In anticipation of the coming Christmas holiday, Baylor’s advancement office is encouraging alumni with daily Advent devotionals, featuring reflections from 24 Baylor staff, faculty and students, plus an introductory message from President Linda Linvingstone.

For 125 years, the student newspaper has been more than just a publication. It’s been a place where students learn to juggle multiple roles, push themselves and grow in ways that stick long after graduation.

Depending on when they graduated, Baylor alumni will give you a different profile of their time in Waco. From year to year, those differences might be as small as a better football record or a few new faculty, but when you compare Baylor of the 1970s to the campus we call home today, the two schools are vastly different.

For many Baylor alumni, homecoming is more than just a fun weekend — it’s a return to the community, traditions and people who formed their college years. And for some, it’s also a cure for something familiar to most post-grads — the fear of missing out.

Homecoming is a celebration — a time to gather, get to know one another, share ideas and memories and have fun. Ultimately, I always knew that homecoming was an opportunity, but I never knew it as a blessing until COVID-19.

The Real Estate Network, founded last year by San Clemente, Calif., senior Alec Grace and his older brother, is quickly gaining popularity among students pursuing commercial real estate.

The brand began as a small merchandise line of hats and crewnecks but has since evolved into a rebrand centered on customizable leather jackets — timeless travel pieces Fernandez hopes customers will wear for decades.

Baylor alumnus and country music star Brett James died in a plane crash on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 57 years old.

A free concert is in order ahead of the football game on Saturday against Arizona State, featuring alumni and Texas locals, the Graham St. Clair Band.

This year, even the construction on I-35 isn’t enough to stop alumni parents from traveling to see both their students and their alma mater for Family Weekend starting this Saturday.

“As someone whose path has led from Baylor to a career at the intersection of arts, entrepreneurship, politics and community-building, I’m excited to help students see that not knowing exactly what’s next isn’t a flaw,” she said. “It’s a canvas of your potential.”

Baylor has unveiled the Extend the Line scholarship initiative, a campaign aiming to raise $250 million by 2030 to enhance student scholarships and ensure that a Baylor education remains accessible and affordable.

Business students piled into a conference room at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation to begin taking their first steps toward studying abroad. Representatives from the McBride Center of International Business joined with faculty members to present the business programs available to Baylor students in various countries during the 2025-2026 school year, including summer 2025 programs of various lengths.

“I’ve done a variety of careers, bounced from one thing to another, but I made a living. I don’t have regrets, but life has a way of forcing you to change when economic conditions shift,” Keith said. “The key is to reach your potential. No matter what happens in life, you have to keep going.”

Given the success of endowment returns over the past five years, Morehead said his office has a goal to continue to grow the endowment, so that for every billion dollars the endowment accrues, there is an additional $50 million that goes to student scholarships and programs.

“It is great having family tradition in the same school,” Linda said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from. You still see people you know, everyone coming together. Ever since we graduated, we’ve come back to homecoming just about every year.”

A sea of green and gold flooded the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center Friday afternoon, marking the Class of 1974 “Golden Grads” Homecoming reunion.

Every homecoming matters. Whether it is your first Baylor Homecoming, your second, third or even 20th, we can gain more precious moments here in the place we spent years calling home. Even when new traditions are formed, we can always appreciate looking back at past homecomings with fondness, and these memories grow more dear the older we become.

“If history wants to remember the first official homecoming game in college football, all the evidence suggests this was it,” the article stated.

The U.S. News annual best colleges report was released last Tuesday, ranking Baylor among the best in the nation for undergraduate education and first-year experience.

“We will be looking for more ways to enhance affordability, and growing our endowment is one of the best ways to do that, so [Student] Foundation scholarships are certainly critical,” Livingstone said. “The Student Foundation has done a tremendous amount of work to raise funds for student scholarships… They are wonderful ambassadors for our campus.”

“People that have been climbing for years can come and be able to learn from one another,” Robb said. “Also, we have a different set of programming than what’s available currently on campus.”

“Take a lot of pride in the work you do in class,” Martinez said. “People sense the excitement in you, especially the recruiters. I want to work with another human being who has the same level of passion that my co-workers do.”

“What I’m trying to do in this role is build a bridge between the people who want to be able to do something because their faith commitments have motivated them to care for our planet, but they need [a] vehicle to drive change,” Beilke said.

Baylor in Washington is in full swing this semester as students pursue diverse opportunities related to their career paths, both in and out of the classroom. The semester-long program provides students with the opportunity to live in Washington and gain professional development through an internship.

Baylor Homecoming originated almost 114 years ago on Nov. 24, 1909. According to Elizabeth Rivera, university archivist of The Texas Collection, the tradition exists thanks to then-President Samuel Palmer Brooks, who created the nation’s oldest homecoming as a way to inspire the community and reunite alumni.

Just 97 miles up the road, Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing has been ranked No. 31 nationally for 2024. This moves the program up from its 2023 ranking of No. 39 for best bachelor’s in nursing programs.

The Baylor Black Alumni Alliance is hosting its second reunion this weekend with a ceremony, tailgate and worship experience, allowing alumni to reconnect with each other and celebrate achievements.

The Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center not only welcomes prospective students to Baylor but also serves as the home to the new McLane Family Alumni Center, providing a special space for alumni to come back to campus and connect with one another.

After years of anticipation, the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center — known as Baylor’s new “front door” — officially opened to the public Friday.