News Briefs from Moody School of Education
Carolyn Price (above) is the oldest known doctoral graduate of Baylor University, 83 years young at her graduation in May 2025 with an EdD in Learning and Organizational Change.
A Future of Flourishing
Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing is the new name for Moody School of Education’s Baylor Center for Developmental Disability. The new name reflects the Center’s deep commitment to promote the flourishing of people with disabilities, their families, and communities. Featured as a key initiative in Baylor in Deeds, the University’s strategic plan, the center is building on a decade of impact to become a national leader in interdisciplinary research and training. The interdisciplinary nature of the center’s work is reflected in the current faculty and students from numerous Baylor colleges and schools who are deeply engaged in research and community outreach.
“From the very beginning, our vision has been to meet pressing needs locally while building a foundation for transformational work—work that now reaches far beyond Central Texas communities,” said center director Dr. Kristen Padilla, who has been part of the center since its inception in 2014.
Executive Director Dr. Erik Carter said, “Baylor has the opportunity to help transform the landscape for people with disabilities on a national and global scale. Our new name better reflects our commitment to creating communities where people with and without disabilities can live, learn, work, and worship together.”
Milestone Graduate
Moody School of Education graduate Carolyn Price (pictured at top) is the oldest known doctoral graduate of Baylor University, 83 years young at her graduation in May 2025 earning an EdD in Learning and Organizational Change. Price spent decades as a teacher in upstate New York, a businesswoman, and a lecturer at SUNY Cortland. She had long wanted to earn a doctoral degree but living in a rural area before the prevalence of online opportunities, she had been unable to pursue such a degree far from home. That changed with the advent of programs like those offered through Baylor Graduate and Professional Education. When she first learned of BU’s online doctor of education program, she quickly knew it was for her.
Price’s professional and life experiences also influenced her dissertation research, which focused on digital inequities in education.
“Dr. Price’s research serves as an inspiration to advocate for the underserved and highlights the digital inequities rural communities face,” said Dr. Lacy Crocker Papadakis, director of the EdD Research and Writing Development Center and a member of Price’s dissertation committee. “Her research informs policymakers about the need for and importance of internet access for rural residents in Upstate New York. Her commitment to purposeful lifelong learning motivates me and others to pursue continual growth that enriches our respective communities.”
Endowment Gift Supports Catalyze Program
The Baylor Center for School Leadership (BCSL) celebrated a significant gift in January from Baylor alumni Jack and Linda Tinsley, who established the Dr. Linda Howard Tinsley Endowed Fund for the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Their generosity will support the long-term sustainability of Catalyze, an annual retreat that brings together teams of teachers and K-12 administrators to develop a plan of action for their school using improvement science tools. Dr. Tinsley’s career in education spanned the classroom, educational consulting, university instruction, and school leadership.
New Collaborations with School Districts and Educational Organizations
The Moody School of Education has launched collaborative initiatives with several schools, districts, and educational organizations across the nation to enhance their access to Moody’s graduate programs. By connecting educators with robust, accessible pathways to graduate study, Baylor aims to further empower leaders who are committed to advancing educational access, innovation, and excellence. The collaborations offer a range of scholarship opportunities, which vary by the specific agreement, and may include priority enrollment scholarships, waived application fees, prior work credit, or exclusive scholarship rates for employees.
Many of the incentives are focused on the Moody School’s distance and hybrid education graduate programs, including doctoral, master’s, and certificate programs that are designed for working professionals.
Districts or organizations interested in exploring a collaboration may contact Nick_Werse@baylor.edu.