News

It’s hard to believe it’s already March and Spring Break is next week. I know many of you are looking forward to time away with family and friends and for rest and renewal during this busy time of year.

As a Christian research university, Baylor takes great pride in celebrating holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. There is something special about expressing gratitude for our many blessings and for preparing our hearts for Advent. 

During its regular February meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents took several actions that will provide the foundation for an aggressive implementation of the University’s new strategic plan – Baylor in Deeds. 

Baylor University today officially launched the Extend the Line Scholarship Initiative, which aims to raise $250 million by 2030 for student scholarships to help ensure a Baylor education remains accessible and affordable for both current and prospective students.

I have said many times before that I believe our ability to fulfill our mission – to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community – is only possible when we value and embrace our differences. 

Research rooted in Baylor’s Christian mission is more than a catchphrase — it’s a commitment to global impact to serve neighbors around the world.

President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., was the “right leader at the right time” for Baylor. Now she’s elevated her leadership — and Baylor by extension — into the national sphere.

I am thrilled to report we have been notified by the American Council on Education (ACE) that as expected, Baylor University has been reaffirmed as a R1 research university in the 2025 Carnegie Classifications. 

I talk often about the fact that the Baylor Family is made up of many members with different backgrounds and experiences that enable a wide range of contributions to the world. I believe our ability to fulfill our mission – to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community – is only possible when we embrace those contributions. 

This Saturday Baylor University turns 180 – the oldest continuously operating university in the state after being chartered by the Republic of Texas in 1845. Baylor offers a distinct experience with deep, historic Christian roots, a tradition of innovation and firsts, and a tremendous track record of producing leaders who change the course of our state, country and the world. 

Despite frigid weather in Waco again this week, it’s been a great start to the spring semester. Seeing students on campus reconnecting with friends and faculty is always joyful, and I am so thankful for their safe return – never taking it for granted. 

As we return for the start of another semester, I would like to share with you the news that Kevin Jackson, Ph.D., our Vice President for Student Life, has informed me of his decision to retire from Baylor University, effective June 30. 

It’s become so commonplace that it must be a Baylor tradition – very cold weather to welcome students back to Waco for the spring semester! I’m a frequent checker of several apps on my iPhone, and the forecast for next Monday and Tuesday calls for freezing temperatures and another possible wintry mix of precipitation.

Another spring semester is upon us, and it is a time of great anticipation across the Baylor campus. Faculty and staff have returned from the Christmas break and students begin classes next week.

Happy New Year, Baylor Family! I hope you had a wonderful (and restful) Christmas break and are ready for all 2025 has in store for Baylor University. 

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 7:14 (ESV) 

It’s hard to believe the fall semester is coming to an end, and this will be our last Presidential Perspective of 2024! What an exciting, memorable semester it has been, and I cannot wait to see what the New Year has in store for Baylor in 2025.

Christmas is really the most wonderful time of the year at Baylor University. The unity and warmth of the holiday begins for me with the Baylor Family collectively reflecting on the coming of Christ in our traditional Preparing Our Hearts Advent series. 

Greetings from Baylor University! With students pulling on warmer clothes and the leaves on trees changing color (as best they can in Central Texas), we find ourselves rapidly approaching the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Baylor’s Baptist roots go all the way back to the University’s founding in 1845 when we were chartered by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers. For nearly two centuries Baylor and Texas Baptists have labored together for God’s glory. Our relationship was on full display earlier this week as the Baptist General Convention of Texas held its annual meeting right here in Waco.

Earlier this week the University launched A Season of Thanksgiving, a month-long initiative that invites the Baylor Family into an intentional time to give thanks for the blessings God has given us. As a people of faith, our words and acts of thanksgiving reflect God’s love for us and his grace freely given to us. I am excited that we are putting our faith into action in this way.

We have been preparing for our nation’s general election for quite some time, allowing our to remind us of our mission and values as a Christian research university. 

What an awesome time the First Gent and I had welcoming our students to “Dinner with the Livingstones” on Tuesday evening at Allbritton House! It was certainly a fantastic kickoff to Homecoming Week 2024.

Centered by a call to be salt of the earth and light of the world at the center, Baylor University launched a year-long series of campus-wide conversations, trainings and presentations in January focused on civil discourse, an important topic as Baylor strives to be a marketplace of ideas and extend the love of Christ toward others.

Homecoming is next week, and I could not be more excited to celebrate with our students and, most importantly, welcome our Baylor alumni back home. 

