This fall, good news from Baylor University hit the pages of Time and Newsweek magazines, USA Today and the Washington Post, plus national television news programs and numerous international media outlets. A survey of religious practices--developed by seven Baylor professors through the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) and conducted by the Gallup organization--released its first results earlier this fall and has garnered ongoing attention in more than four hundred media outlets. Dr. Byron Johnson, professor of sociology and co-director of ISR, said the study's 1,721 respondents are a sampling of the nation's population. Investigators telephoned randomly selected Americans, and then surveys were sent to those who agreed to respond. By asking more in-depth questions than most surveys--some four hundred questions in all--Baylor's researchers found news-making insights into the beliefs of Americans. Results from the survey indicated that a third of Americans are Evangelical Protestants by affiliation and that 62.9 percent of non-church-affiliated Americans believe in God or a higher power. To see a copy of the survey questions and read more about the results, go the ISR website.

During the fall semester, Baylor's Faculty Senate--a representative group elected by faculty members from each academic unit--has taken on such topics as selecting a new faculty ombudsman, increasing summer school enrollment, revising the Honor Code, evaluating the tenure appeals process, and discussing concerns about the new Brooks Residential College. Dr. Dianna Mullin Vitanza '65 (pictured), who is serving a second term as senate chair, said the group's purpose is to represent faculty to the administration and to discuss and make recommendations concerning issues that affect the faculty and the academic program of the university. "In the past year, our practice has been to send out an agenda to all faculty and invite them to attend the monthly meetings," Vitanza said. "In addition, after each meeting, we send out the approved minutes in order to keep the faculty informed about the work of the senate." Also, a student reporter from the Lariat summarizes the activities of each meeting for the student paper. The senate also welcomes other guests, including Baylor President John Lilley, who has attended each meeting this fall and addressed various issues of concern; Executive Vice President and Provost Randall O'Brien; and Vice President for Student Life Dub Oliver.

A middle school in South San Antonio ISD has been named for Robert Zamora '65, a longtime educator in the district. Through a nearly forty-year career in the South San district, Zamora was a classroom teacher, coach, campus and district-level administrator, and finally superintendent, a position he held from 1998-2002. A product of the school district, Zamora went to Baylor on an athletic scholarship and then earned a master's degree from Our Lady of the Lake University in 1977. During his tenure as head baseball coach at South San High School, from 1969-78, the team won eight straight district titles and advanced to the state finals two years in a row. In 1976, he was named Baseball Coach of the Year by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association. He has been inducted into the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame. The Robert C. Zamora Middle School was officially dedicated in October.

Two new vice presidents have been tapped for the Baylor administrative team this fall. John Barry, who became Baylor's vice president for marketing and communications on September 11, came to Baylor from the University of Connecticut, where he was director of university communications. As Baylor's chief communications strategist, Barry manages the Office of Public Relations, which includes development publications, Baylor Magazine, BaylorVision video services, media relations, online communications, photography, public TV/radio stations, and university publications and creative services. He is a 1982 graduate of UConn, where he earned a master's degree in 1984.

On January 8, Baylor will welcome Dennis Prescott as vice president of development. A native Texan, Prescott is currently vice president of external affairs for Mississippi State University and chief executive officer of the MSU Foundation. At Baylor he will plan, organize, and implement programs to secure financial resources for the university and will lead Baylor's forthcoming capital campaign. A 1983 graduate of Texas A&M, Prescott also held several development roles there. He earned a master's degree from A&M in 1995 in educational resource development and a doctorate in instructional systems, leadership, and workforce development from MSU in 2006.

Attention, high school freshmen and sophomores! Save the date of Saturday, February 17, 2007. That's the day the Baylor Alumni Association will welcome children of alumni for a special campus visit known as "Legacy Invasion Day." The popular annual event includes interaction with Baylor students, a guided walk through campus, a free T-shirt, discounts at the Baylor Bookstore, and a visit with the bear mascot. Admissions counselors provide an informative session for students about how to get into Baylor. And, just as important, financial aid officials tell parents how to pay for their student's Baylor education. Don't miss this great chance for parent-teenager bonding at Baylor! For more information, contact Abby Martin.

Be a Mentor

Alumni who would like to lend a helping hand to current Baylor students will soon be able to do so through a new program of the Baylor Alumni Association. In a collaborative effort with Baylor's Student Government, the association is launching the Alumni Mentor Program (AMP) in January. The program, through campus advertising, has already garnered interest from quite a few students, mostly public relations, business, political science, and pre-health majors. Sophomores and juniors may apply for the program and must undergo an interview process. The program will be launched in Waco and will pair about fifteen or twenty students with alumni mentors. AMP is the brainchild of Student Government representative Allan Marshall (pictured with the alumni association's Abby Lundgren Martin '04, coordinator of student and alumni outreach), who was elected external vice president last spring. Marshall, a former student worker at the alumni association, campaigned on a platform that included increased interaction between students and alumni. For more information or to volunteer, contact Abby Martin.