Making a Generational Impact: Steve and Pam Eakin
In 2010, when Baylor University alumnus Steve Eakin received a phone call from a representative of the University asking him to lunch to chat about the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD), he obliged out of curiosity.
“Back then, I was busy with the business, and I really had no idea what Baylor Development was and what CSD involved,” Steve shared. “But at lunch he told me what CSD entailed, and the light bulb went off—because of our son.”
When Steve’s wife, Pam, was pursuing her master’s degree in English curriculum and instruction, the couple’s son, Tyler, was 18 months old. For her program, Pam had the option to pursue a special project on language emergence and decided it would be a great opportunity to study her own son’s development.
“I thought I would be able to count up his utterances, write a paper, and be done,” Pam recalled. “Instead, I discovered that he had some sort of learning difference. This started the ball rolling with tests and second opinions.”
Tyler engaged in speech therapy from ages 2 to 10, opening new doors and expanding his learning potential thanks to the advocacy of his parents and the support of speech-language professionals. So, when Steve and Pam became connected with Baylor CSD, they knew personally the impact that the students and faculty were making every single day.
Over the next several years, Steve and Pam stayed connected with Baylor CSD and were soon introduced to longtime faculty member Michaela “Mikie” Ritter, EdD, CCC-SLP, who currently serves as the Martin Family Endowed Chair for the Department. During a summer visit to the Baylor campus, they witnessed Ritter leading Camp Success, a free intensive summer language and literacy intervention program. This experience led the Eakins to make their first gift to the program.
“We know there are a lot of parents who are just lost. They’ve got a child who’s way behind, and they don’t have an advocate to help them,” Steve said. “Because of our experiences, we know a lot of the nuances, and we’ve tried to help people in that place.”
“Robbins College is ministering to the community through CSD. By having these services here, you’re treating and diagnosing children, but you’re also giving hands-on experience to students—all while addressing the needs of the community.”
Steve Eakin
It wasn’t long before Steve was asked to join the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences Board of Advocates, and as of Spring 2025, he leads the Board as its new Chair. Through this experience, Steve has enjoyed learning more about Robbins College, especially the faculty engaged in transformational research across departments and the opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.
In their “advocate” role, the Eakins worked with Robbins College Dean Jason R. Carter, PhD, to launch and host the first “Fireside Chat,” an intimate dinner event designed to give individuals the opportunity to hear more about the College from the Dean and to learn how they might support its priorities and initiatives. Through these Fireside Chats, new connections have been forged—and scholarship funds raised.
While the Eakins have become strong supporters of and advocates for the College as a whole, their hearts continue to belong to Baylor CSD. Most recently, Steve and Pam decided to endow a new scholarship for the Department in honor of the woman who continues to inspire them and demonstrate Baylor’s Christian mission so vividly—Michaela Ritter.
“Whenever people meet Mikie, I always tell them, ‘She’s my hero,’ because of what she’s accomplished with her foresight and her ability to just roll up her sleeves and get things rolling,” Steve shared.
In addition to honoring Ritter, the Eakins also recognize the deep impact their gift will make on Baylor CSD students as well as the children they serve—and will serve as professionals in the field.
“You’re helping children succeed,” Pam said. “What does this scholarship mean? It means that this person will become a speech-language pathologist and help who knows how many people during their career, including both children and the educators and speech pathologists they mentor.”
Steve added, “Robbins College is ministering to the community through CSD. By having these services here, you’re treating and diagnosing children, but you’re also giving hands-on experience to students—all while addressing the needs of the community.”
Through the gifts of their time, resources, and heart, the Eakins are creating a ripple of impact for those who serve and are served in the field of speech-language pathology. Their generosity has, and will have, a generational effect now and into the future.
ABOUT ROBBINS COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Established in 2014, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences seeks to enhance health, quality of life, and human flourishing for all individuals and communities through education, research, and innovation. It includes six academic departments—Communication Sciences and Disorders; Health, Human Performance, and Recreation; Human Sciences and Design; Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy; and Public Health—along with the Division of Health Professions, which houses the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program. Robbins College offers 13 bachelor’s degrees, eight master’s degrees, and six doctoral degrees, as well as nine graduate programs in partnership with the U.S. Army. Graduate programs in Robbins College are offered in a variety of modalities, including on campus, online, and hybrid.