I woke up again this morning to see the tragic devastation of another hurricane making landfall in the southeast. Like with Hurricane Helene, our Care Team Services is reaching out to Baylor students from Florida, checking in to see how they are doing, letting them know we are praying for them, their families and hometowns and that we are here to walk alongside them in any way we can. 

Between tests, Homecoming preparations and the overall busyness of the semester, it sounds like many students are looking forward to a short week and a much-needed fall break next week. 

The fall semester is off to a great start, and our official fall enrollment certainly bears that out. As we welcomed an overall student body of 20,626 students, including a high-achieving and diverse freshman class, we also celebrated this number – 90.9% – Baylor’s highest-ever one-year retention rate for first-time freshmen. 

One of the great joys of this exciting time at Baylor is to see the incredible ways our faculty and students demonstrate God-given gifts and passions through research. Their work and its impact exemplify the Baylor mission in action, and they truly are “Baylor in Deeds” to a world in need of solutions to so many great challenges.

The start of an academic year is always full of promise. We are only a few weeks into the semester at Baylor, and I am already thankful for so much.

Earlier this week we kicked off the fall Baylor Conversation Series on civil discourse with a day-long slate of activities with David Brooks – a New York Times best-selling author, columnist and commentator. 

Last week, in meetings with Baylor University’s faculty and staff, we had the pleasure of unveiling Baylor in Deeds, the University’s new strategic plan that will guide our growth through 2030. 

Baylor brings an important Christian perspective to an increasingly complex and challenging world, and we must lead in developing solutions through our scholarship and research and in preparing our students to live, work and flourish in this global society. 

The fall semester is certainly off and running at a brisk pace! I hope everyone is settling into new routines and becoming acclimated academically, physically and spiritually. 

The start of the fall semester is filled with so many signature events, from Move2BU and Welcome Week to the first day of class and #BU28 running across the field at McLane Stadium as part of the Baylor Line this Saturday evening. 

What a Move2BU! It’s hard to believe, but this was move-in No. 8 for the First Gent and me. Even with the excessive August heat, I never tire of this beautiful expression of who we are as Baylor Family. 

Baylor University President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., joined Baylor Connections podcast for a look ahead to fall, including the implementation of a new strategic plan for Baylor.

Allow me to be among the first to congratulate our 979 Summer graduates, which include 350 undergraduate degrees, 395 master’s degrees, 98 professional doctorates and 136 research doctorates. I am proud to welcome you into your new status as Baylor Alumni this Friday and Saturday!

The Waco community is waiting with open arms and prayerful hearts to welcome our new and returning students to campus! 

Today is August 1, which means the countdown to the start of the fall semester has officially begun. 

As we shift our attention to the start of another academic year, we want to share a brief update with you from last week’s annual July retreat of the Baylor Board of Regents. 

The quarterly meeting of Baylor’s Board of Regents is happening this week outside of Austin. Because this gathering also serves as an annual retreat for strategic discussions about the University and higher education, the Regents are focusing on topics of importance such as value, affordability, governance and artificial intelligence.

We talk often about Baylor’s distinctive place in American higher education — one at the crossroads of faith and learning, of research and impact. 

It’s so good to be back in Waco – even with this summer heat – after spending the past several weeks with groups of Baylor Study Abroad students in Europe and then a little vacation time with the First Gent in Greece. 

What a wonderful opportunity we have today to reflect upon the liberties we enjoy as Americans and to contemplate the ongoing promise of our nation as we come together to celebrate Independence Day!

The beginning of this summer has been an amazing chance for the First Gent and me to see the unmistakable Baylor spirit in action – this time across Europe. We are taking time to rejuvenate, but the best part of our trip has been seeing Baylor Study Abroad programs up close and personal.

I trust your summer is off to a fantastic start! The First Gent and I are flying “across the pond” this week for some much-needed rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. We look forward to some time away from campus to reflect on an incredible academic year with the Baylor Family and to explore new areas of God’s creation. The highlight of the trip will be Baylor-related, of course, as we will be connecting with several groups of Study Abroad students across Europe. We can’t wait to fling our green and gold afar!

Since its public launch in 2018, the Give Light campaign has been a clarion call to Baylor University’s alumni, parents and friends to come alongside this institution, providing transformational support to propel Baylor’s rise as the preeminent Christian research university.

Even though we are at the beginning of the summer months, we had some big news come out of the University last week as the Baylor Board of Regents affirmed a new institutional strategic plan that will take us through 2030.

