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Points of Pride — Videos

May

2013

Baylor sophomore among the final 12 on NBC’s ‘The Voice’

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Honors, Just for Fun, Student life, Videos

Holly Tucker

Baylor sophomore Holly Tucker wasn’t content just making an appearance on The Voice, NBC’s singing competition; she came to win.

So far, so good. Out of almost 75 performers who have appeared on the show this season, the 19-year-old native of Lorena (a Waco suburb) has made it into the final 12. All four judges wanted Tucker after her initial blind audition; she chose to join country superstar Blake Shelton’s team, and has since made it through three more rounds of judge’s decisions and fan voting.

[HOLLY PERFORMS: "To Make You Feel My Love," blind audition || "Blown Away," battle round || "Live Like You Were Dying," knockout round || "How Do I Live," top 16 live playoffs || iTunes link for all four songs]

From here on out, Tucker’s survival on The Voice will depend largely on viewer voting (via online polls at NBC.com, phone calls and text messages to specified numbers, and iTunes single sales). For at least the next two weeks, Holly and the other competitors will perform on Monday nights (NBC, 7 p.m. CT); voting will then take place overnight, with results announced live on the show Tuesday nights.

A Baylor legacy, Holly’s father, Johnny, mother, Cheryl, and brother, Travis, are all Baylor graduates, and Cheryl now works in the Engineering and Computer Science dean’s office. When Holly was first introduced on the show, her Baylor connections (including her role in the Golden Wave Band) were highlighted frequently, and even six weeks into the show, she is still frequently introduced as “Baylor University marching band performer Holly Tucker.”

You can follow along with her journey via Facebook, Twitter (@hollytmusic), YouTube and at HollyTucker.com. Then tune in and vote to help a fellow Baylor Bear keep on shining on this national spotlight!

Sic ’em, Holly!

May

2013

Baylor Stadium celebrates milestones in advance of bringing football back to campus

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Videos

Baylor Stadium construction

How big a deal is Baylor Stadium for the university and the football program? A media tour of the construction site yesterday drew dozens of reporters and news crews from Waco and beyond who wanted to see how the Bears’ new home is progressing.

[MEDIA REPORTS: Video and story from the Waco Tribune-Herald || WFAA Dallas/Fort Worth video || BaylorBears.com video || Baylor Photography photos || Baylor Lariat story || KCEN video || KXXV video || Fox44 Waco video || YNN video]

Construction company representatives and Baylor officials agreed: Work is coming along quite nicely, thank you. The outer shell of the stadium (which you can easily see while driving down I-35) should be complete by August or September, with the larger pieces inside cast and in place by the end of the year. Construction of the Umphrey pedestrian bridge across the Brazos River will begin later this summer, and the project is on track to be ready for the Bears’ 2014 home opener less than 500 days from now.

Visting the construction site, my first impression was just how close Baylor Stadium felt to campus. The law school right across the river feels practically next door — as close as, say, Moody Library to the SUB. (Check out this 360-degree video of the stadium and campus, taken from about where the new scoreboard will be, to get a feel for yourself.) I can’t wait until we get to experience game day on campus.

A few other notes from Tuesday’s event: President Ken Starr announced that $100 million has now been raised in private support for the stadium, and that number will continue to rise as club seats go on sale June 1 and additional gifts come in. All premium seating so far (Founders Suites, Premium Suites and Loge Boxes) have sold out, and a waiting list is growing, while 1,500 new season tickets have been sold for 2013 in anticipation of the new stadium a year later. More than 1,400 Stadium Bricks have also been sold to adorn a plaza outside the stadium.

(Click the image at right for an interesting comparison of Floyd Casey Stadium and Baylor Stadium.)

Sic ’em, Baylor Stadium!

May

2013

Engineering students build robots that ‘mind the gap’

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Just for Fun, Videos

The challenge: Build a robot that can traverse an 8-inch gap, but that at start and finish is no taller, wider or deeper than 12 inches.

