Research Award from ASMA
Professor of sports management and director of the MSEd program in sport management at the Baylor Moody School of Education, Jeffery Petersen, Ph.D., received the Research Fellow Award from the Applied Sport Management Association (ASMA).
Petersen is a longtime supporter of ASMA.
“I’m fully committed to what they believe,” he told Baylor Instant Impact. “Connecting with practitioners, trying to be very practical in our research, and looking for ways to stay grounded and connected with our professional colleagues in the sport industry.”
11th Title for Acrobatics and Tumbling
Baylor Acrobatics & Tumbling won its 11th straight NCATA title on Saturday. The team is currently on a 62-meet winning streak. This win is Baylor’s 17th national championship overall. Acrobatics and Tumbling coach Felecia Mulkey earned NCTA Coach of the Year – her third accolade during her time at Baylor.
Hunting and Gathering
Baylor University anthropologist Duncan N.E. Stibbard-Hawkes, Ph.D., and a team of researchers recently published exciting new research in the journal PNSA Nexus. Their work challenges the egalitarian model of hunter-gather societies and suggests that the current understanding is oversimplistic.
The team of researchers examined a hunter-gatherer population in Tanzania and found that equal outcomes are relatively maintained not only by altruism but through social pressures and “demand sharing.”
“We find that equality was achieved only under conditions of disadvantageous inequality – where the person playing the game had less than others – suggesting that taking is more important in achieving redistributive equality than giving,” Stibbard Hawkes said, according to a Baylor Press Release. “This mirrors real life – if someone has too much, there’s often a lot of demanding shares from other people.”
Old Dominion to Visit Baylor
Old Dominion is performing at Baylor University’s Foster Pavilion this September. The concert will help kick off Baylor’s Family Weekend. Old Dominion joins a growing list of world-class concerts and entertainment coming to the venue.
“Old Dominion is one of those bands that takes you to another time and place and always creates a good time,” said Jason Cook, vice president for marketing and communications and Baylor’s chief marketing officer, according to a Baylor Press Release. “They have a loyal following across the country as evidenced by an impressive awards list – they are one of the most popular country pop groups of all-time. We continue to be blessed by the A-list, national artists who are coming to Waco and Foster Pavilion to enrich our local community and bring the Baylor Family together.”
New Associate Dean for Hankamer School of Buisness
Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business announced Matthew Dougal, PhD, as its new associate dean for undergraduate programs.
“As we prayerfully considered the right person to serve as associate dean for undergraduate programs, Dr. Douglas’s name consistently rose to the top,” said David M. Szymanski, PhD, the William E. Crenshaw Endowed Dean at HSB, according to an article from Hankamer School of Business. “His enthusiasm, dedication to excellence and innovative thinking will be a tremendous asset as he leads our undergraduate initiatives and advances student engagement and success.”
Dr. Douglas is an associate professor in the Department of Management and assistant director of the Center for Christian Leadership and Ethics. He has been with the Hankermer School of Business since 2018 and, before cooking at Baylor, spent 22 years as an officer with the United States Air Force.
Baylor Professor Honored as Fellow in Society of Behavioral Medicine
Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education and Professor of Public Health in Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Renée Umstattd Meyer, PhD, FAAHB, was recently elected to Fellowship in the Society of Behavior Medicine.
“I am honored to receive this recognition and to join an exceptional community of scholars recognized as Fellows of the Society of Behavioral Medicine,” Umstattd Myer said, according to an article from Robbins College. “I have greatly valued the opportunity to serve the Society—particularly through my role on the Physical Activity Special Interest Group advisory board over the past two years—and am grateful for this recognition.”
Deborah Williamson to Retire
Deborah Williamson, DMA, Professor of Voice in Baylor’s School of Music, will retire at the end of the academic year after 26 years of service to the University. Dr. Williamson was named the 2016-2017 Outstanding Professor for Teaching, has received national recognition for her expertise in French lyric diction, and is the author of A Course in French Lyric Diction.
“It’s hard to overstate the impact Dr. Williamson has had on our School of Music,” says Dr. Robert Best, Associate Professor of Voice, according to an article from Baylor’s School of Music. “In every organization… there is always someone who knows what is going on, who gets things done when they are supposed to, and who consistently models professionalism… Dr. Williamson is one of those individuals.”
Kirsten Chambers Named Assistant Professor of Voice
Kirsten Chambers, MM, BM, has been announced as Assistant Professor of Voice, effective August 1, 2026. Chambers is an internationally recognized soprano who has appeared with major opera companies across the nation.
“I am honored to accept this appointment and to join a community committed to excellence, artistry, and faith,” Chambers said, according to an article from Baylor School of Music. “I look forward to investing in the next generation of singers while continuing to grow as both an educator and performer. It is a privilege to become part of Baylor’s School of Music.”
Joseph Loconte Speaks at Ethics & Culture Seminar
New York Times best-selling author and accomplished historian Joseph Loconte recently visited Baylor to speak at the Honors College Annual Ethics & Culture Lecture. His talk was titled “War, Friendship, and Imagination: J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and the Fight for Civilization.”
“Our goal with the lecture series is to explore ways that ethics and culture are intertwined,” said Dean of the Honors College Douglas Henry, Ph.D, according to an article from Baylor’s Honors College. “Good and evil, honor and dishonor, and virtue and vice aren’t textbook abstractions. They take shape and are given force in film, literature, law, politics, and other expressions of shared cultural life. Precisely in this vein, Dr. Loconte helped us to see the moral vision at work in two of the most beloved and heroic Christian authors of the last century.”
School of Nursing Participates in National Study
The Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing will participate in a national research project on studying approaches to improving sleep and reducing delirium in critically ill adults. At Baylor University Medical Center, the study is led by Nicole Gorecki, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, CCRN, Clinical Assistant Professor at Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing.
“This study represents an important opportunity to improve the experience and recovery of critically ill patients,” said Nicole Gorecki, according to an article from the Louise Herrington School of Nursing. “In the ICU, sleep is often overlooked, yet it plays a critical role in healing and recovery. Through this study, we aim to identify which strategies meaningfully improve patient outcomes and which can be reliably implemented and sustained across diverse ICU settings.”
New Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Rishi R. Sriram, Ph.D., Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Success and Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs in the Moody School of Education, has been selected to serve as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education for the Office of the Provost, beginning June 1, 2026. He will replace J. Wesley Null, Ph.D., who is returning to his tenured appointment as Professor of Curriculum and Foundations of Education and Graduate Program Director for the Curriculum & Teaching Ph.D. program.
“Dr. Sriram is particularly well-suited for this role that shapes the undergraduate experience at Baylor,” outgoing Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., wrote in a public letter. “He has a deep understanding of the University’s institutional culture, values and strategic priorities, with a strong commitment to fostering student achievement and engagement. A nationally known scholar who studies college student success, he will be able to put his research into practice to elevate and bring more visibility to the outstanding undergraduate education Baylor provides our students.
