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<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – July 31, 2024<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Truett Seminary’s Faith & Sports Institute to Partner with Baylor Athletics to Strengthen Christian Character Formation for Student Athletes</span></b><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Brent Ingram; 210-845-8651, </span><a href="mailto:brent_ingram@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">brent_ingram@baylor.edu</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">
</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">WACO, Texas –</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"> 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. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">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 that compete at Baylor University, as well as those who
lead and care for them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">“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.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">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. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Baylor’s Truett Seminary is one of 20 organizations that has received grants though a competitive round of the ECI.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">“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.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">“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.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">ABOUT GEORGE W. TRUETT THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary is an orthodox, evangelical, multi-denominational school in the historic Baptist tradition that equips 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, 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 Ph.D. in Preaching. Truett Seminary
also offers joint degrees through Baylor University school/college partnerships in social work, business, law, music, and education. In addition to the flagship Baugh-Reynolds Campus in Waco, the Seminary also has additional instructional sites in Houston
and San Antonio. Visit the Truett Seminary website to learn more.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">- BaylorBears.com -</span></i><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#385623;mso-ligatures:none">Brent Ingram</span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#385623;mso-ligatures:none"> </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">|
Assistant AD for Communications</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Men’s Tennis Sport Program Administrator<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">C: 210-845-8651</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DAE337.DE811980" alt="signature_1049805336"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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