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Baylor Business Review - "Healthy Bear" Gabrielle Welch

Baylor University - MBA Recruitment

Paul L. Foster Campus For Business and Innovation - Augmented Reality

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Ethics of International Service, EGR 3315, is a cross-discipline course between Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship. This class teaches students how to do work in developing countries in a way that does good, without doing harm.

Ethics of International Service

Austin EMBA

In many ways, the list of farm equipment at The Home Grown Farm is much what you would expect: shovels, gloves, hoses, a tractor. But the one piece of equipment that Toby Tull uses most on the family farm is a bit less typical: a computer.

Home Grown Farm

Alumnus David W. Hill is featured in the Leadership Perspective section of the spring 2013 issue of the Baylor Business Review. Hill developed the "real pyramid model" as a guide to activate his faith in daily life. Video by Bailey Eubanks. Pyramid graphics provided by David W. Hill. Voiceover by CJ Jackson and Chris Griesemer. Ending graphic by Pollei DesignWorks.

Baylor Business Review-David W. Hill

Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business offers the Accelerated Ventures Program, which is featured in the spring 2013 issue of the Baylor Business Review. Video footage by Bailey Eubanks. Audio/video editing by Bailey Eubanks. Ending graphic by Pollei DesignWorks.

Baylor Accelerated Ventures Press Conference

Jennifer Ballew, BBA '92, serves as co-owner/director of Express Hot Yoga and is featured in the 2012 fall issue of the Baylor Business Review magazine. Photos/video footage by Baylor Photography. Audio/video editing by Baylor Photography. Graphics by Pollei DesignWorks.

Baylor Business Review - Jennifer Ballew

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Tales of Christmas Past: Preserving Your Family History During the Holidays

Baylor’s Institute for Oral History shares seven simple best practices to get the conversation started

Director of Institute for Oral History, Professor of History

  During past family Christmas gatherings, many of us remember when older relatives regaled everyone with tales about their fascinating life stories, firsthand experiences as an eyewitness to history or simply sharing how favorite family traditions started. So how do you preserve those precious family memories during the holidays?

Baylor University oral historians Stephen Sloan and Adrienne Cain Darough have recorded and preserved the oral history memoirs of thousands of individuals through their work with Baylor’s renowned Institute for Oral History, home of the national Oral History Association. Together, the historians share seven simple best practices to help family members begin oral history conversations that enrich recollections of the past and capture your family memories.

“The holiday season brings about the opportunity to spend time with family members, especially those you may not be able to see on a frequent basis,” Cain Darough said. “This presents the perfect opportunity to conduct oral histories to capture the stories and experiences of your family and loved ones, to learn more about them, the history of your family, traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation and more.”  Seven best practices for preserving your family’s oral history 1. Ask first! Make sure your family member wants their story to be documented or recorded. That is the first – and most important – question to ask, said Adrienne Cain Darough, M.L.S., assistant director and senior lecturer with the Institute for Oral History.

Ask first.

“Many oral historians have run into the spot where someone says, ‘Oh, my grandpa would be great for that topic,’ and you get there and it's, ‘Grandpa does not want to talk to you.’ So first, make sure they want their story recorded,” she said.  2. Determine the type of recording equipment you want to use. Decide if you want to record your interview with an audio recorder or use a video recording device. It all depends on your needs and comfort level with the technology.

For family members who are unable to travel this holiday season, you can include them by capturing their stories using a remote recording platform like Zoom, which became a vital tool for oral historians when COVID struck in 2020.

 Helpful resources from Baylor’s Institute for Oral History include: How to choose the right digital recorder Oral History at a Distance webinar on the dynamics of conducting remote oral history interviews Remote Interviewing Resources guide (Oral History Association)  3. Research your family member’s life and their timeline to help you formulate your questions. Recording a family member’s oral history is more than just putting down a recorder in front of them and saying, “Talk.” If you’re recording an oral history over Christmas with a family member, are there specific things that you want to know that are related to the holiday? For example, what was Christmas morning like for them as a child? How did your favorite family traditions start? What is their favorite holiday dish? (Maybe they could even share the recipe. “You can finally learn why Nana’s banana pudding doesn’t even have bananas in it,” Cain Darough said.)

