News

Historians Stephen Sloan, Ph.D., and Adrienne Cain with Baylor's renowned Institute for Oral History share seven best practices to help family members begin oral history conversations that enrich the recollections of the past.

Baylor History Alumni, Carlton Barnett, discusses how his time at Baylor as a history major has ignited his studies as a historian; his many achievements and pursuit of his PhD included.  

History Doctoral Student, Patrick Leech, responds to Fulbright Scholarship and gives more insight to his research dissertation project in Hungary. 

Baylor History lecturer, David Smith, is one of 12 to be honored as an Outstanding Faculty award for 2022-2023.

Josh Borderud, a distinguished alumnus of Baylor University, has accomplished much since completing his B.A. and M.A. in History here at Baylor.

Last year, Baylor set a school record when 13 Bears earned prestigious Fulbright scholarships — almost twice the previous BU record! — as part of the nation’s flagship program for international graduate student and education. And yet — 2023’s student honors may be even more impressive.

Dr. Ronald Johnson, associate professor of history, was chosen to be co-editor of the Journal of the Early Republic. 

Military historian and author David A. Smith discusses the role of Admiral George Dewey in the historic battle.

What do history professors do over the summer? They research.

This year, three faculty in the history department received grants through Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences Summer Research Award Program. They will be doing archival research in different destinations.

Baylor History Grad Student, Katherine Goodwin, wins award to help fund 5-week research trip to the UK.

Baylor University faculty members Julie deGraffenried, Ph.D., department chair and associate professor of history in the College of Arts & Sciences, and Karon LeCompte, Ph.D.,  associate professor of curriculum and instruction in the Baylor School of Education, have been selected to receive the 2023 Centennial Professor Awards for summer research projects.

Dr. Ronald Johnson, associate professor of history, was chosen to be co-editor of the Journal of the Early Republic. 

The Baylor Model Organization of the American States (MOAS) team returned to Texas this week after a successful performance at the Washington Model OAS (WMOAS) representing the Republic of Argentina.  

Baylor Alumna and history major, Victoria Lopez, uses her degree to "dive deeper" into her tech industry career.

Dr. David Smith, senior lecturer in history, has been teaching at Baylor for 20 years, but his passion for history and storytelling extends beyond the classroom. Every Monday morning, his NPR show called “David and Art” airs on KWBU.

Baylor University’s Department of History presents the Spring 2023 Women's History Month Speaker Series featuring Associate Professor of Latin American History at University of Texas El Paso, Dr. Erika Edwards, on April 19th. 

Bronze statues of 1967 graduates Rev. Robert Gilbert and Barbara Walker in front of Tidwell Bible Building celebrate their strength, courage and accomplishments

Dr. Lisa Lacy, an accomplished historian and the daughter of one of Word Record's founders, brings a unique perspective to an oral history project that will shed light on the impact the company had on the Christian music industry and its lasting influence on American culture.

On April 4, 2023, the landscape of the Baylor University campus will change. On that day, the University will dedicate two statues commemorating the late Rev. Robert L. Gilbert and Mrs. Barbara A. Walker – the first Black students to earn their undergraduate degrees from the University.

Bonnie Cantwell Fraase, a Baylor University alumna and history major, prove her experiences at Baylor and beyond have prepared her well for her legal career.

"Brothers in Blues: Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan" is the authorized biographical documentary about the musical brothers who grew up in Dallas. The documentary directed by Department of History alumni, Kirby F. Warnock, will be shown at the Waco Hippodrome March 27th at 7:00 pm.  

Registration for Fall 2023 opens April 5th. Come check out all the amazing undergraduate courses the History faculty will be teaching!

Three History faculty earned 2023 Summer Research Awards from the College of Arts & Sciences.

Jennifer Throne Seiter (BA’20) talks about her work at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.

The Heart of Texas Regional History Fair held its annual competition Thursday morning at The Bill Daniel Student Center holding over 100 student competitors from 11 schools in the surrounding counties.

Baylor University’s Department of History presents the Spring 2023 Black History Month Lecture Series featuring Assistant Professor of History at Emmerson College, Dr. Kaysha Corinealdi, on February 21st. 

On February 1st, Baylor’s History Department scholarship portal for the 2023/2024 academic school year will open to all undergraduate History majors who have completed 12 credit hours of history at Baylor.

Dr. Alvarez and Dr. Sweet are among the first awardees of a new teaching innovation grant from the College of Arts & Sciences.

Baylor University was named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for U.S. Students, a recognition is given to the U.S. colleges and universities that received the highest number of applicants selected for the 2022-23 Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

A Black History Month Walking Tour, led by the Baylor Institute for Oral History's Assistant Director, Adrienne Cain, and Director and Associate Professor of History, Dr. Stephen Sloan, drew a crowd February 11th. 

Model Organization of American States (MOAS), is a student organization that pushes students to become great leaders and communicators where teams present resolutions to different issues before members of the Organization of American States.

Dr. Stephen Sloan, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Baylor University Institute for Oral History, and his team at IOH won the Texas Historical Commission’s 2023 Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation, the highest award given by the THC.

Exciting new book publications are being released from our history faculty.

In Fall 2022, a dinner to celebrate the 100th Guittard Fellow and Guittard Book Award winners was held.

 Ronald Angelo Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor and The Ralph and Bessie Mae Lynn Chair of History at Baylor University, has been awarded the Alpha Chi Distinguished Alumni Award, an annual award given to one alumnus from the organization in recognition of public service that exemplifies the Alpha Chi spirit of making scholarship effective for good. 

Professor Barr was named the Vardaman Endowed Professor in 2022.

Two History doctoral students, Brooke LeFevre and James Howard, successfully pursued a Graduate School BEAR Grant to host workshops dedicated to investigating and improving teaching practices.

News and updates about our retired faculty. 

Baylor’s Department of History releases the Spring 2023 lecture schedule.

The Baylor Department of History is proud to present our new student ambassador, Zoey Babyak.

Our chapter of Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society held a book sale benefitting Veterans One Stop.

In their latest rankings, U.S. News put Baylor at No. 16 nationally for undergraduate teaching and No. 21 for undergraduate research/creative projects. No other Texas or Big 12 school made the top 25 in both categories; in fact, only Rice (No. 4 for teaching) and Texas (No. 19 for research) cracked the top 25 in either listing.

Baylor's Model Organization of Americas States team hosted the 26th annual ESMOAS competition on campus and presented in a Moot Court competition.

Baylor University’s Department of History presents the Fall 2022 Charles Edmondson Historical Lecture Series featuring Distinguished Professor of History and Humanities Chair for City University of New York, Dr. James Oakes, on November 9-10th.

The Oral History Association [OHA] has announced that Baylor University’s Institute for Oral History (IOH) will be the organization’s new home, effective Jan. 1, 2023.

Dear Arts & Sciences alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends –– below is a partial listing of the 2022 Homecoming activities sponsored by the College, its departments and its academic programs. We hope to see you on campus this week for Homecoming!

Dr. Stephen Sloan, Associate Professor of History and Director of Baylor’s Institute for Oral History, brings history out of the “ivory tower” of academia to the people and community of Central Texas . . . and beyond.

Hannah Zimmerman (History & Political Science, 2023) is spending her fall semester in Washington, D.C. with the Baylor in Washington program, a unique engaged learning and professional development opportunity for Baylor undergraduates.

Stephen Sloan, Associate Professor of History and the Director of Baylor’s Institute for Oral History, set to release new book in October 2022.