Winans and Herbert A. Wichelns Memorial Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Rhetoric and Public Address and the Marie Hochmuth Nichols Award from the Public Address Division of the National Communication Association for her book, “To Become an American: Immigrants and Americanization Campaigns of the Early Twentieth Century.”

WACO, Texas (Dec. 4, 2017) – The Office of the Vice Provost for Research at Baylor University has announced the 2017-2018 class of the Rising Stars Fellowship program. Selected from nominations provided by their deans, Rising Stars represent faculty from a range of disciplines, including the sciences, the arts and humanities and the professional schools.

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research is pleased to announce the 2017-2018 class of the Rising Stars Fellowship program. Selected from nominations provided by their Deans, Rising Stars represent a wide range of disciplines, including the sciences, the arts and humanities and the professional schools.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 23, 2017) – Baylor University’s Glenn R. Capp Debate Forum won first place at a recent invitation-only tournament that featured the top teams in the nation, including those from Cornell University, Rutgers University, Arizona State University, Gonzaga University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Binghamton University and University of West Georgia.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 3, 2016) — Kayla Rhidenour, Ph.D., lecturer in the department of communication in Baylor University's College of Arts & Sciences, has been honored with the 2016 Gerald R. Miller Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award presented by the National Communication Association.

WACO, Texas (April 27, 2016) – Baylor University's intercollegiate debate team, known as the Glenn R. Capp Debate Forum, just completed its 2015-16 season with a top 20 national ranking. The team also qualified three smaller groups of two members each to compete at the National Debate Tournament (NDT).

WACO, Texas (Feb. 1, 2016) — Sparring over immigration reform, ISIS and whether Trump should be in the White House can go quickly from casual to spirited to heated during water-cooler chats at work or in staff meetings. A Baylor expert offers suggestions on dodging debate disasters.