“Doing your research to try to form those questions will help you get around the reluctance to talk sometimes,” Cain Darough added. “The favorite thing that I love to hear is, ‘Oh, I don't have much to say,’ or ‘I'm not that important.’ And then you sit down with them, and you listen to their stories, and your mind is just blown by the things that they've seen and experienced.”  4. Start with the basics: “Where are you from?” When Baylor oral historians conduct an interview, they generally begin with some life history of the subject, providing important context for historians.

 “Ask questions early on that are easy for them to answer: a little bit of the backstory, a little bit of where they're from, where they grew up,” said Stephen Sloan, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Oral History, executive director of Oral History Association and professor of history at Baylor. “I want to understand the lens through which they experienced events, and the only way I can do that is, who was this? What was formative in their life growing up? Who spoke into who they were? What did they learn? Where did they go? What did they do? Those are the sorts of things that I would be exploring early in the interview.” One of the questions Cain Darough enjoys asking is, “What did you want to be when you grew up?” “You want to give them something that's very easy and comfortable to talk about,” Cain Darough said. “What was your favorite subject in school, just to see if that was something that continued on in their life. If there's a certain hobby or something that you know that they're affiliated with, when did you learn about that? Tell me more. What's your interest with this? And then they'll get to talking.”  5. Ask open-ended questions – without making any assumptions. With oral history, it is important that you don’t go into the interview with a specific agenda or try to lead anyone to a certain conclusion.

“We can do this very subtly by assuming information, but you can't assume anything about their experience with the topic,’” Sloan said. “If we assume information, it could be very far from how they encountered whatever event that may have been. Allow them to relate the ways in which they lived these experiences.”  6. Listen closely. Listening is an important facet of gathering oral history. But historians say you are not only listening for what they're saying, you're also listening for what they're not saying.

“Are there things that are being skipped around?” Cain Darough said. “For example, sometimes when you're talking to veterans about their combat experience, it may be the first time that they're reliving or retelling these stories. They need time, and you just have to be prepared for that.”  7. Be patient. It might take your subject some time to warm up to the conversation. “If you're talking to someone who is 80, 90 or even 100, that's a lot of memories that they have to go through, so patience is important,” Cain Darough said.  Looking to know more or arrange an interview? Simply click on Stephen's icon or contact: Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin today to connect with  Adrienne Cain Darough.


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Reviving the Christmas Spirit: Forgotten Christmas Traditions to Reclaim the Christmas Season

Baylor professor offers three practices to reignite Christmas spirit

 Christmas is just around the corner and many families have already decorated their homes and started celebrating their Christmas traditions – but many stores have had their Christmas products out for months. This early bombardment of holiday advertisements and adornments often takes away from the excitement. So how do you recapture the true spirit of Christmas?

Baylor University Honors College professor Michael Foley, Ph.D., who teaches in the Great Texts Program, has researched the history of common Christmas traditions and uncovered forgotten customs.

 “Christmas is indeed the most wonderful time of year, and that wonder is increased when we understand why we do the things we do,” Foley said. “Our delight in the season becomes greater when we appreciate the history and symbolism of the Christmas tree or why we kiss under the mistletoe.” Foley shares three practices to recapture the essence of Christmas and bring more joy to the season for your family.

Enjoy the 12 Days of Christmas  Historically, the season of Advent during the weeks leading up to Christmas was a period of joyful restraint and preparation. During the Twelve Days of Christmas, from Christmas Day on Dec. 25 to the Feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6, people would celebrate a release with a continuous period of leisure and merriment.

“Today, the Christmas season seems to start earlier and earlier each year. In the 20th century, the commercial season began the day after Thanksgiving, but now stores inundate the market with Christmas decorations much earlier,” Foley said. “The problem with this arrangement is that by the time Christmas finally comes, you’re tired of it. The older model has an organic build-up to the big day and then a great, 12-day release.”  Returning to a slower-paced season full of cheerful spirits in the 12 days following Christmas is a way to recenter, refocus and reignite your Christmas spirit, Foley said.

Capture the Joy of Incarnation  It’s easy to get caught up in the festivities and pressure of the holiday, but it is also important to return to the reason behind Christmas, Foley said, and take time to understand the meaning behind what seem like meaningless customs.

“The best traditions capture the fact that God became man in order to redeem us from our sins out of sheer love for us,” he said.  Practices like caroling and gathering with family for food and drink are all acts of gratitude and joy that can remind us of God’s love. What may seem like typical holiday decorations, the holly wreath and the Christmas tree, are actually symbols of Christ bringing new life, Foley said.

Embrace the Bizarre  Today, Christmas is surrounded by a light, cheery feeling. But history tells us that there has always been a certain “dark side” of Christmas.

