Leadership Speaker Series
Student Leadership Development at Baylor seeks to embolden students towards cultivating the virtues and habits necessary to faithfully and authentically lead for the common good. In support of this mission, we invite thought leaders to discuss the intersection of their areas of expertise; postures of leadership to include character, virtue, and ethics; as well as human flourishing and the common good. Students will be educated towards a certain kind of leadership in the world; leadership characterized by a commitment to human flourishing and wrestling towards shalom.
Fall 2023 Speakers
Dr. James K. A. Smith, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit
October 3rd|6:30-7:30pm|McClinton Auditorium (Foster 240)
Dr. Smith is professor of philosophy at Calvin University and serves as editor in chief of Image journal, a quarterly devoted to “art, mystery, and faith.” Trained as a philosopher with a focus on contemporary French thought, Smith has expanded on that scholarly platform to become and engaged public intellectual and cultural critic. An award winning author and widely traveled speaker, he has emerged as a thought leader with a unique gift of translation, building bridges between the academy, society, and the church. Through the Speaker Series, Dr. Smith will discuss themes from his book, You are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit.
Rev. Eugene Cho, Overrated: Are we More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World than Actually Changing the World?
November 9th|6:30-7:30pm|McClinton Auditorium (Foster 240)
Rev. Eugene Cho’s many passions involve leadership, justice, the whole Gospel, and the pursuit of God’s Kingdom here on this earth. Eugene is the President/CEO of Bread for the World and Bread Institute, a prominent non-partisan Christian advocacy organization urging both national and global decision makers to help end hunger. He is also the founder and visionary of One Day’s Wages (ODW) – a grassroots movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty. For his entrepreneurial work, Eugene was honored as one of 50 Everyday American Heroes and a recipient of the Frederick Douglass 200 – included in a list of 200 people around the world who best embody the spirit and work of Frederick Douglass, one of the most influential figures in history. Rev. Cho will discuss themes from his book, Overrated: Are we More in love with the Idea of Changing the World than Actually Changing the World.
Spring 2024 Speakers
Dr. Miroslav Volf, Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most
February 8|6:30-7:30pm | McClinton Auditorium (Foster 240)
Dr. Volf is the founding Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and has been involved in international ecumenical and interfaith dialogues and is an active participant in the Global Agenda Council on Values of the World Economic Forum. Dr. Volf will help us wrestle with the question of “What Makes a Life Worth Living?”. In his discussion with us he will draw from his most recent work “Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most” as well as his writings as a theologian on human flourishing and the common good.
Dr. Soong-Chan Rah, Prophetic Lament: The Necessity of Truth Telling in Untruthful Times
March 21|6:30-7:30pm | Fudge Family Auditorium, Mark and Paul Hurd Welcome Center
Dr. Rah is the Robert Boyd Munger Professor of Evangelism at Fuller Theological Seminary. His primary field of study is in theology and ethics with areas of expertise including practical ministry, evangelism, cross-cultural ministry, social ethics, and American evangelical history. He is author or coauthor to over a half dozen award-winning books. Dr. Rah’s discussion with us will orient us around the leadership habit of Constructive Hope. He will discourse with us on the topic of “Prophetic Lament: The Necessity of Truth Telling in Untruthful Times." This Leadership Speaker Series event will also serve as the opening keynote address for the Baylor Leadership Summit, an experience designed to foster learning about the robust intersection of Constructive Hope with leadership in sessions with community leaders and storytellers.
Interested in having a particular speaker be a part of the Leadership Speaker Series? Fill
out a Speaker request/suggestion form.