eNews: Baylor Board of Regents Update

Dear Baylor Family:

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. During the retreat, which was held outside of Austin and ended on Friday afternoon, we welcomed the four new Regents we announced in May. These experienced members of the Baylor Family have committed to give of their time and talents in support of the University, and we look forward to working with them as Regents.

This year’s retreat provided an opportunity for us to engage on several topics of critical importance to Baylor and all of higher education, including value, affordability and governance. Dr. Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, led a discussion of current challenges facing higher education and how the Board might equip itself and strategically guide the institution in facing them. Dr. Mitchell works very closely with President Livingstone, who serves as chair of the ACE Board of Directors. The Regents also learned from former Dean of Science and current special advisor on artificial intelligence at Harvard University, Dr. Christopher Stubbs.

Although the retreat was designed to be a time for strategic conversations, renewal and reflection, there was business to address as well, including updating bylaws outlining the composition of the Board based on recommendations from an independent Governance Review Task Force in Spring 2022. First and foremost, we will ensure that our beloved Baylor University continues to be governed by a majority Baptist and entirely Christian board.

Secondly, we agree with the Task Force – which conducts a review every five years – that the Baylor Board will be best served by a more representative group of Regents that continues to include strong Baptists, but that also has increased flexibility to incorporate other Christian leaders, including from outside Texas and internationally given Baylor’s worldwide impact as a Research 1 university.

As most of you are aware, the demographics within protestant Christianity – particularly within the Baptist denomination – continue to change, as does Baylor’s student population. Membership in Baptist-affiliated churches across the country and within the Baptist General Convention of Texas is declining. Additionally, more than 20% of Baylor’s undergraduate students identify as non-denominational, followed by 19% Baptist and 16% Catholic.

In response to these factors and the Task Force’s recommendation, the Board approved a change to lower the percentage of Regents who are active members of Baptist churches from three-quarters (75%) to two-thirds (67%). This change permits the Board to recruit from a broader pool of highly qualified Christian leaders to serve as Regents and continues the progress made to date toward a Board that is as broadly experienced and diverse as its student, faculty and staff populations.

We have shared this change with Texas Baptists leaders and select pastors across the state, and they understand the rationale behind the change and remain supportive of the University and its continued role in Baptist higher education.

Finally, as part of the President’s Report, we updated the Regents on our recent acceptance into the Baptist World Alliance as a full Member Partner – alongside Texas Baptists – and shared early insights from faculty and staff regarding their enhanced spiritual wellbeing and development. The Board will be back on campus in November for our regular fall meeting, and we look forward to another productive time together.

Enjoy the rest of the summer, and we hope to see you in Waco for the fall semester or for many of our athletics and academic events, student performances and alumni gatherings.

Bill Mearse, B.B.A., ’78
Chair of the Board

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President