Presidential Perspective - December 7, 2023

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

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:

Dear Lord, thank you for the many blessings you have bestowed upon us during the past year and for your wondrous presence dwelling within us as we strive to glorify you each day. We pray that you will fill our hearts with wisdom, discernment and compassion for one another as we journey toward Bethlehem to behold your birth, and we likewise pray that you will nourish our souls with the promise of your glorious return. Amen.

Some updates for this week:

• STUDYING FOR FINALS: Today is a Study Day, and finals begin tomorrow. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of our students – you’ve got this! The Center for Academic Success and Engagement in the Foster Success Center offers a helpful guide of study tips: 
  1. Plan your time. Check each course syllabus for Final Exam date and time. Organize all of your materials needed to prepare for final exams.
  2. Schedule your study time, while also blocking out time for work, meals, sleeping, etc. Study for 45-50 minutes, then take a short break.
  3. The night before the exam, organize your study materials, charge your laptop, set your alarm(s) and get a full night of sleep!
  4. On the day of your exam, eat a light breakfast, get your laptop ready (if needed) before exam time and have chargers handy, then relax and take deep breaths as you begin your exam.


• BEST COLLEGES FOR FUTURE LEADERS: Baylor has been recognized in TIME Magazine’s inaugural list of the 100 Best Colleges for Future Leaders, a new ranking that analyzed the résumés of 2,000 highly influential U.S. leaders to measure the universities that excelled in nurturing them. Leadership and service are an integral part of our Christian mission, and this honor reflects the outstanding work of our Baylor alumni who dedicate themselves to a life of service in their professional fields. With special recognition given to our Hankamer School of Business, the Future Leaders list also recognizes the transformational opportunities Baylor provides students to cultivate habits and virtues that orient their leadership toward human flourishing and a vision to change the world. 


• TOP 100 DEGREE PRODUCERS: Baylor also has been recognized in the November 2023 edition ofDiverse: Issues in Higher Education as one of the “Top 100 Degree Producers” among the institutions that confer the most degrees to students of color. The Diverse rankings highlighted Baylor in three specific areas:
  • Doctoral-All Disciplines Combined Total Minority (No. 47, with 89 doctoral degrees conferred);
  • Doctoral-All Disciplines Combined African American (No. 17, with 50 doctoral degrees conferred); and
  • Doctoral-All Disciplines Combined Hispanic (No. 58, with 28 doctoral degrees conferred).
  
  Baylor continues to be enriched by a diverse student body, both undergraduate and graduate, who come to Baylor to fully participate in the life of a leading Christian research university.


• ACCREDITATION UPDATE: We are pleased to report that at their Annual Meeting this week, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Board of Trustees voted to accept Baylor’s Fifth Year Interim Report, with no further actions needed. This is the ideal outcome for a Fifth Year Interim Report and great news for the University as our accreditation is in good standing. I would like to thank everyone who assisted with this extensive effort for the University, especially our leadership within the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. 


• BAYLOR OPERA SOARS: Baylor Opera Theatre ended its fall semester on a high note as one of three first-place winners of the National Opera Association’s 2022-23 Opera Production Competition for Division I for its production of “Monsieur et Madame Denis.” This latest achievement marks the fifth national competition in which Baylor Opera has placed this year, aligning so beautifully with the fourth foundational pillar in our Illuminate strategic plan – nationally recognized programs in human performance and the arts. Congratulations, Baylor Opera Theatre! 

Best of luck with finals over the next week!

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Christmas on 5th, one of Baylor’s beloved traditions, certainly did not disappoint this year, even after a rescheduling to Monday night due to wet weather last week.