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The academic year is complete: finals graded, books returned, students graduated — and Baylor faculty honored! Congratulations to this year\u2019s Baylor professors of the year:<\/p>\n
The Collins Outstanding Professor Award<\/a> is voted on each year by the outgoing senior class. Past Collins professors include Rachel Moore (MA ’69) in 1999, Dr. Mona Choucair (BA ’86, PhD ’00) in 2008, and Dr. Jane Damron (MA ’09) in 2019.<\/p>\n Baylor\u2019s Class of 2026 chose Dr. Walter “Sparky” Matthews<\/a> (BA ’92), a clinical professor in the Honors Program (and retired U.S. Space Force surgeon general), as this year’s recipient of the Collins award.\u00a0 “I am so humbled by this,” says Matthews. “I love my students as if they were my own kids, and I do everything I can think of to help them become the people they want to be. I had some amazing professors and mentors as a Baylor student myself 30 years ago, including Dr. Bill Hillis and Dr. Ray Wilson. I am honored and humbled to receive an award that they received as well. I hope to have the same impact on my students that they had on me.”<\/p>\n The Cornelia Marschall Smith Professor of the Year<\/a> honors a professor who \u201cmakes a significant contribution to the learning environment at Baylor,\u201d based on teaching, research, creative activity and service. Past recipients include Dr. Roger Kirk in 2012, Dr. Andrea Dixon in 2020, and Dr. Stephen Sloan in 2024.<\/p>\n Dr. Randall Bradley<\/a>, the Ben H. Williams Professor of Church Music and interim dean for the School of Music, is this year\u2019s honoree. “Serving at Baylor for the last 26 years has been an honor and privilege for which I am most thankful. It has been my joy to teach, mentor and follow the lives of thousands of women and men for whom I have the greatest respect and appreciation. You have taught me much, and you have informed every aspect of my teaching and research. Being listed among such an august group of former award recipients is an honor for which there are no words.”<\/p>\n The Baylor Centennial Professor Award<\/a> was created by the Centennial Class of 1945 and provides financial support to aid professors with specific research projects. Past honorees include Robert Darden (BSED ’76) in 2008, Dr. Beth Allison Barr (BA ’96) in 2018, and Dr. Julie deGraffenried in 2023.<\/p>\n Two professors were selected for the 2026 award: Dr. Kelly C. Johnston<\/a>, associate professor of curriculum and instruction, and Dr. Alexander J. McNair<\/a>, associate professor of Spanish. The awards will provide funding for Johnston’s development of the Baylor Educator-Scholar Collective as a model for ongoing professional formation, and for McNair\u2019s research examining Antonio Enr\u00edquez G\u00f3mez\u2019s adaptation of Cidian lore within the cultural and religious context of the Spanish Inquisition.<\/p>\n