Presidential Perspective - July 6, 2023

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

Now that the calendar has flipped over to July, planning and preparations for the upcoming fall semester have ramped up considerably. I am already looking forward to welcoming our returning sophomore, junior, senior and graduate students back to Waco, and greeting #BU27 and our new cubs Belle and Indy!

Of course, campus has not been completely quiet over the past couple of months with our Summer of Discovery academic offerings for students, the faculty’s ongoing teaching, research and scholarly efforts, and the tireless work of our dedicated staff across the campus. 

Here are a few ways we are getting ready for the fall …

• ORIENTATION/LINE CAMP: Our New Student Orientation and Baylor Line Camp experiences have been hugely successful with 11 sessions spanning June and July. Session eight begins Monday with the final session wrapping up July 22. In total, we will host more than 3,000 new students and their families on campus, representing a 4% increase in participation from last year. Our incoming class is clearly ready to join the Baylor Family and make Baylor their home. Thank you to the 57 Orientation/Baylor Line Camp student leaders and the many faculty and staff who are working to ensure our new students feel welcomed and prepared for a successful start to their Baylor journey next month. 


• MOVE2BU: One of the great Baylor traditions in which we put our values into action is Move2BU as we help our newest Baylor Bears physically move onto campus. It truly is a sight to behold! This year Move2BU takes place Aug. 16-17, and we need the entire Baylor Family to help. Faculty, staff and current students may sign up to assist with Move2BU as individuals, groups or departments. More details and sign-up information can be found here; or by emailing MoveInVolunteer@baylor.edu. 


• PARDON OUR DUST: Yes, first-year female students will be able to move into the newly renovated Collins Hall next month as scheduled! Construction also continues on the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion and the Fudge Football Development Center. 


• HURD WELCOME CENTER: The finishing touches on the new Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center are underway, and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and components of the Office of Alumni Engagement began moving into the breathtaking facility yesterday. The Hurd Center will have a “soft open” beginning Aug. 1 for the campus community and selected tours as the Campus Visits team fine-tunes the new experience for prospective students and their families. In celebration of #BU27, who watched the facility come to life as they visited campus over the past year, we’ll host a few select Welcome Week activities Aug. 17-20 at the Hurd Center in advance of the formal dedication in September. 

This fall is shaping up to be an exciting one, and I cannot wait to see everyone back on campus soon!

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

The annual trip to Baylor University’s original campus in Independence, Texas, for incoming students is such a moving experience, and this year was no different as #BU27 officially joins that Good Ol’ Baylor Line.