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Baylor UniversityBaylor University is an independent Baptist institution of higher learning located in Waco, Texas, and is the oldest university in Texas (although Southwestern University is the oldest tertiary institution). The university was chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas, and opened at Independence, Texas where its former sister school, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is still located. The university is known for its law school, its school of music http://www.christmasatbaylor.com/, its museum studies program, and the George W. Truett Theological Seminary. It is the largest Baptist university in the world. Until 1991, when it became an independent school under the terms of its charter from the state of Texas, it was closely affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Some conservative Christian detractors argue that Baylor has become so secularized that it should be referred to as a BINO (Baptist in name only) college. Academically, the school is divided into two colleges (the College of Arts and Sciences and the Honors College) eight schools (School of Education, School of Engineering and Computer Science, Graduate School, Hankamer School of Business, Law School, Louise Herrington School of Nursing, School of Music, and School of Social Work), and one seminary (George W. Truett Theological Seminary). While they share the Baylor name, the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and the Baylor Health Care System in Dallas, Texas, are no longer affiliated with Baylor University. The school's men's sports teams are called the Bears and the women's the Lady Bears. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A, and in the Big Twelve Conference. Prior to joining the Big 12, Baylor participated in the Southwest Conference from the conference's charter in 1914 until its dissolution in 1996. In 2003, the school's basketball team was embroiled in a major scandal following the death of player Patrick Dennehy. For more information, see Baylor University basketball scandal. Every year since 1909, Baylor celebrates Homecoming. Homecoming activities include Pigskin Revue, a song and dance featuring the top acts from the previous spring's All University Sing; the Freshman Mass Meeting; the oldest and longest collegiate parade in the United States. Every spring since 1934, Baylor takes a day off from classes for "Diadeloso." The Baylor University Chamber of Commerce organizes the event which consists of entertainment of all types - tug o' war contests, 3-on-3 basketball, ping pong, indoor soccer, board game tournaments, comedians, an all-University dance, multi-player console games, gospel choirs, etc. This tradition often baffles new professors, who then require quite a bit of convincing to not hold class (or worse, give an exam) on a seemingly arbitrary Thursday in April. In 1982, a team from Baylor comprised of Terry Talley, Jennifer Harmon, Patrick Keane, and Keith Hall and coached by Dr. Donald L. Gaitros were the world champions of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM/ICPC). In 2004, Baylor reported enrollment on its recruiting website as follows: - 11,712 undergraduate students
- 2,225 graduate and professional students
Campus events are chronicled in Baylor's student periodical, The Lariat. Notable alumni - Leon Jaworski (Baylor Law School) - special prosecutor during the Watergate Scandal and one of the first partners of the major international lawfirm Fulbright & Jaworski
- "Samurai" Mike Singletary - former NFL linebacker & current assistant head coach of the San Francisco 49ers
- David Wesley - shooting guard for Houston Rockets in the NBA
- Robert Fulghum - best-selling author, philosopher
- Thomas Harris - best-selling author of Silence of the Lambs
- Ann Richards - former Governor of Texas
- Kevin Reynolds - director of , Waterworld, and The Count of Monte Cristo; son of Herbert Reynolds, who served as the chancellor emeritus of Baylor.
- John Lee Hancock - director of The Alamo; producer of My Dog Skip
- Michael Johnson - Winner of four Olympic gold medals, and nine-time world champion
- Jeremy Wariner - Winner of gold medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece for the individual 400 meter and the 4x400 meter
- Darold Williamson - Winner of a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece in the 4x400 meter
- Carrol Dawson - General Manager, Houston Rockets of the NBA
- Drayton McClane - Owner of Houston Astros in MLB, major entrepreneur
- Jason Jennings - pitcher, Colorado Rockies (MLB)
- Marjorie M. Scardino - CEO of Pearson, a major international media group; former CEO of the Economist Group; also a non-executive director of Nokia Corporation
- Michael Brandt - co-writer of Universal Studio's 2 Fast 2 Furious
- Derek Haas - co-writer of Universal Studio's 2 Fast 2 Furious
- Orian Williams - associate producer of Oscar nominated film Shadow of the Vampire
- Jim Hillin - visual effects artist for such films as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Spider-Man 2, and Dinosaur
Other notable trivia External links
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