During its regular May meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents approved the University’s 2024-2025 operating budget, voted on Board and committee leadership and elected new at-large Regents – including a former Waco mayor and a top Texas healthcare executive who also has ties to the city.

Congratulations to the more than 3,500 students who have earned a Baylor degree this spring – including the more than 3,300 who will walk across the Ferrell Center stage as part of Commencement ceremonies this Friday and Saturday. 

Today is the National Day of Prayer, an annual day of observance designated by the U.S. Congress in which people are asked to “turn to God in prayer and meditation.” 

The histories of Baylor University and Texas Baptists have been intertwined since our founding in 1845. 

It’s that crazy time of the spring semester, with so many assignments, projects, events and activities happening all at once – and final exams right around the corner. 

This week has provided a tremendous opportunity to showcase Baylor and the Waco community across the United States and around the world with Monday’s total solar eclipse – which was even more spectacular than I could ever have imagined. 

This Monday is a BIG DAY – not just for Baylor, but for the greater Waco community and beyond – as we experience the total solar eclipse. This will be the last total solar eclipse of the century visible in Texas.

Easter invites us to reflect upon the glory of our Savior’s resurrection and rejoice in the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. 

This Sunday begins a very special time in the Christian calendar – the start of Holy Week. At Baylor we are blessed to be ushered into this time of reflection on Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection with FM72, a student-led gathering this Sunday through Wednesday on Fountain Mall in the heart of campus.

We call ourselves the Baylor Family and that was certainly evident yesterday as the University received approximately 3,500 gifts from individuals who gave so generously and helped us raise more than $2.24 million (and counting) for the annual Baylor Giving Day.

In addition to being a leap year, today is a special day as Baylor will host the 2024 Collegiate Day of Prayer live from Waco Hall.

It’s a big week on the Baylor campus as tomorrow we will host a ceremonial groundbreaking at 1:30 p.m. for the future Memorial to Enslaved Persons on Founders Mall. The Memorial will incorporate new areas of reflection, gathering and community that honor Baylor’s complete history and our original campus in Independence.

As you may know, Baylor University is blessed to serve as the originating site for the 2024 Collegiate Day of Prayer, broadcasting live from the historic Waco Hall on the Baylor campus on Thursday, February 29 at 7 p.m. CT.

As most of you know, I played collegiate basketball and tend to be just a little competitive. Imagine my excitement when logging onto The Wall Street Journal yesterday and reading the following article, "The Small University Endowment That Is Beating the Ivy League," only to find it was all about BAYLOR and our highly successful team in the Office of Investments led by Chief Investment Officer Dave Moorehead. 

Judging by my calendar, the semester is definitely in full gear. I have a feeling that most all of you can relate, but here’s something to look forward to … Spring Break is only 22 days away!

Our North American Black Bear mascots Indy and Belle celebrated their first birthdays last weekend, and today, it’s Baylor University’s turn! Happy Birthday to Baylor, which celebrates turning 179 years old today as the oldest continuously operating university in Texas.

The Baylor Family’s favorite (real) bears are turning 1! I hope you’ll join me for Judge Indy and Judge Belle’s First Birthday block party this Saturday, Jan. 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bill & Eva Williams Bear Habitat. 

Despite frigid weather in Waco this week, it’s been a great start to the spring semester. 

The World Needs a Baylor. We need a seat at the table to engage scholars and ministers, to cultivate beauty and creativity, to demonstrate the richness of Christian life and to pursue academic excellence. 

It’s become so commonplace that it must be a Baylor tradition – a cold, arctic blast to welcome students back to Waco for the spring semester!

Happy New Year, Baylor Family! 2024 is already off to a fast start, with this week’s opening of the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion for both our nationally ranked men’s and women’s basketball teams.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

WACO, Texas (Dec. 20, 2023) – Baylor University President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., announced today that Jason Diffenderfer, vice president for university advancement at the University at Buffalo, will join Baylor as vice president for university advancement, effective March 1, 2024.

I can’t believe we are at the end of another year. It’s a time to look forward to all we have to celebrate during the Christmas season — most importantly, the hope we are provided as Christians through the birth of Christ. 

As we near the end of the fall semester and eagerly anticipate gathering with our families, friends and fellow members of our home churches to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, I wish to share my prayer for the Baylor Family this Christmas season:

As the Baylor Family collectively reflects on the coming of Christ in the season of Advent, we also enjoy celebrating Christmas with our students before they prepare for finals and look toward the semester break. 

