As Plainview continues to grow and diversify, Wayland Baptist University plays a vital role in the city’s educational, workforce, and economic development. The university’s residential campus anchors the community, drawing students, faculty, researchers, and visitors whose presence supports local businesses and contributes to regional vitality. A defining feature of Wayland’s academic impact is its world-class undergraduate research. Through programs such as the Welch Summer Research Program, students participate in highlevel scientific inquiry alongside faculty mentors, gaining experience often associated with much larger universities. That work is supported by new, state-of-the-art science laboratories, where students receive hands-on training using advanced equipment in biology, chemistry, and related disciplines—preparing graduates for careers in healthcare, research, graduate study, and STEM fields. Wayland offers a broad portfolio of degrees in business, education, nursing, behavioral sciences, and the humanities, while WBU Online extends that academic quality to working adults and students beyond the region. Complementing the academic mission is a proud athletic tradition, highlighted by the legendary Flying Queens basketball program, one of the most successful women’s teams in collegiate history. For more than a century, Wayland Baptist University and Plainview have grown together— educating generations, expanding opportunity, and shaping lives. OF Wayland Baptist University | wbu.edu Mentored by world-class faculty with a Christian perspective, Wayland students have spent 20 years pushing scientific boundaries. Their RecA research, led to global-first tuberculosis breakthroughs in two areas in 2024—proving undergraduates can do more than dream. They can discover. Senior Dylan Dodd uses a near UV/ blue light to detect a fluorescent protein bioengineered into a bacterial culture, providing a glowing positive control for comparison to the target RecA protein. Scan to read the full story.
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