Last week, a group of Baylor students nearing completion of Engineering Design I (EGR 3380) put their semester projects to the test. Some of the robot vehicles flew; some built their own “bridges;” some unfolded to add length, then refolded after crossing the gap. Each took a different approach. Most worked; a few didn’t. But every student had fun and learned in the process. Here’s a short video showcasing their efforts:

Sic ’em, Baylor engineering students!

You might also like:
* Students design 400-square-foot housing for use following natural disasters (Jan. 2013)
* Engineering students take on new challenge in Baja SAE competition (Oct. 2012)
* Engineering grads earn attention for eye-controlled Super Mario play (Oct. 2010)

Apr

2013

Baylor sophomore impresses on NBC’s ‘The Voice’

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Honors, Just for Fun, Student life, Videos

Holly Tucker on NBC's The Voice

The judges on NBC’s The Voice singing competition — Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine, country music star Blake Shelton, Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira and multi-platinum R&B artist Usher — spent the last three weeks choosing teams of performers to mentor and prepare for head-to-head competitions.

Among those who made the cut? Baylor sophomore Holly Tucker.

A native of Lorena, Texas (less than 15 miles south of Waco), Tucker was introduced on The Voice in this season’s third episode, including a lengthy series of shots showing her walking the Baylor campus and performing with the Golden Wave Band. [Click here to watch Holly's introduction and first performance, "To Make You Feel My Love" (starting just after the 40:00 mark).]

During Tucker’s blind audition, each of the four judges quickly turned their chairs — a rare occurrence on the show, demonstrating that all four wanted her on their team. After much deliberation, Tucker — who dreams of being a country star — chose to join Shelton’s team. Beginning tonight, she and the other artists will be paired head-to-head in elimination battles; if Tucker can make it through this round, then she’ll advance to knockout rounds and (hopefully) the live finals, where audience voting can play a part.

[MORE HOLLY: Uproar Records' video "Introducing Holly" || Tucker's artist page on The Voice website || Get Tucker's first Voice performance on iTunes]

Tucker’s experience on The Voice isn’t her first time performing, of course; she has been singing in front of audiences since the age of 12. She even spent her freshman year as an artist with Baylor’s Uproar Records, recording a CD on the label and even performing on behalf of Uproar in the 2011 Baylor Homecoming Parade.

Tune in to The Voice (Mondays and Tuesdays, 7 p.m. CT, on NBC) to see what’s next for Holly, and follow her journey via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and hollytucker.com.

Sic ’em, Holly!

Apr

2013

Baylor’s Texas Hunger Initiative making strides in reducing hunger across Texas

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Pro Futuris, Service, Videos

Despite some tremendous results in helping reduce hunger across the state, Baylor University’s Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) has flown somewhat under the radar since its founding in 2009. But no longer.

A series of sponsorships and grants from corporate foundations like Walmart and ConAgra Foods, coupled with contracts like this $3.5 million deal with the State of Texas, are allowing THI to rapidly expand the efforts that have already seen, for example, an additional 15 million breakfasts served to school children statewide over the past year.

In 2009, Baylor alum Jeremy Everett, MDiv ’01, began the Texas Hunger Initiative in a parking garage office space, working collaboratively with Baylor’s School of Social Work, the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. His goal was to develop a model to significantly reduce (and perhaps eliminate) hunger by building a public-private infrastructure that could be replicated in other states. To accomplish such a feat, THI has worked with local volunteers in cities across Texas to make sure money already budgeted for food program assistance is better and more efficiently utilized.

[Learn more about the Texas Hunger Initiative and how it works in this excellent feature from the latest issue of Baylor Magazine.]

Thanks to increased funding from outside sources, THI is now able to expand, opening a dozen regional offices (from El Paso to Houston and Amarillo to McAllen) to better coordinate with individuals in the communities being served. (Want to join in? Learn more here.)

