Alumni recall the impact their Baylor professors had on their lives

Earlier this month, Baylor University asked on Facebook and LinkedIn: “Which Baylor professor changed the way you thought about your future?”

Nearly 2,000 (!!) comments later, the impact Baylor faculty have on students is evident in both the quantity and quality of the responses.

Many commenters mentioned more than one professor, and many professors were mentioned more than once. All told, roughly 500 different Baylor faculty members were remembered in the two threads, demonstrating the broad and lasting impact BU teachers have across generations of students.

Here are just a few of the most commonly mentioned names, along with what Baylor alumni had to say about their former teachers:

• Dr. Anita Baker (education): “Dr. Baker affirmed my calling as a teacher and gave me hope… I still think of her in my 29th year of teaching… She was my professor, mentor, and my dear friend.”
• Dr. Rosalie Beck (religion): “She made the Bible come alive… Changed my trajectory… She was definitely a life changer for me!”
• Dr. Jane Damron (communication): “Taught me so much about how to look at the bigger picture… Will always be someone I brag about. Truly, what a professor!”
• Dr. Tom Hanks (English):  “Helped me recognize my own ability in scholarship… The blueprint for how I’ve run my classroom for 30 years now. … Not only a fabulous professor, but a friend.”
• Ann Miller (English): “Taught me ways of thinking that have stayed with me so many years later… I can still feel the exhilaration of being in her class.”
• Dr. Robert Packard (physics): “A brilliant man, friend to absolutely everyone… He really worked with me to understand the subject matter… I still quote him with my students.”
• Dr. David Pennington (chemistry): “Fired my passion for medicine, and encouraged me at every step… He believed that I could do things that I didn’t think possible, and convinced me to go for my dreams.”

As one commenter put it, “Just look at these hundreds of responses for alum’s best professors over the years. What an amazing school to have so many students with such wonderful things to say about their professors!”

Faculty like these play a large part in many of Baylor’s recent honors, as the university is annually recognized among the best in the nation for its undergraduate teaching, first-year experience and learning communities, and for turning out future leaders.

Sic ’em, Baylor faculty!