Baylor professors explain how BU’s Christian commitment drew them here
What does it mean to be a Christian university? Certainly, it means that our Christian faith is infused into everyday life on campus. It’s also expressed in classrooms and labs across campus, by Christian faculty living out their calling at the highest levels.
In fact, Baylor’s growth as a Christian research university has been fueled in part by elite faculty drawn to BU precisely because here they can openly practice their discipline in a Christian context.
Here are just a few of the reasons Baylor professors say the institution’s Christian mission is meaningful to them:
Freedom to Integrate Faith and Research:
“As an academic in the United Kingdom, being able to join an institution where I can say ‘Jesus,’ and not be shy or not be afraid to get in trouble for saying that was a huge attraction to me.
“In my research, I often go from a human-centered design to improve ethical practices, to improve responsible behaviors in the supply chain. So, when the orientation of people is aligned with a force for good or a trajectory towards acting in a just and fair manner, we will see change. Baylor is a place where I can write about my faith or my faith impacting how I think as a researcher, which was something I found quite unique. And when the opportunity came, I couldn’t let it pass.”
— Dr. Ade Oyedijo serves as assistant professor in the Hankamer School of Business’ Department of Management with a focus on the supply chain. He came to Baylor after 15 years in higher education in the United Kingdom, most recently at the University of Leicester, and is an agenda contributor at the World Economic Forum.
Service to Others:
“In Scripture, it is clear that we are called to love our neighbors, especially those who are sometimes excluded from society. In my research, I aim to optimize outcomes for children and young adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, who in the not-long-ago past were often excluded from schools, communities and workplaces.
“Our research team keeps this as a core value at the center of our work as we walk alongside individuals and families of individuals with disabilities to learn from them and support them the best way we can, as brothers and sisters in Christ.”
— Dr. Alison Prahl serves as assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders in Robbins College of Health & Human Sciences. A speech-language pathologist, she leads Baylor’s Language Impairment and Down Syndrome Lab. Prahl came to Baylor to begin her full-time academic career in 2020 after earning her Ph.D. from Vanderbilt.
A Christian Voice Where Decisions are Made:
“I was drawn by Baylor’s Christian mission and have really been blessed to see our programs grow so much. It’s interesting that we have now received the opportunity to testify before the Senate. I know that it’s from the Lord, because those things don’t just come. We don’t take them lightly.
“That’s what we want — to have that seat at the table so that we can offer ourselves. We want to make sure that we’re technologically astute to be able to make those offerings. So obviously we build a big team, a team that’s unified in purpose and scope and also has tremendous expertise to provide this aid humbly and with a servant heart to our nation’s leaders. I look at the Biblical character of Daniel as a model. He was a wise man, and God used him to speak into the issues of the time. And so going forward, I hope and pray that we’ll continue to have these opportunities to have the seat at the table.”
— Dr. Charles Baylis came to Baylor in 2008 and has grown the university’s wireless communication efforts, now leading BU’s SMART Hub research center. Earlier this year, he was called as an expert witness to testify before a U.S. Senate committee hearing on wireless communication policy.
An Institution That Prioritizes Faith:
“What’s unique about Baylor and the Institute for Faith and Learning is that the administration and leadership at Baylor have funded and empowered an academic unit on campus to provide resources for faculty and staff to integrate their faith with their teaching and research. I mean, that is a very strong statement by Baylor about commitment to Christian identity that most universities haven’t been willing to put their money and their time in the same way. And Baylor, of course, is very blessed to have the resources to do this.
“There’s a vision here that every area of academic research and teaching can be informed and animated by faith, and that’s really wonderful.”
— Dr. Elisabeth Kincaid is a theologian, lawyer and business ethics scholar who came to Baylor from Loyola University in New Orleans to lead Baylor’s Institute for Faith and Learning and serve on the faculties of Truett Seminary and Hankamer School of Business.
These are just four examples of Baylor continues to attract elite faculty who are drawn by BU’s mission and approach to education, and once here, empowered by leaders and resources in ways that encourage them to connect faith and vocation.
Sic ’em, Baylor faculty!