Baylor’s Pro Futuris strategic vision calls for Baylor to be a place “where our Christian faith, in conjunction with our expertise and resources, inspires a desire to address systematic problems facing our community.” THI is a perfect example of how Baylor can serve not only our students, but our entire state. Pro Texana, indeed.

Sic ’em, Texas Hunger Initiative!

Texas Hunger Initiative

Apr

2013

Students win National Trumpet Competition for second time in three years

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Honors, Student life, Videos

The month of March brought a national championship to Baylor, after all; in fact, the winning team has all the makings of a potential dynasty. It’s just not in the world of sports.

For the second time in three years, a Baylor student ensemble was crowned national champion at the National Trumpet Competition, hosted by George Mason University. The sextet of master’s candidates Drew Fremder and Erika Izaguirre, seniors Taylor Williamson, Manuel Munoz, junior Ben Hauser and sophomore David Sayers (dubbed “Baylor Gold”) took first place from among 30 groups that had reached the semifinals. Here‘s their award-winning performance of “1849,” arranged by Baylor trumpet professor Wiff Rudd:

And the members of “Baylor Gold” weren’t the only Bears to excel at the competition; another group from the School of Music’s Baylor Trumpet Studio was also among the competition’s top six acts, as “Baylor Green” (senior Tyler Brinkman, junior Kelsie Dunham, sophomore Daniel Gerona, and freshmen Regan O’Connor and Brent Smith) joined “Baylor Gold” in the finals.

Sic ’em, Baylor Trumpet Studio!

You might also like:
* Christmas carols from BU trumpet students, Lubbock-area grads (Dec. 2012)
* Trumpeteers, debaters bring home national honors for Baylor (April 2011)
* Freshman’s musical talents lead to scholarship and service (Jan. 2010)

Trumpeteers

Apr

2013

President Starr joins Justices O’Connor and Souter on Harvard Law-hosted panel

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Videos

Earlier this month, Harvard Law School hosted a daylong symposium on the need for civics education in schools. The featured noontime panel included four experts:

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor,
Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter,
Longtime Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe, and
Baylor University President Ken Starr.

Pretty good company, eh? The panelists discussed why civics and civics education matter; Judge Starr talked about his realization during a Supreme Court case he argued before the Supreme Court of how little appreciation many Americans have for open civic discussion. He cited the iCivics program championed by Justice O’Connor (and studied by Baylor professors and students for classroom implementation) as a great example of how intentional efforts can help reach tomorrow’s citizens at an early age.

If you, like President Starr and the other panelists, are interested in the subject, you can watch the entire panel discussion in the video above.

Sic ’em, Judge Starr!

Judge Starr at Harvard

Apr

2013

Baylor prof testifies before Congressional subcommittee as expert on Gulf War Illness

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Research, Videos

Dr. Lea Steele For years, many veterans of the first Gulf War have suffered from a mysterious, multi-symptom sickness known as “Gulf War Illness.” Recently, allegations have been made that the Department of Veteran Affairs has not done everything possible to aid veterans suffering from the illness, which is still not fully understood even two decades after the conflict began.

As the director of Baylor’s Veterans Health Research Program and an expert on Gulf War Illness research, Dr. Lea Steele was called to testify last month before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations related to these allegations. Steele told the committee that the VA has been slow to clearly and accurately acknowledge the problem and has failed to establish an effective and strategic scientific research program to address Gulf War illness research questions. [Watch Steele's testimony here, beginning at the 1:35:38 mark, or read the transcript of her appearance here.]

Steele, who is also a research professor in Baylor’s Institute of Biomedical Studies, later was a guest on NPR’s “Science Friday” to discuss current research on the causes and possible treatments for Gulf War Illness. (She was able to appear live on the radio program from the studios of KWBU-FM on the Baylor campus.) [Click here to listen to the show.]

