School of Social Work Dean Steps Down
Jon Singletary is stepping down from his position as dean of the Baylor University Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, effective October 15. Singletary served nine years as dean, leading the social work program into the top 25% of social work programs nationally.
Provost Nancy Brickhouse stated in a letter that “As many of you are aware, these are incredibly difficult times for professionals in the field of social work, and Jon felt the need to step away to take better care of himself, as well as to dedicate more time to his family.”
Clinical associate professor and the undergraduate social work program director, Luci Ramos Hoppe, Ed.D., will serve as the interim dean.
Earlier this year, the School of Social Work announced a $643,401 grant award to Baylor’s Center for Church and Community Impact from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation – to focus on LGBTQIA+ individuals and women in congregational settings, which has since been rescinded.
Yee Haw
Sorry to get your hopes up last week with the prediction that there was a small chance Baylor might have beat ASU. Although we lost the game, we were able to celebrate our Latino community with the “Vamos Osos” theme – where members of Latino organizations were honored on the field.
Treading from a 27-24 loss, we have a fresh slate with our first out of state game against Oklahoma State! The last time Baylor met with Oklahoma State was their 38-28 homecoming win in 2024. If we channel our energy from the Big 12 Conference Championship 21-16 win from 2021, I think we have a chance to take the Cowboys down. On another note, their longtime head coach, Mike Gundy, was just fired.
National Daughters Day
September 25 has been observed as National Daughters Day since 1932. The day, often overlooked, still holds a spot for adult daughters. Also overlooked is the weight oldest daughters often carry, referenced to as “oldest daughter syndrome.”
Allison M. Alford, Ph.D., clinical associate professor of business communication in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, is the author of the upcoming book Good Daughtering, which studies how adult daughters hold onto the “invisible labor” of holding together the family.
Alford’s past studies show how adult daughters hold an unseen labor when balancing cultural expectations with personal responsibilities, creating connections, and care for parents as they get older. The word “daughtering” was coined as a term to refer to the ways adult daughters contribute to flourishing family relationships.
Alford said in an article from Baylor, “‘Daughtering’ isn’t just a role – it’s a relationship, and like any relationship, it deserves reciprocity, recognition and rest.”
High Notes and Navy Boats
Alissa Ruth Suver (MM ’25), earned a highly competitive spot among the Navy Band Sea Chanters – a musical group for the U.S. Navy. Suver earned her master’s degree in choral conducting, and before that she spent a decade teaching music to middle and high school, while also pursuing a professional career. She was a part of four Grammy-nominated albums. With her newfound career, she first had to go through 10 weeks of training, which shows how committed she is to be a part of the team.
Historical Moments
Baylor history professor Dr. Robert Elder received the $60,000 Public Scholars grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities – a grant to help support the expansion of access to historical collections, curriculum development, and scholarly research. Elder is the first faculty member to win in this category and is one of five recipients this year.
In a Baylor release, Julie K. deGraffenried, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of History at Baylor, said, “Dr. Elder’s honor not only marks a well-deserved milestone in his own career, it also is representative of our departmental commitment to making excellent scholarship accessible to the widest possible audience.”
His book, The Crisis: Nullification and the Making of American Democracy, has an emphasis on the 1832 nullification crisis. With this grant, Elder will continue to study the political theory through the academic year. His research focuses on the cultural, intellectual and religious history of the American South in the 19th century.
