Presidential Perspective - December 14, 2023

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

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. We also have much to celebrate at Baylor. I was asked on this week’s Baylor Connections episode to share a few of my favorite moments in 2023, and what I anticipate in 2024. It’s difficult to list them all, but a few that I’d like to highlight are: 

• The launch of the Baylor Benefit program, which allows students and their families with an adjusted gross income under $50,000 to come to Baylor tuition-free;
• The start of our new strategic planning process;
• The spring dedication of statues of honoring Baylor’s first Black graduates, Rev. Robert Gilbert and Mrs. Barbara Walker;
• The opening of the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center and the reopening of Collins Hall; and
• The broad engagement of our students across campus. It’s been special to see record attendance at events like Homecoming and Dinner with the Livingstones, All-University Thanksgiving Dinner or Christmas on 5th Street, along with participation in student organizations, events and more.

Looking ahead to 2024, we are excited about the first basketball games held in the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion and the introduction of our new strategic plan. We will break ground on the Memorial to Enslaved Persons and reopen the Honors Residential College that unites Memorial and Alexander Halls. And any meaningful list would be incomplete without a mention of our recent graduates going out into the world as Baylor Alumni and the new students we will welcome to campus in the weeks and months ahead. 

You can hear the complete Baylor Connections episode online or listen Friday at 11 a.m. on KWBU-FM 103.3. 

Some updates before the break:

• COMMENCEMENT ON SATURDAY: I can’t wait to rejoice with nearly 1,400 students – and their families – as we confer degrees on our newest Baylor Alumni during Commencement ceremonies Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. in the Ferrell Center. It’s truly a time of celebration, thanksgiving and anticipation, and I look forward to seeing how our graduates extend the impact of that Good Old Baylor Line far beyond the boundaries of Baylor. 


• ONLY 1 of 10 AGAIN: For the second year in a row, Baylor is one of only 10 universities in the S. News Top 25 for both undergraduate teaching and undergraduate research. It’s even more impressive when you look at the universities alongside Baylor, like Duke, Michigan, Princeton, Stanford and Yale. Yet, Baylor is in a category by itself as the only university on both lists with an explicit, primary identity as a Christian university. We are indeed blessed that students choose Baylor for an exceptional education and faith and character development and by our faculty who love teaching, involve students in research and take a personal interest in their students through mentorship both within and beyond the classroom. 


• TOP 10 BAYLOR BASKETBALL: As we move from the classroom to the court, only one university in America has both its men’s and women’s basketball teams ranked in the AP Top 10. The answer is, of course, Baylor! The Bears are playing their final games in the Ferrell Center this month, so when we return in 2024, we will open the Foster Pavilion, which is poised to provide our teams with one of the best home court advantages in the country. 


• SPEAKING OF BASKETBALL: Next Monday Student Activities and Athletics will release student tickets for the men's basketball finale in the Ferrell Center and the first two games for men's and women's basketball at the Foster Pavilion. On Dec. 18 beginning at 4 p.m., students will be able to pull tickets for all three games. Plan now to join in this historic moment forBaylor Basketball!


• A BUSY JANUARY 2024: I know everyone is focused on winding down this fall semester, but I hope you are also planning for a very busy start to 2024. To help us navigate another highly anticipated general election season, I look forward to moderating a civil discourse panel on faith and politics on Jan. 22. On the next afternoon, everyone is invited to attend the virtual Spring Faculty Meeting. Finally, we will wrap up the month with the first Baylor 101 webinar of the semester – Kevin Chambliss, Ph.D., vice provost for research, discussing our journey to R1 status and plans for growth in our research enterprise. Mark your calendars now because you don’t want to miss any of these important campus events. 


• NOTES FOR THE NEW YEAR: Two things to note as we return to campus from the Christmas break:
  • As construction continues on Memorial and Alexander residence halls, Memorial Dining Hall is set to reopen on Feb. 16.
  • Section 9 in Baylor’s Traffic, Transportation, and Parking Policy has been updated regarding electric scooters, which are no longer allowed to be parked, stored or left in any lobby, hallway or room of any campus building or to charge inside any campus building, due in part to fire concerns with the devices.


• NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS: As we come to the end of 2023, many of us will be looking ahead to changes in 2024, and we often set New Year’s resolutions we hope will stick. We gathered a group of Baylor faculty experts to offer some helpful advice and ideas, from using SMART goals to help create realistic resolutions that increase the chances of following through to a range of resolution ideas, whether you want to improve your diet, detox from digital devices or get your finances – or even your spiritual life – in better shape. 

I want to thank the Baylor Family for your love, your care and your support of this institution, our students, and our faculty and staff. I’m grateful for the ways you come alongside and support us with your time, your talents and your prayers. The First Gent and I want to wish everyone a blessed and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and we look forward to seeing everybody in the new year.

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Indy and Belle wish you a Very Beary Christmas!