“There is a reason why Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve,” Foley said. “All of winter was the season of fiends, and they were not happy that the winter solstice around Christmas Day marked the beginning of the end of the long dark nights and that Jesus Christ was born and triumphed over evil.”  Other traditions involve swapping places with someone such as a parent and child, abbots and novices, or men and women.

“At one time, this custom of inverted social roles played an important role in gaining clarity and releasing tension in a hierarchical society,” Foley said.  While this might seem useless, impractical, or even pointless today, it can still offer value to the Christmas joy.

“These inversion customs are a giddy imitation of the ultimate inversion in all of history,” Foley said. “That Almighty God chose to become a little baby in a measly manger.”  Although some forgotten customs might seem odd to us today, there can be a certain kind of wisdom behind them – a wisdom that leads us back to the true spirit of Christmas, Foley said. After all, even Ebenezer Scrooge was able to find joy in Christmas again.

Michael Foley is a Professor of Patristics in the Honors College at Baylor University and the author of 17 books, including Why We Kiss under the Mistletoe: Christmas Traditions Explained. Looking to know more or arrange an interview? Simply contact: Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin today. 

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Staying Sober and on the Path to Recovery During the Holidays

Baylor substance use disorder expert provides ideas on how to abstain from substance and alcohol use during the stress of the holidays

Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience; Associate Dean for Professional Development, Graduate School

  The holidays can be a joyous time full of celebrations and they also can be a time of intense stress. Individuals with substance and alcohol use disorders can experience additional stress during the holidays, which can interfere with their recovery, and they may need additional support to abstain from substance use. What can people in recovery do to both abstain and enjoy the holidays? And what can loved ones do to support them?

“Holidays can be difficult for anyone, but those with substance use and mental health disorders may have a more difficult time coping with those difficulties,” said Baylor University substance use disorder treatment expert Sara Dolan, Ph.D., professor of psychology and neuroscience.   “The holidays can be – on one hand – a time rife with loneliness, and on the other hand, a time where family conflict might be more present,” Dolan said. “Both of these situations are hard for many of us to cope with, but we may want to be more sensitive to those who struggle more with these situations.” Dolan is a nationally known researcher on how neuropsychological dysfunction, including problems with memory and executive functions, affects how people cope with alcohol and substance use disorders and how these issues affect the treatment process and outcome. Dolan offers the following suggestions for individuals in recovery to help them get through the holidays and how family and friends can offer support.

Stay active in recovery  If the individual already has a recovery plan in place such as a 12-step program or Celebrate Recovery, make sure to continue attending meetings and appointments during the holiday season.

“There are numerous virtual and in-person resources for people who are struggling, including mutual aid support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Smart Recovery,” Dolan said. “People can also call the SAMHSA national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.”  Even when traveling, it is a good idea to know local meeting schedules, use virtual resources and consider attending extra meetings to stay on top of your recovery.

Have a coping plan  “It is important for people to have a solid coping plan before they go into potentially distressing situations,” Dolan said.  Are there places or events to just stay away from? Dolan said it is “okay to keep yourself safe by leaving or even avoiding places that may be unsafe.”

By having a plan to handle stressors ahead of time, you can manage it better in the moment. Preparation is key to feeling safe and enjoying the holidays. 

Avoid triggers and stressors  Understanding personal triggers, which can be different for different people, can help us avoid them ahead of time.

“For some people, it’s family conflict, for some, it’s loneliness, and for some it’s feelings of anxiety or depression,” Dolan said. “It’s important to know your own stress points before you go into situations that may trigger them.”  Once you know what leads to urges to use alcohol or other substances, you can determine how to counteract those circumstances or avoid them if necessary.

Reach out for support  Reach out to family and friends who will most likely offer positive support. Letting your loved one know what you need – and how to support you in your recovery – can help you abstain from substance use during stressful situations. In fact, Dolan said you may even want to let them know ahead of time that you may need extra support.

How to support someone with a substance use disorder

Be as open, direct and caring as you can be. Dolan suggests talking to your loved one directly about what may – or may not be helpful – during the holidays.

“Some people in recovery may feel more comfortable in alcohol-free environments,” she said, “but some may not want their loved ones altering their behavior. “Ask – don’t assume – and let your loved one tell you what might work best for them,” Dolan added.   Using these suggestions can help both individuals with substance and alcohol use disorders and their families have a healthy and happy holiday season.


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