Truett Seminary’s Faith & Sports Institute to Partner with Baylor Athletics to Strengthen Christian Character Formation for Student Athletes
WACO, Texas (July 30, 2024) - Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary is pleased to announce that the University has been awarded a Capacity-Building Grant of $50,000 from the Educating Character Initiative (ECI) to help establish a collaborative project between Truett Seminary’s Faith & Sports Institute (FSI) and Baylor Athletics to support faith-based character formation in student-athletes across Baylor and beyond.
Funded through the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University, the Capacity-Building Grant was created to support universities as they seek to strengthen their ability to build character in their curriculum and culture. Through the grant funding, FSI and Baylor Athletics aim to strengthen the integration of faith and character formation for the athletes who compete at Baylor University, as well as those who lead and care for them.
“The goal of the Faith & Sports Institute is to work with others to equip and shape Christian leaders in sports,” said Paul E. Putz, PhD, director of the Faith & Sports Institute and program director of the Master of Arts in Theology and Sports Studies program. “This grant offers a strategic opportunity for FSI to collaborate with Baylor Athletics as we connect research to practice, enhance and strengthen distinctly Christian approaches to character formation, and consider the important role parents and caregivers play in the process. We'll also be able to connect with the ECI's network of like-minded leaders across the higher education landscape. I'm thrilled to see what we'll learn together—and what we'll be able to share with the world about the possibilities of faith-based character formation in the changing landscape of college athletics.”
As a testament to the rich interdisciplinary collaboration at Baylor University, four staff members are participating in this grant: Paul Putz, who is serving as the primary investigator; Baylor Athletics’ Juliana Smith, executive senior associate athletic director for mission impact and enrichment; Kenny Boyd, executive senior associate athletics director for student-athlete services; and Cori Bolts, senior associate athletics director for student-athlete success, serving as co-investigators.
Over the course of one year, this team will engage in analysis and reflection on best practices for cultivating Christian character in Baylor student-athletes within the evolving context of college sports.
“We are grateful to Wake Forest University for the opportunity to collaborate with FSI on this project furthering our commitment to Prepare Champions for Life,” executive senior associate AD for student-athlete services Kenny Boyd said. “The information gathered using the funding from this grant will help build a foundation for how we illuminate our Christian mission within the changing college athletics landscape.”
By leveraging the Christian character formation and sports ministry resources already available across Baylor’s campus, the project seeks to fortify existing work, provide a foundation for future growth, and share Baylor’s approach with other faith-based institutions, serving as a model for character education in college athletics.
“The Capacity-Building Grant underscores a commitment by Baylor Athletics and FSI to continue evolving the way in which we support each new generation of student-athletes and further the transformational power of sports while centering our Christian faith,” said Juliana Smith, executive senior associate athletic director for mission impact and enrichment. “As the home of national championship-caliber sports programs, Baylor Athletics has the responsibility to recruit and support highly talented student-athletes year after year. As stewards of Baylor University’s Christian mission, administrators within Athletics are uniquely positioned to meet student-athletes on their personal faith journeys and equip them with the tools and guidance needed to grow in their faith and understand how faith formation informs their character. It is an honor to embark on this journey with our colleagues from FSI, and I’m hopeful that the output from this work provides a universally applicable framework for departments across the nation.”
Baylor’s Truett Seminary is one of 20 organizations that has received grants through a competitive round of the ECI.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.
ABOUT GEORGE W. TRUETT THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
George W. Truett Theological Seminary is an orthodox, evangelical, multi-denominational school in the historic Baptist tradition embedded into Baylor, a Christian R1 University. Truett’s mission is to equip God-called people for gospel ministry in and alongside Christ’s Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Baptist World Alliance, Truett Seminary provides theological education leading to the Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Master of Arts in Contextual Witness and Innovation, Master of Arts in Theology, Ecology and Food Justice, Master of Arts in Theology and Sports Studies (online), Master of Theological Studies, Doctor of Ministry, and PhD in Preaching. In addition to a number of distinctive programs, institutes, and centers, Truett Seminary also offers joint degrees through Baylor University school/college partnerships in social work, business, law, music, and education. Besides its flagship Baugh-Reynolds Campus in Waco, the Seminary also has locations in Houston and San Antonio. Visit the Truett Seminary website to learn more.