Baylor’s research on Gulf War Illness (led by Steele) last fall was awarded a grant of $1.6 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to address multiple aspects of the syndrome, from studies on the biological processes causing the varied symptoms to development of a nationwide network that would advance health research on the issue.

Sic ’em, Dr. Steele and Baylor researchers!

Mar

2013

Griner’s 3 dunks lead top-ranked Lady Bears to fifth straight Sweet 16

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Honors, Photo Galleries, Videos

Brittney Griner waves to fans after final game in Waco

From the outset Tuesday night, it was clear that Brittney Griner wanted to put on a show in her final game in the Ferrell Center — especially after learning there was a special guest in the house.

With former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, in attendance, Griner scored 33 points, pulled down 22 rebounds, and became the first woman in NCAA history to dunk three times in a game as the No. 1-seeded Baylor women’s basketball team beat Florida State, 85-47.

With this victory and the Lady Bears’ opening round win over Prairie View A&M, Baylor advanced to a fifth straight Sweet 16 (the eighth in Kim Mulkey’s 13 years at Baylor).

[LINKS: Highlights from ESPN, including Griner's 3 dunks || Photos from Baylor Photography and the AP || Griner & Mulkey reflect on the seniors' final home game || President Obama picks Baylor to win it all || Players do their best Mulkey impersonations || Jalen Rose on Brittney Griner's numbers || Griner's 15th career dunk || Baylor/Sweet 16 t-shirt available from the Baylor Bookstore]

Over the last four years, Baylor’s senior class of Griner, Nae-Nae Hayden, Jordan Madden, Brooklyn Pope and Destiny Williams led the Lady Bears to an astounding 72-2 record in the Ferrell Center. But their final goal still awaits; they hope to leave with back-to-back national championships — something only three other schools have ever accomplished (Southern Cal, Tennessee and UConn).

Next up for the Lady Bears: 16th-ranked Louisville on Sunday in Oklahoma City, with the winner of that game facing either Tennessee or Oklahoma Tuesday in OKC. Baylor has sold-out of its allotment of tickets for the regional, but fans may purchase seats directly from the Chesapeake Energy Arena web site. Gameday bus trips from Waco to OKC and back are also available for both games from Anthony Travel.

In Oklahoma City, Baylor fans can join the Baylor Alumni Network for send-off parties at the team hotel (the Skirvin Hilton) 90 minutes prior to each game, as well as a pep rally at the hotel from 8-9 p.m. April 1 if the women advance to the Elite Eight.

Sic ’em, Lady Bears!

Mar

2013

Lady Bears named NCAA tourney’s No.1 overall seed for second straight year

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Honors, Videos

Lady Bears named No. 1 seed

Big 12 regular season champs.
Big 12 tournament champs.
The unanimous No. 1 team in the country.
The nation’s No. 1 seed entering the NCAA tournament.

That was the formula the Baylor Lady Bears followed on the way to the national championship a year ago, and it’s the path head coach Kim Mulkey’s squad has charted again this year, having been named a No. 1 seed yet again when the NCAA bracket was announced Monday night on ESPN.

[LINKS: Full NCAA bracket || ESPN experts each pick Baylor to win it all || ESPN analyzes Baylor's region || Griner's live ESPN interview || Pictures from the selection show gathering]

The Lady Bears will host first- and second-round action in the Ferrell Center March 24 and 26. Baylor will play SWAC tournament champion Prairie View A&M on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2; the winner of that game will face the winner of Florida State and Princeton on Tuesday the 26th at 8:30 p.m. CT.

Mulkey’s team enters the tournament at 32-1, having claimed both the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles for the third straight year. Baylor also swept Big 12 Coach (Mulkey) and Player (Brittney Griner) of the Year honors for the third year in a row; led by that pair, the Lady Bears have gone an astounding 106-4 over the past three seasons.

Are you ready for March Madness? Tickets are on sale now, as is Lady Bear Big 12 Champion gear from the Baylor Bookstore.

Sic ’em, Lady Bears!

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