WACO, Texas (Nov. 29, 2023) – Baylor University President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., announced today that Curtis Reynolds, vice president for business affairs at the University of Florida, will join the University as vice president of business and finance and chief financial officer, effective March 1, 2024.

In Psalm 95:2 we read, “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving.” The psalmist also tells us, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord” (Ps. 92:1). 

While Waco is certainly not on the fall color tour, I have noticed in the past few days that some of our trees are beginning to have glimpses of yellow, orange and rust. What a wonderful reminder of the changing season as we move toward Thanksgiving and Christmas! 

It’s hard to believe that almost two years have passed since we celebrated our attainment of Research 1 (R1) status. This designation has proven to be a springboard to even greater research growth since then, and Baylor will remain a strong R1 institution, even as metrics change.

Someone asked about my favorite Homecoming tradition, and I must admit that I don’t have just one – I love them ALL! Our students and staff have done such a wonderful job preparing to welcome Baylor alumni and friends back to campus for the nation’s oldest Homecoming, dating back to 1909.

As Christians, we are called to honor and learn from one another in a manner that reflects God’s love for every person. His love shines upon all of creation, and the diversity of His created world is beautifully embodied by the Baylor Family.

Baylor’s relationship with Waco is so important to us as we serve our community in partnership with leaders and organizations that strongly believe in the potential of our city, rallying cross-campus and city-wide resources that allow all to prosper and flourish.

Baylor University is blessed to be comprised of students, faculty, and staff from a diversity of religious backgrounds – including Jewish and other faiths.

As we head into fall break and focus on midterms right around the corner, I know many students’ stress levels tend to go up. But here’s one simple change that can help reduce stress: Improving sleep.

In October we are joining our 180 fellow members of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) in celebration of Christian Higher Ed Month. From academics to student life and more, our faith animates all that we do here at Baylor. 

I am excited to share with you that Baylor will be the host site for the 2024 Collegiate Day of Prayer on Thursday, Feb. 29. The annual event is an evening worship and prayer service focused on college students and live streamed around the world. 

Earlier this week U.S. News & World Report released its annual rankings of “Best Colleges,” and Baylor maintained our status as a Top-100 university overall and as one of the Top 50 private universities nationally. 

After summer’s record-breaking heat, this week has been a different story. Finally, a break in the temperatures – the coolest since May – and some blessed rainfall! We have a big weekend of outdoor events with Family Weekend and the Baylor-Long Island football game at 11 a.m. Saturday, but always be prepared for the Texas weather, which can change its mind quickly.

Tomorrow is a big day on the Baylor campus as we dedicate and officially cut the ribbon for the new Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center, which serves as a beacon of light at the intersection of I-35 and University Parks Drive.

We did get a little break in the temperature this week – and blessedly, some rain on Sunday after a record 56 consecutive days without a drop! But the heat is on again as Baylor Football kicks off the season vs. Texas State Saturday at 6 p.m. at McLane Stadium.

The fall semester is off to an outstanding start, and the First Gent and I have enjoyed seeing so many new and familiar faces. If my calculations are correct, we are up to 53 days without rain in Waco, which has taken a toll on our beautiful campus landscape.

Now that Move2BU is complete, you can feel the excitement and enthusiasm building on campus as #BU27 begins their Baylor journey and our continuing students return for the fall semester. It truly is the best time of the year!

Many of you are aware of reports and comments within traditional and social media late last week regarding Baylor University’s correspondence asserting our existing religious exemptions to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).

If you are new to the Baylor Family, I send an email each Thursday providing an update on newsworthy happenings and significant accomplishments across the University.

I’m looking forward to jumping on a Facebook Live this evening to visit with incoming freshmen and their families as we prepare for the start of the fall semester Aug. 21. 

As we turn the calendar to August and our attention to the start of another school year, we want to pause and share an update with you from last week’s annual July retreat of the Baylor Board of Regents.

This week Baylor’s Board of Regents is on campus for its quarterly meeting, which also serves as an annual retreat for strategic discussions about the University’s future. 

As our Give Light philanthropic campaign moves into its final year, we have closed the books on FY23 with the second-highest fundraising year in Baylor’s history at more than $179 million. 

It is July and it is hot in Texas! With temperatures regularly above 100 degrees Brad and I are looking for ways to beat the heat. 

Now that the calendar has flipped over to July, planning and preparations for the upcoming fall semester have ramped up considerably.