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The Echo
Taylor University, Upland, IN
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026
The Echo

News


smores

Upland and Taylor celebrate National Good Neighbor Week

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The sun set behind Taylor Lake as Upland families and Taylor students alike made s’mores and played sand volleyball. Sunday Stroll and S’mores took place the evening of Sept. 27, kicking off National Good Neighbor Week which occurred Sept. 28 to Oct. 4. 


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Ulrichs hope people feel at home in new cafe

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People looking for a cup of coffee, a home-cooked meal and a place that feels like home away from home can stop by Barista & Baker, a coffee shop on Main Street that opened Sept. 11. Justin and Bethany Ulrich, Taylor alumni who own Barista & Baker, work together to make both coffee and cooking possible. 


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James Dean Festival celebrates 50 years

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On Sept. 25-27, crowds and cars crammed into downtown Fairmount for its 50th James Dean Festival. Though Fairmount’s forever-young film star, James Dean, passed away over 75 years ago, the Hollywood darling continues to leave his mark on Grant County through the annual celebration that bears his name. Organized by the James Dean Museum, the three-day festival includes activities ranging from a car show to a parade to a James Dean Look-Alike contest. The event is a “wholesome” and “wonderful celebration of small town life,” Dorothy Schultz, the curator of the James Dean Museum, said. 


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NEXT Summit focuses on growth

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Taylor University’s annual NEXT Summit took place Sept. 16. The theme of the conference focused on growing the people and growing the mission, emphasizing discipling Christians leaders to live out the Great Commission.NEXT invited several Christian educators and organizations to learn from five experienced Christian leaders. Attendees began the day in Chapel, alongside Taylor students. Sessions followed in Habecker Hall and the Cornwall Room. They learned to cultivate strong team culture and pursue organizational growth.


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Meilin Li joins Taylor community

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Each new school year brings not only new students, but also new faculty. This year Taylor’s history, global and political studies department welcomes Meilin Li.Born in northeast China, Li moved to the United States in 2016 to attend Baylor University. From there, she continued to pursue academia at the University of Texas at Dallas, where she earned her master's degree in history. She then attended the University of North Texas where she received her doctorate in political science.  




Officer Craig

Upland welcomes new town marshal

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Upland’s new police chief Marshal Richard Craig started working in Upland last month. He’s not like other police officers. Unlike other police officers, he’s famous: Craig has almost 160,000 followers on TikTok.


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Taylor dives into day of service

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When Olivea Adams heard she’d kickstart her time at Taylor by serving somewhere in the Upland community as part of the 2026 Community Plunge event, she thought the idea sounded weird.





AI

Colleagues’ College engages AI with purpose

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We are humans, and we are accountable to God, Sarah Gibson, an artificial intelligence expert and enthusiast, said. AI was created by humans, so AI is ultimately accountable to humans, she said.