Baylor in the News – April 10-16, 2022

Media Contact: Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-710-1961
Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMedia

WACO, Texas (April 17, 2022) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories as they shared their thoughts and expertise on how faith can impact social media, the mess and stress of hybrid work, the sale of lunar material and Baylor’s new endowed faculty chair in Christian thought.

April 10, 2022

Waco Tribune-Herald: Women of faith find opportunity, dangers in social media at Baylor
Beth Allison Barr, Ph.D., professor of history and associate dean in the Graduate School, Angela Gorrell, Ph.D., assistant professor of practical theology, and Truett Seminary music ministry student Leah Boyd were all featured in this article on the intersection between faith and social media.

The Dallas Morning News: Imagine if all of our churches began to truly welcome strangers
In this Living Our Faith column, journalism professor Robert Darden writes about the importance of welcoming visitors in churches citing one of his favorite spirituals, “Welcome Table,” one of the earliest known songs of the unknown and unnamed poets of slavery and one of the many protest spirituals adapted by the marching heroes of the modern civil rights movement.

April 11, 2022

USA Today: From virtual reality afterlife games to death doulas: Is our view of dying finally changing?
Candi Cann, Ph.D., associate professor of religion in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, is quoted on how technology can impact the grieving process. Cann’s research focuses on death and dying, and the impact of remembering (and forgetting) in shaping how lives are recalled, remembered and celebrated.

The Jerusalem Post: 'Near-death experiences' explored in first-ever peer-reviewed study
Jeff Levin, University Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health in Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion, is among a multidisciplinary team of national and international researchers who published the first-ever peer-reviewed consensus statement examining accumulated scientific evidence about "near-death experiences" and laying out guidelines for the further scientific study of them.

Patheos: The Way to Easter
Philip Jenkins, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History and co-director of the Program on Historical Studies of Religion, writes about how different biblical translations have influence on the meaning of the stories.
April 12, 2022
Fox 44 News: Baylor receives $3 million gift for new chair in Christian Thought
Baylor has announced a $3 million gift from Jim and Sharon Harrod establishing an endowed faculty chair position to support exceptional scholarship and transformational learning and the study of great thinkers who have stood at the intersection of the Christian faith and culture at large.

Makers & Mystics:The Soul of The Helper with Holly Oxhandler
AUDIO: In this podcast, social work professor Holly Oxhandler, Ph.D., discusses chronic burnout, compassion fatigue and her latest book, “The Soul of The Helper.”
April 13, 2022
The Washington Post: Hatin hybrid work? Here’s how to make it less painful.
Sara Perry, Ph.D., associate professor of management and an expert in employee stress and well-being, remote work and leadership, is among the work experts quoted in this article about how employees can successfully navigate the challenges of hybrid work.

National Geographic: The bizarre drama behind a pinch of moon dust that just sold for $500,000
Planetary geophysicist Peter James, Ph.D., who specializes in using spacecraft data to study the crusts and mantles of planets and moons, is quoted in this article about the sale of lunar dust, a saga that involves Apollo astronauts, multiple lawsuits and scientists aching for a chance to study rare lunar materials.

Baptist Standard: Around the State: UMHB presents annual Easter pageant
Baylor announced a $3 million gift from Jim and Sharon Harrod to establish an endowed faculty chair in Christian thought within the Honors College.

Baptist News Global: ">$3 million gift to Baylor will integrate faith and learning in Honors College
Baylor has received a $3 million gift that will help undergraduate honors students study the intersection of faith and learning. The gift from Jim and Sharon Harrod will establish an endowed faculty chair position to support exceptional scholarship and transformational learning within the Honors College.

KXXV-TV: ’What Were You Wearing?’ exhibit at Baylor raises awareness on sexual assault
VIDEO: Students at Baylor are raising awareness about sexual assault with their annual 'What Were You Wearing?' exhibit to help break the stigma around the cause of sexual violence. 'It's On Us' Baylor Chapter President Casandra Albarran was interviewed regarding the event.

KWBU-FM: Business Review: Let’s go phishing
AUDIO: Dan Peinta, Ph.D., assistant professor of information systems and business analytics, explains how cyber criminals creatively carry out phishing scams.

April 15, 2022
Baylor Connections: Tom Ward, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philosophy
AUDIO: Why does John Duns Scotus still resonate, more than 700 years after his death? Tom Ward, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy at Baylor, was captivated by Duns Scotus as a student. Today, he translates his work through a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities grant and is writing an introductory book on Duns Scotus more broadly. In this Baylor Connections, Ward explains how Duns Scotus’ work enables us to consider God, faith and the “first principle” still today.

ABOUT BAYLOR MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS

Baylor's Office of Media and Public Relations (M&PR) supports the University's Illuminate strategic plan as a top Christian research university by focusing on faculty research and expert opinions, innovative teaching, major awards and recognition, and community involvement. Through its media training workshops, the Baylor M&PR team develops faculty experts to effectively communicate the impact of their research or speak as subject-matter experts into national trends and conversations with media outlets, through Hot Topics and on the Baylor Connections podcast. Our faculty expert directory is available on the M&PR website at www.baylor.edu/news/experts.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.