• Big 12 schools aren’t just rivals — they’re partners, too

    Big 12 pennants

    The popularity and frequency of college athletic contests often lead us as fans to think of other Big 12 Conference schools as our opponents, someone we must fight against and try to beat, at all costs. But outside of the world of athletics, Baylor partners with other Big 12 schools (yes, even Texas and TCU) on a regular basis; it just attracts less attention than your average sporting event.

    Here are three common ways that Big 12 institutions work together:

    1. Big 12 Faculty Fellowship Program. Since the conference’s inception in 1996, professors from Big 12 schools have benefitted from this exchange program that allows professors to visit their peers at other conference schools for an extended period (roughly two weeks) to study or discuss a particular subject. For instance, last summer the program brought Baylor engineering professor Joseph Kuehl and Texas marine science professor Edward Buskey together to study the transport dynamics of a particular species of crab near Port Aransas. Baylor also regularly hosts scholars from schools across the conference who come to work with their colleagues in art, journalism, music and other fields.

    2. Big 12 researchers working together in their field. Last month, Baylor hosted the Big 12 Water Conference, which brought together representatives from every conference school to tackle important issues like water quality and sustainability. Such meetings are part of an ongoing effort by the Big 12 to enhance research collaboration among member institutions; past years have seen similar consortiums of engineers, MIS specialists, musicians and other scholars.

    3. Regular gatherings of administrators to share ideas. Members of many university administrative departments — from provosts to fundraisers to alumni directors and more — meet regularly with their peers at other Big 12 schools to compare notes and discuss how they handle common issues. There’s even an annual teaching and learning conference for professors and graduate students who want to improve their teaching skills.

    While Big 12 schools may be our rivals on the field or court, it’s important to remember that in many more ways, they’re also our partners — working together for the greater good.

    Sic ’em, Big 12 Conference!