Presidential Perspective - March 14, 2024

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

We call ourselves the Baylor Family and that was certainly evident yesterday as the University received approximately 3,500 gifts from individuals who gave so generously and helped us raise more than $2.24 million (and counting) for the annual Baylor Giving Day. Gifts of all sizes were given in support of student scholarships, student success, academic excellence funds and other academic priorities, student life initiatives, athletics, service opportunities and much more. Thank you, Baylor Family – our faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents and friends!

Some updates for this week:

• WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: Baylor is celebrating Women’s History Month in March with several events recognizing the significant contributions women have made to our nation and our University. There is much to celebrate, beginning with tonight’s Tribute to a Black Woman and Latinas Unidas & My Sister, Myself: HERstory Edition, and continuing the rest of the month with the annual Multicultural Women’s Symposium, a reception celebrating of the teaching and research of Baylor women faculty and a roundtable discussion reflecting on women’s history. Event information is available on the Multicultural Affairs website.
• HANKAMER ACCREDITATION: Baylor’s nationally ranked Hankamer School of Business has received reaffirmation of accreditation of its bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. programs in both business administration and accounting from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), which is the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. With Hankamer celebrating its centennial, it’s no surprise that the School has a long track record of success when it comes to AACSB accreditation. Baylor was first admitted with a provisional associate membership in 1950, followed by associate membership in 1953, and on May 9, 1959, unconditional full membership in the AACSB. In each five-year review period since then, the School’s accreditation has been evaluated and extended. Congratulations to Dean Sandeep Mazumder, Ph.D., and the outstanding faculty and staff of the Hankamer School of Business.
• NASA EARTH SCIENCE AWARD: Yang Li, Ph.D., assistant professor of environmental science, is the first in her academic department to be awarded research funding from NASA’s Early Career Investigator Program in Earth Science, which supports outstanding scientific research and career development of scientists and engineers at the early stage of their professional careers. With this award, Dr. Li will expand our understanding of atmospheric composition by focusing on a very timely topic – the frequency of wildfires combined with changes in our climate that pose a threat to public health through enhanced levels of smoke pollutants over downwind cities. This recognition, along with the remote sensing products developed by her lab for the Pandonia Global Network, provides a solid foundation for future fire-related research opportunities for Dr. Li, her students and colleagues.
• FM72 INTO EASTER: For more than five years, Baylor’s Office of Spiritual Life has partnered with multiple campus ministries and local churches to host FM72, a student gathering for 72 hours of continuous prayer and worship on Fountain Mall. This year’s event will launch Holy Week on campus, taking place Palm Sunday through Wednesday, March 24-27. Worship also will be livestreamed on the FM72 website, beginning nightly at 8 p.m. CT. This year’s theme is “Lord, make us ready” (Isaiah 62:10-12), and the signature 80x80-foot prayer tent will be divided into five sections, each drawn from the central passage. We pray FM72 will again stir the hearts of countless students to passionately seek God.

Good luck to our men’s basketball team as they open the Big 12 Tournament tonight in Kansas City and then join the women’s basketball team in the NCAA Tournament next week.

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Introduction to Public and Population Health students under Assistant Professor Elizabeth Kwon, Ph.D., recently held a health fair at Church Under the Bridge, which meets Sundays adjacent to the Baylor campus in Waco. Baylor students provided information on physical and mental health, as well as washed the feet of the homeless, referencing the act of Jesus in the New Testament.