Kirsten Welch, Ph.D., Appointed Assistant Professor of Philosophy in Great Texts

The Honors College is elated to welcome Kirsten Welch, Ph.D., as Assistant Professor of Philosophy in Great Texts. An Honors College alumna, Welch (B.A. ’14), brings her scholarship in philosophy and education back to the community that first inspired her.

“Coming back to Baylor is coming home for me,” Welch said. “My time in the Baylor Honors College changed my life, and it was always my dream to return. I am absolutely thrilled to come back.”

As a University Scholar with concentrations in Classics and Philosophy, Welch was mentored by professors Alden Smith, Ph.D., and Todd Buras, Ph.D., who both helped shape her intellectual trajectory.

“I came in as a pre-med student, and Dr. Smith convinced me to take Latin, which was one of the best decisions of my life,” she recalled. “By the end of my time at Baylor, I had fallen in love with philosophy and classics, and I knew I wanted to pursue graduate study.”

After completing her undergraduate work, Welch went on to earn an M.A. in Philosophy at Western Michigan University and a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Education from Columbia University. Her research explores the philosophical foundations, historical contexts, and contemporary practices of classical education.

She has published widely on moral formation, intellectual humility, and virtue ethics, with work appearing in Educational Theory and Philosophy and Education, as well as chapters in volumes published by Cambridge and Oxford University Press.

“What excites me most is helping students learn to engage with the Great Texts humbly and charitably, with an openness to what they might have to teach us,” Welch said. “These works ask questions we all must answer in our own lives. I hope to help students see that they do not have to face those questions alone. They can do it in community with friends, with mentors, and even with the voices of those who lived centuries ago.”

Welch credits her professors and mentors at Baylor with sparking her desire to pursue an academic career.

“The mentoring relationships I had at Baylor were a tremendous gift to me,” she said. “Those professors were such a blessing, and I have always wanted to be that blessing to students in return, to care for, teach, and love them the way I was cared for as a student.”

Outside of the classroom, Welch stays busy with her husband, David, a Great Texts graduate, and their three young sons. Recently relocated back to Waco, the family is eager to reconnect with the Baylor community.

“I owe Baylor not only my academic path but also my husband and children,” Welch said. “It is an incredible gift to come full circle.”

Help us welcome Dr. Welch!