News

Baylor Honors College's Examined Life Scholars (ELS) program took its next step this summer, welcoming its first fully residential cohort thanks to a $300,000 Knowledge for Freedom grant from the Teagle Foundation.

The grant allowed the Honors College to expand the program beyond last summer's pilot by bringing rising high school seniors from Waco and Temple to campus for a two-week residential experience rooted in the Great Texts tradition. Students lived together in Penland Residence Hall, shared meals, wrestled with classic texts and continued conversations well into the evening alongside Honors College student mentors.

Baylor's MELA summer math program is underway in partnership with three local school districts and establishes solid foundation in “number sense” for early learners.

Baylor University, the City of Waco and Baylor Athletics have partnered together on Summer on Turner Plaza for the Waco community each Thursday night in July on Turner Plaza at Foster Pavilion.

Baylor University will join with the Greater Waco community in celebration of Juneteenth, a national holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

Collection documents nearly six years of the Baylor alum’s public service and community leadership in Waco.

Baylor Health Services nurse and former medic Uriah Yarbrough, R.N., is recognized for expanding blood donation efforts on campus and across the community.

Baylor University is proud to announce that the TEDxBaylor University talk – “The Eight-Hour Sleep Challenge During Finals Week” – by Michael K. Scullin, Ph.D., has been selected as an Editor’s Pick among hundreds of thousands of talks. 

Each summer, Baylor’s campus transforms into a dynamic environment where learning is supported by doing, and experiences shape both young participants and the Baylor students who lead them.

Recently named a top travel destination by Southern Living, Waco has a lot to offer! 

When Margo Paluch (BSED ’26) walks across the stage this weekend during Baylor Commencement, the senior elementary education major from Lake Geneva, Wisc., will experience a historic first as a member of the inaugural graduating class of Baylor’s newly named Moody School of Education. But she will also carry another first very close to her heart.

As a third-grade student teacher at Hewitt Elementary School just outside Waco, Paluch spent a day substituting in a self-contained special education classroom. That experience sparked an idea — a deeply personal one — about creating opportunities for her third graders to include others, be kind, and form friendships.

The full-day program introduces Waco-area high school students to STEM through immersive, hands-on learning experiences in Baylor's teaching laboratories.

Students in Baylor University's Philanthropy & the Public Good course awarded grants totaling $100,000 to seven local nonprofit organizations, supporting work spanning maternal and child health, immigrant services, housing, healthcare access, child development, and services to teens experiencing homelessness.

Less than a year into competition as a varsity sports program, Baylor Esports and the Waco community take the national stage, simultaneously hosting the Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup (CECC) and the Texas Scholastic Esports Federation (TexSEF) Undisputed State Championships, May 1-3 across campus and downtown venues. 

One of mainstream country music’s most popular live groups, Old Dominion is headed to Baylor University’s Foster Pavilion for an electrifying show on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.

Fans will pack Baylor University venues for two officially SOLD-OUT concerts, featuring fast-rising Texas country music star Hudson Westbrook, followed by THE legendary Texas musician Willie Nelson.

Last fall, Baylor faculty, staff, students and alumni took the stage at the inaugural TEDxBaylor University event, where they presented speeches based on the theme of “Innovation in Deeds,” connecting to the University’s strategic plan through their own personal stories. 

Here’s a sampling of what Baylor speakers shared; may their words inspire you through challenges and opportunities in your own life:

For the first time since he attended Baylor University in 1954, legendary Texas country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson is coming home to his alma mater on Thursday, May 14, for an outdoor “Willie Nelson & Family” concert at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark.

Baylor University senior Torrin Longenecker, hailing from Waco, Texas, is redefining classic menswear with a modern perspective after earning top honors in the national “Make It With Wool” competition, a prestigious program that promotes the use of American wool through innovative design.

Moody School of Education has launched a new collaborative initiative with Salado ISD to enhance access to high-quality graduate education for the district’s educators. This effort is part of the Moody School of Education’s broader strategic initiative to cultivate meaningful relationships with school districts and educational organizations across Texas, connecting educators with advanced scholarship opportunities that support lifelong learning and professional growth. 

Baylor University scientists are engaging Central Texas students, educators and families this spring through a series of hands‑on, community-focused STEM events, ranging from water‑science workshops and mosquito research demonstrations to World Water Day activities and the always-popular Chemistry Magic Show.

When the Core Curriculum in the Baylor University College of Arts & Sciences was revised in 2019, an adjustment was made that has been bearing considerable fruit ever since. A provision was added requiring students to take at least one engaged learning course to graduate –– allowing them to explore their gifts and talents by using them to serve their communities. 

In a collaboration designed to equip City of Waco employees with Artificial Intelligence (AI) training, Baylor University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) is offering a new AI in Government certificate course on campus. 

