Presidential Perspective - October 10, 2024

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

I woke up again this morning to see the tragic devastation of another hurricane making landfall in the southeast. Like with Hurricane Helene, our Care Team Services is reaching out to Baylor students from Florida, checking in to see how they are doing, letting them know we are praying for them, their families and hometowns and that we are here to walk alongside them in any way we can. While we continue to pray for all those impacted by both Helene and now Milton, our Baylor Missions team has assembled a helpful guide about additional ways you can help support immediate and long-term relief efforts.

Some updates for this week … there’s a lot going on:

• BIG WACO AWARD: This week the City of Waco was designated as the first Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community by Travel Texas in the inaugural year of the program. This designationdemonstrates Waco’s commitment to further developing tourism as an economic growth strategy, boosting local job creation and drawing more visitors to our community and to Texas from across the nation and around the world.
• NORTH AMERICAN BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP: Last summer I shared that the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) had formally welcomed Baylor University and Truett Seminary as full members, thereby expanding our connection to Baptists across the world and embodying the Pro Mundo spirit of our newly expanded motto. I am happy to report that yesterday our membership in the North American Baptist Fellowship – the regional body for U.S. and Canadian members of the BWA – was affirmed. This is an important step as we identify opportunities that align with our new Baylor in Deeds strategic plan’s commitment to build a vibrant, caring and global community. I am excited to see this new partnership come to life in the months and years ahead!
• IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS: Now available to pre-order for Christmas is this year’s Baylor Traditions Ornament featuring the iconic cross that sits atop Robbins Chapel in Brooks College. Together with the new Baylor Seal ornament that includes the expanded University motto — Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo — the ornaments represent the University’s commitment to our mission to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community. Each ornament design is individually packaged in custom boxes with proceeds supporting the University.
• TRANSFORMATIVE RESEARCH AWARD: A Baylor chemical biologist has earned the prestigious National Institutes of Health Director’s Transformative Research Award to pursue personalized treatments for gut microbiome diseases like IBS, Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis and more. Aaron Wright, Ph.D., The Schofield Endowed Chair in Biomedical Science, earned the $5.6 million award along with research partners at Weill Cornell Medicine. Wright will apply his expertise in chemistry and microbiology to study health outcomes and deploy activity probes in the gut to uncover clues about the causes of these diseases. The long-term goal of this innovative project is to develop personalized approaches to identify and deliver the specific bacteria an individual needs for improved health. It’s worth noting that Baylor is well-represented with Dr. Wright among top researchers from Yale, Caltech, MIT and more to earn this elite award for innovative but inherently risky projects with big potential impact.
• AI WEEK: Artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing, but what are the possibilities, limitations and responsible approaches to emergent AI technologies? During next week’s AI Week – hosted by the Office of the Provost and School of Engineering and Computer Science – we will hear from notable scholars and business leaders sharing insights on the future of AI through lectures and a panel discussion in the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation.
• DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS: Each October Baylor recognizes Domestic Violence Awareness Month and joins national efforts to advocate against domestic violence, mourn the loss of those whose lives were taken by domestic violence, celebrate the progress the movement has made and connect each other with a sense of unity to end domestic violence. Throughout this month, the Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office is hosting several events centered around raising awareness, prevention, building community, healing and empowerment. A reminder that you can report instances of sexual or interpersonal misconduct by contacting the Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office by calling 254-710-8454, submitting a report through baylor.edu/reportit or visiting the office located at Clifton Robinson Tower, Suite 285.
• CIVIL DISCOURSE SERIES CONTINUES: We are less than a month away from Election Day, and our months-long focus on civil discourse continues with the most recent Baylor Connections episode featuring Tom Hibbs, Ph.D., a Baylor expert in the intersection of politics and philosophy. There are also three events next week for students, faculty and staff: Political Desaturation: How to Thrive Before, During, and After the 2024 Election will be held on Tuesday [Webinar]; Must Politics Be War? A Christian View: A Conversation with Curtis Chang and Father Aaron Zimmerman is Wednesday afternoon [In Person]; and Discovering Christian Civility in the Midst of Political Hostility: A Conversation with Baylor Faculty is Thursday [Webinar].
• BAYLOR DOES BUSINESS: Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business hosted the 2024 Council of Texas Business Deans Conference last week. The event saw 27 business school deans from across the state unite in Waco to discuss common challenges faced in business education and research. Deans heard presentations on ethics and AI from Hankamer faculty and engaged with industry leaders speaking on student career success and how business schools can support students in identifying and pursuing their career passions. 
• FACULTY AND STAFF CHAPEL: Don’t forget the fall Faculty and Staff Chapel service will be next Friday at 10 a.m. in Powell Chapel at Truett Seminary. Our guests will be Rector Aaron Zimmerman and St. Alban’s Episcopal Church.

Please be safe over Fall Break, and we’ll see everyone back on campus next week. Homecoming 2024 is right around the corner, and I can’t wait!

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Fall is a great time for service and to demonstrate Baylor’s good deeds in Waco and beyond. Students recently completed a painting project to beautify the Baylor Community Garden in conjunction with the Office of Sustainability and the Environmental Humanities program as part of Campus Sustainability Month.