Baylor Proud

For 40 years, the General Tire & Rubber Co. was one of the largest employers in Waco — up until industry changes led to the plant’s closing in 1985. For most of the past 25 years, the company’s 2 million-square-foot facility sat dormant just up I-35 from Baylor.

Friday, plans were announced to turn the long-shuttered manufacturing plant into a 21st-century research collaborative, as Baylor officials were joined by Texas State Technical College administrators as well as state, county and city leaders in introducing the creation of the Central Texas Research and Technology Park. The park’s first project will be the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), which will be housed in General Tire’s former main building; Waco leader Clifton Robinson donated the facility to Baylor for this project. (See renderings of the building here.)

Baylor engineering will benefit greatly from the additional opportunities BRIC affords; most notably, the expanded research capabilities will allow the University to offer the program’s first doctoral degree. Faculty and students will be able to partner with both high-profile and start-up companies on researching new ideas. In the process, Central Texas stands to gain hundreds of white-collar jobs in the short term and thousands more jobs in the long term. Waco economist Ray Perryman, BS ‘74, forecasts the park will generate $1.5 to 4.2 billion in economic impact in the first 15 years, while creating between 8,000 and 22,000 jobs.

As seen in projects like BRIC and the Waco Mammoth Site, it’s amazing what can be accomplished when Baylor and the local community get together. I can’t wait to see what new ideas and opportunities Baylor students receive from this initiative!

Sic ’em, BRIC!

The natural features that make the Waco suburb of Woodway so scenic can also cause problems for home builders, as some of the city’s slopes are prone to landslides — a situation clearly unsafe for a home’s foundation. However, while these conditions affect only a fraction of the city, the danger has caused some homebuilders to shy away from building anywhere in the area.

To help builders know where it’s safe to build and where it’s not, a team of Baylor geologists headed by Dr. Joe Yelderman have mapped the geological makeup of the area, giving residents, builders and developers the information they need to make smart decisions on where to place not only homes but businesses, streets and utilities. Professors and students worked together to develop the map, dividing Woodway into five zones based on geological makeup. The team then put the map online (click here to view) for easy access, linking each zone to building ordinances about what can and can’t be built in each area. Woodway is one of only two cities in Texas to have such a map.

Sic ’em, Baylor geologists, for using your knowledge to help our neighbors!

You might have seen Baylor’s name in the news recently attached to a study on clergy sexual misconduct that found 3% of adult women who regularly attend religious services have been the victim of clergy sexual misconduct. (For example, stories ran in the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post and Associated Press.) The study found that the problem is much bigger than previously thought, occurring across most all denominations and religions.

Aside from the frequency of such misconduct, the other thing that struck me about the survey was the thought process behind it. The lead researcher was Dr. Diana Garland, dean of Baylor’s School of Social Work, and funding for the study came in part from the Baptist General Convention of Texas (as well as the Ford Foundation and the JES Edwards Foundation). Garland says the study was conducted not just for the sake of knowledge, or to expose the church’s sins to the world, but rather to bring the issue to light “so that the Church can be the Church.” She hopes that by raising awareness of the issue, the Church can be proactive in educating its members and thus avoid future abuses of power such as this.

For more on the survey, including videos of five abuse survivors telling their stories and resources that congregations can use, visit www.baylor.edu/clergysexualmisconduct.

Sic ’em, Dr. Garland and Baylor researchers whose work makes an impact!

These days, it seems everyone from President Obama on down is searching for some way to fix America’s health care problems. Two Baylor professors have laid out a plan that would provide universal health care without creating a government entitlement program or threaten the insurance coverage or health care of Americans who have coverage.

In Health Care for Us All: Getting More for Our Investment, Baylor business professors Dr. Earl Grinols and Dr. James Henderson, approach the problem from an economic viewpoint. They argue that universal access can be provided while more open competition reduces the cost of insurance by allowing customers to better shop around.

I’m glad to see Baylor professors having a voice in the national debate on issues of such importance to us all. Hopefully their plan can be put to the test and perhaps find some solution to such a pressing problem!

Sic ’em, Drs. Grinols and Henderson!

Fans of The Learning Channel (TLC) might have seen the work of a Baylor professor and not even realized it. This spring, TLC ran four documentaries — “Half Ton Mom,” “Half Ton Dad,” “Half Ton Teen,” and “Survival of the Half Ton Teen” — in which the subjects seek gastric bypass surgery in an attempt to restore health after reaching dangerous sizes (900 pounds for the mom, 1100 pounds for the dad and 800 pounds for the teenager).

Baylor film and digital media professor Dr. Michael Korpi served as producer on all three shows (which have also aired on Discovery Health). Clips from the shows were later shown on an episode of Oprah which took a look at obesity. A quick Google search found forums on the topic applauding the shows for covering the issue so well and hoping that the documentaries would encourage others to get a handle on their weight before it reaches such a state.

Sic ’em, Dr. Korpi, for helping bring the issue to light!