Presidential Perspective - July 4, 2024

July 4, 2024

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

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!

Through picnics, parades, patriotic songs, and firework displays, families and communities across the United States are joining together in commemorating the passage of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. We are indeed blessed to be citizens of a country that diligently strives to live out the principles so powerfully articulated in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Traveling abroad this summer — including to Athens, Greece, the birthplace of democracy — has given me a newfound appreciation of the freedoms available to us as Americans. From possessing the ability to choose our leaders to having the liberty to worship and practice our faith in the manner of our choosing, we have so much to be grateful for.

I hope you have a fun and safe Fourth of July!

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President


PHOTO OF THE WEEK

One of my favorite fireworks photos! If you are in Waco over the summer, I hope you will join the community in attending the City of Waco’s annual Fourth on the Brazos celebration this evening at Touchdown Alley adjacent to McLane Stadium.