Presidential Perspective - March 30, 2023

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

This Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. will be a historic moment in the life of Baylor as we unveil and dedicate the statues honoring the first Black students to earn their undergraduate degrees from the University – the late Rev. Robert L. Gilbert, B.A. ’67, and Mrs. Barbara A. Walker, B.A. ’67. The special ceremony will take place in front of Tidwell Bible Building, where as students Rev. Gilbert and Mrs. Walker took their major classes in history and sociology. The addition of their statues on each side of the walkway leading into Tidwell will welcome generations of students, reflecting the diversity of the Baylor Family and celebrating the strength, courage and accomplishments of these remarkable Baylor alumni.

All are welcome to join us, along with the families and friends of Rev. Gilbert and Mrs. Walker, for this monumental celebration on Tuesday, followed by a reception at the McMullen-Connally Faculty Center. An online RSVP is requested, but not required.

Some campus updates for this week:

• HOLY WEEK: Next week, Christians all over the world will observe the various events of Holy Week. The earlier events – Palm Sunday, the Temple Cleansing, the Anointing, the Washing of Feet and the “Last Supper” – prepare us for Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter, which is the focus of our upcoming Chapel Worship services. Each of these “Stations of Holy Week” invite us into a deeper reflection on and understanding of Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension. The services include hymns, prayers, scripture readings and brief meditations at each station by University Chaplain Burt Burleson. You are invited to join Chapel students and others at one of our three services: Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in Armstrong Browning Library and Thursday at 3:30 and 5 p.m. at Seventh & James Baptist Church, right behind Tidwell Bible Building.


• GRATITUDE FOR GRAD STUDENTS:Next week, we celebrate Graduate Student Appreciation Week and the more than 5,000 graduate students who enrich the Baylor Family both on and off campus. Through research, teaching and scholarship, their work has helped Baylor grow as a Christian research university as they grow their own careers — and we’re always proud to see where they go next, whether advancing in their careers, staying at Baylor or moving on to many of the nation’s top universities and research labs. We’re grateful for the work done through the Graduate Student Association to support and advocate for our grad students, and look forward to celebrating them through a variety of activities throughout next week. Happy Graduate Student Appreciation Week, and thanks for all you do!


• SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH: In April, Baylor will again join universities and communities around the country to increase public awareness and prevention education about sexual assault and interpersonal violence during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The month’s events on our campus allow students, faculty and staff to join in the University’s commitment to fostering a safe and healthy campus, preventing acts of sexual violence and treating all members of the campus community with dignity and respect. A list of upcoming SAAM activities is available here.


• TOUGHEST HALF IN TEXAS: This past weekend, more than 1,300 runners participated in Baylor Student Foundation’s annual Bearathon – a half marathon known as “The Toughest Half in Texas” – and Sic ’Em 6K. Runners represented 37 states, and together, they ran more than 13,000 miles on Saturday. Part of each participant’s registration was donated to Student Foundation’s Scholarship Fund, which benefits deserving students pursuing their passion at Baylor. Thank you, StuFu, for another successful Bearathon!


• CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE: Annually, through the Champions of Change program, the University seeks to honor, recognize and celebrate unsung heroes of Baylor’s past and present. Consider nominating a faculty or staff member or alumnus who has demonstrated efforts to foster greater appreciation and advancement of diversity, inclusiveness and equity for communities of color at Baylor and in Waco.


• NURTURING CHILDREN THROUGH WORSHIP: Baylor’s Dunn Center for Christian Music Studies in the School of Music has been awarded a four-year, $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of its Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. This award is the second Lilly grant the Dunn Center has received in recent years. This latest award will complement the existing project that began in 2019 and will leave a legacy of a robust collection of resources for children’s church music ministries that will shape young worshipers for years to come.

Here’s to a great rest of the week!

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

The 91st edition of Diadeloso certainly did not disappoint as students took a day off from classes and studies to get ready for the stretch run of the spring semester.