At a recent Waco City Council meeting, Waco Mayor Jim Holmes proclaimed Feb. 17, 2026, as Robert Doyle Day, recognizing the Baylor University researcher for his decades of service to Waco’s water systems and his role as one of the architects of the Lake Waco Wetlands project. 

Robert Doyle, Ph.D., professor of biology and founding director of Baylor’s Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research (CRASR), played a key role in establishing the Lake Waco Wetlands and has led research efforts to enhance and expand the wetlands for more than 25 years.

A new study led by Baylor University linguists and physicians with Waco Family Medicine, a local Federally Qualified Healthcare Center, offers a hopeful, practical solution to the interpreter shortage – a replicable and affordable training model that turns heritage Spanish-speaking clinic employees into qualified medical interpreters. By leveraging the unique linguistic and cultural strengths of heritage speakers, the model strengthens communication and improves health equity for millions of patients in a valuable, cost-effective manner.

WACO, Texas (February 13, 2026) – This tax season, 140 undergraduate and graduate accounting students from Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business are partnering with students from University High School and La Vega High School to provide free tax preparation through the student-led Waco Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Together, they expect to prepare more than 1,500 tax returns for families across McLennan County.

As Baylor University and the City of Waco observe Black History Month in February, University Carillonneur Lynnette Geary will present a special Black History Month Carillon Recital at noon Monday, Feb. 9, on the McLane Carillon in the tower of Pat Neff Hall. The recital is free and open to the community.

Hosted by the Baylor School of Music, Geary will perform “(We Shall) I’ll Overcome Some Day,” “This Little Light of Mine,” “Wade in the Water,” “Precious Lord,” “Chimes Blues” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The performance will last about 25 minutes.

Through a new agreement, Dripping Springs ISD employees will receive streamlined access to graduate education at Moody School of Education, including a range of benefits designed to support working professionals. For online programs, they are eligible to receive special scholarship access and waived application fee.

The Waco Regional Baptist Association WMU and Women’s Ministry, in partnership with First Baptist Church Waco, George W. Truett Theological Seminary and the Keston Center for Religion, Politics, and Society at Baylor University, will observe the 2026 Baptist Women’s World Day of Prayer with a program and brunch on Saturday, Feb. 7, at First Baptist Church Waco.

Baylor Law School will host its annual People’s Law School on Saturday, Feb. 14, offering Central Texas residents a free, half‑day program designed to provide practical, accessible legal education. The event is open to the public and will be held at Baylor Law School from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
 

WACO, Texas (Feb. 2, 2026) – 9x diamond-certified global superstar Post Malone and 7x Grammy-nominated and 3x Grammy-winning entertainer Jelly Roll are set to return to the road with Post Malone and Jelly Roll Present: The BIG Stadium Tour Part 2, continuing the momentum of their record-breaking stadium run. Post Malone and Jelly Roll will bring their tour to Baylor University’s McLane Stadium on Tuesday, May 19, in Waco, Texas. Their Waco show will be one of only two Texas stops, with the other on May 13 in El Paso.

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’”

Every year, Americans answer this call by coming together on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service – this year on Monday, Jan. 19, to serve their neighborhoods and communities and with events celebrating the life and legacy of the late Civil Rights leader. The Baylor University and Waco communities will join others across the nation to participate in multiple events honoring Dr. King.

The City of Waco has been home to Baylor University since 1886. The two have persevered and grown alongside one another through wars, economic downturns and incredible prosperity. Baylor and Waco partner regularly on a range of programs and activities, and one unique event is the annual Community Prayer Breakfast. The breakfast, which on occasion is held as a luncheon, is an opportunity to start each semester in prayer with pastors, school officials, and community leaders for the city, local colleges and universities, and area students of all ages.

Leaders in breaking barriers and making history, the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters™ today announced that Waco, Texas, will be a key stop on the team’s 100 Year Tour – the most legendary tour in Globetrotters history – playing at Baylor University’s Foster Pavilion on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 1 p.m. 

Baylor University, leading the collaborative Central Texas Cyber Hub (CTCH), today announced the launch of the K-12 Cyber Security Pathways Program (K12 CSPP), a groundbreaking initiative designed to equip high school students with essential cybersecurity skills for immediate workforce entry or advanced education.

Baylor University proudly announces the lineup of dynamic speakers for its first-ever TEDx event, TEDxBaylor University: Innovation in Deeds. Eleven speakers from across campus and Waco will take the stage at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Mark and Paul Hurd Welcome Center. The day-long event will showcase innovative ideas, groundbreaking research and inspiring personal stories – all livestreamed on Baylor University’s Facebook, YouTube and Virtual Events channels.

Lots of events bring people to Waco in the fall: Move2BU, football games, Family Weekend, Premiere, Homecoming, Commencement… You get the idea. And the one thing all those visitors have in common? They’ll all need to eat while here.

For years, we’ve been writing up various guides for visitors to Waco. At last, here they all are, in one place — just for you.