African Studies Certificate Program
Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences is offering an exciting new program – a certificate in African Studies open to students from across the university. The program is available starting in Fall 2026 and requires 12 hours of coursework, including a required three-hour language course in Swahili.
Gorrety Wawire, Ph.D., lecturer in Swahili, was an early advocate for the program.
“In my first year at Baylor, I had a student who had traveled to East Africa and came back asking if there was a chance to take in more beyond just learning Swahili as a language,” Wawire said. “She wanted to expand her knowledge of economics, history, and other aspects of East Africa and learn more about the continent in general. She got me thinking about the possibility of Baylor creating a certificate program.”
The program also has the potential to develop study abroad programs for students in the College of Arts & Sciences in Africa.
Family Law Clinic
Baylor’s Family Law Clinic, established to support self-represented parties navigating complex family law matters in McLennan County, is currently in its second year. This past year, the clinic served 162 clients – three times as many as in its inaugural year.
The clinic is led by founder Stephanie Tang, J.D., Associate Professor of Law, and gives and equips Baylor law students with hands-on learning opportunities.
“I am so unbelievably proud of the growth of the Baylor Law School Family Law Clinic this year,” Professor Tang said, according to an article from Baylor Law School. “I am so grateful for every student who volunteered their time, stayed late, and showed up for our clients. Watching them each grow in their confidence as attorneys, in their pleading drafting skills, and their empathy and compassion towards our clients going through the most emotionally difficult times of their lives has been one of the most rewarding parts of my time at Baylor.”
Evan Andreyo Joins PT Department
Evan Andreyo, PT, DPT, PhD, is joining Baylor University’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. Andreyo earned both his bachelor’s and master’s at Slippery Rock University before earning his PhD in Health Sciences from Rocky Mountain University. He is joining Baylor after serving as Director of Admissions and Assistant Professor for the hybrid physical therapy program at Augustana University.
“I’m excited to join such an excellent team at Baylor University. The DPT program clearly stands out as a leader in physical therapy education, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to its continued growth and success,” Andreyo said, according to an article from the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences. “I look forward to working alongside faculty, staff, and students who are committed to academic excellence, faith, and service.”
Provost Announces “Retooling” Efforts
In a letter from outgoing provost Nancy Brickhouse to the University, she announced that Academic Affairs will “engage in several ‘retooling’ efforts to better align our resources with the priorities of Baylor in Deeds and current fiscal realities.” Brickhouse said Academic Affairs has three primary areas of focus.
The first is stewardship of faculty time. Academic Affairs will investigate how faculty spend time across research, teaching, and service. The second is reducing curricular complexity by reviewing courses with consistently low enrollment rates. The final area is expanding the use of external research funding with the goal of shifting more research-related costs to grants.
“These priorities were developed in close conversation with the deans, vice provosts, and incoming interim provost Lee Nordt, Ph.D., and reflect a shared commitment to stewarding our resources well and strengthening our academic programs over time,” wrote Brickhouse in her letter. “We’ll begin taking initial steps this summer, and Dr. Nordt will continue this work into the coming academic year.”
Dr. Michael K. Scullin Earns TEDx Recognition
Michael K. Scullin, Ph.D., professor of psychology and neuroscience, was selected as an Editor’s Pick by TEDx for representing “a valuable and timely idea” in his lecture “The Eight-Hour Sleep Challenge During Finals Week.”
“TED’s slogan is that ‘Ideas Change Everything.’ As such, I’m truly honored that they selected my TEDxBaylor University talk as an Editor’s Pick,” Scullin said, according to a Baylor press release. “Many people know that sleep is important, but they view sleep habits as unchangeable. My talk tells the story of a decade of teaching experiences, laboratory experiments, and the unconventional approaches I’ve taken to improving students’ sleep during finals exams. I’m so grateful to learn that TEDx believes this idea to be worth sharing.”
Less than 1% of TEDx Talks published each year receive this honor. Scullin’s talk will be added and promoted on TEDx’s official website and shared on a curated YouTube playlist.
