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Strong teams are great at recruiting, and Baylor has been blessed to land multiple “top recruits” in the university\u2019s pursuit of excellence — not just in athletics or the student body, but among the faculty, as well.<\/p>\n
Building on an already strong faculty lineup, the recruitment of new faculty in endowed chair roles<\/a> is a significant focus of Illuminate and Give Light, with the goal of attracting nationally recognized experts into prestigious academic positions at Baylor. These efforts have proven successful — and they\u2019re not done yet. The dividends of the Baylor Family\u2019s generosity in the successful Give Light campaign<\/a> continue to manifest in a multitude of ways, including the recruitment of elite faculty to Baylor.<\/p>\n Since our last update<\/a>, six more academic stars have been appointed to new endowed chair positions at Baylor:<\/p>\n * Dr. Erik Carter<\/a><\/strong> serves as the Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities. A highly funded researcher, Carter comes to Baylor after stops at Vanderbilt and Wisconsin. His passion is the inclusion and belonging of individuals with disabilities in faith communities, the workplace and schools. At BU, he leads the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities.<\/p>\n * <\/strong>Dr. Felipe Hinojosa<\/strong><\/a> is the Jackson Family Chair for Baylor in Latin America. He joins the Baylor Department of History from Texas A&M, bringing expertise in Latino\/a and Chicana\/o studies, civil rights, religion and society. At Baylor, he\u2019ll provide leadership to Baylor\u2019s engagement and research across Latin America.<\/p>\n * <\/strong>Dr. Alan Jacobs<\/strong><\/a>, a longtime Baylor faculty member, steps into a new role as the Jim and Sharon Harrod Endowed Chair of Christian Thought. Jacobs, a leading literary critic and scholar, will further his studies at the intersection of faith and knowledge and ensure Baylor\u2019s national leadership in this area.<\/p>\n * <\/strong>Dr. Stephen Newby<\/strong><\/a> was appointed as the inaugural holder of the Lev H. Prichard III Chair in the Study of Black Worship. A minister, scholar and composer, Newby comes to Baylor from Seattle Pacific University and recently served as minister of worship in Atlanta\u2019s historic Peachtree Church. At BU, he will lead Baylor\u2019s Black Gospel Preservation Project<\/a>.<\/p>\n