Presidential Perspective - October 3, 2024

October 3, 2024

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

Between tests, Homecoming preparations and the overall busyness of the semester, it sounds like many students are looking forward to a short week and a much-needed fall break next week. Here are some campus updates as we somehow find ourselves in the first week of October!

  • WHY PRO MUNDO?: Baylor is blessed to have the George W. Truett Theological Seminary as one of our 12 academic units, and Dean Todd Still, Ph.D., has been its faithful leader for nearly 10 years. Dean Still’s recent column in Colloquy Online, the publication of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), thoughtfully articulates why adding Pro Mundo to our longstanding Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana motto is prudent. I appreciate his perspective on how this change aligns with our existing mission and is a launchpad for our new strategic plan – Baylor in Deeds. Alongside Truett and Dean Still, I hope you are also thinking about how you can support Baylor’s expanded global reach.
  • CIVIL DISCOURSE EVENTS: Designed to equip Baylor students, faculty and staff for this challenging political season, here are three University-related events happening soon:
    • Political Desaturation: How to Thrive Before, During, and After the 2024 Election [Webinar]
    • Must Politics Be War? A Christian View: A Conversation with Curtis Chang and Father Aaron Zimmerman [In Person]
    • Discovering Christian Civility in the Midst of Political Hostility: A Conversation with Baylor Faculty [Webinar]
  • PRAYER AND REFLECTION: This Monday Elliston Chapel will be available from noon until 2 p.m. for Baylor students, faculty and staff seeking a place to quietly lament, reflect and grieve the thousands of lives senselessly lost on Oct. 7, 2023, and the year following the Hamas invasion of Israel. As this is a quiet prayer time, there will be no formal program, but prayer prompts will be available. Many in the Baylor Family have been touched by the resulting conflict, and as a Christian university we will continue to pray individually and collectively for peace in the Middle East and here at home.
  • HELENE AFTERMATH: On Sept. 26, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, and we’ve seen the heartbreaking devastation that followed in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. We have more than 1,000 Baylor students from these states, and our Care Team Services mobilized quickly to reach out to each one, 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. If you’ve been keeping up with news reports, the efforts to rebuild and provide relief in these states will be extensive. While we continue to pray for all those impacted by this storm, our Baylor Missions team has assembled a helpful guide about additional ways you can help support immediate and long-term relief efforts.
  • COYOTES AND PUPPY DOG EYES? Many of you have become acquainted with our dog BU, who is exceptional at sharing her heart-tugging “puppy dog eyes.” I was really fascinated to read about new Baylor biology research – making its way through top science news media – that answers the question: Do coyotes have puppy dog eyes? The answer is yes, like domestic dogs, coyotes do have the muscle to produce “puppy dog eyes,” which challenges the hypothesis that this facial feature evolved specifically for communication between humans and dogs during domestication. The discovery has broader implications for understanding the evolution of facial expressions in mammals, with future studies on other canid species, including red wolves and African wild dogs, that could further illuminate the role of these expressions in survival and species communication.
  • HACU LEADERSHIP ACADEMY: The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities has selected Felipe Hinojosa, Ph.D., professor of history and The John and Nancy Jackson Endowed Chair for Baylor in Latin America, as one of 45 fellows of its prestigious Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo. As a member of HACU’s sixth cohort, Dr. Hinojosa will participate in leadership development activities that prepare fellows for executive and senior-level positions in higher education, with an emphasis on Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Emerging HSIs. Dr. Hinojosa joined Baylor in Fall 2023 from Texas A&M as the inaugural Jackson Family Chair, expanding the University’s international footprint and providing additional leadership to advance the Baylor in Latin America initiative. As we grow Baylor’s global impact, the Baylor in Deeds strategic plan builds upon the existing work led by Dr. Hinojosa and other faculty focused on Latin America, our nearest global neighbor. Congratulations on this honor, Dr. Hinojosa!
  • POLICIES AND PROCEDURES: Earlier this week you received an email titled “Fall 2024 Federal Compliance and Student Consumer Information.” We are required to share this information with all students, faculty and staff each semester in compliance with federal law, and as a Christian research university, we have an institutional commitment and obligation to operating with the highest levels of integrity and in accordance with all University policies, procedures and applicable laws. This is important information, so we ask that you review and archive the email for future reference as needed.

With so many activities and events underway, the First Gent and I hope to run into many of you around campus in the weeks ahead!

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President


PHOTO OF THE WEEK

A group photo of the 2024 Baylor Black Alumni Alliance Achievement Award winners

Congratulations to the 2024 Baylor Black Alumni Alliance Achievement Award winners, who were celebrated last weekend and are pictured above with Mrs. Barbara Walker (center) – Baylor’s first African American female graduate.