Presidential Perspective - April 24, 2025

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

Each year, when we select the remarkable men and women who will be honored as Baylor Alumni Award recipients, they remind us that the mission of Baylor University – to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service – remains at the heart of who we are as a Christian research university. Our alumni live out the University’s mission every day as they transform their communities and professions on local and global scales with their selfless service, humble leadership and steadfast faith. This year’s winners represent four different decades of Baylor excellence, and we look forward to celebrating and telling the stories of this distinguished group of Baylor Bears on Thursday, Oct. 30, during our annual Homecoming festivities.

• The Alumnus of the Year honor is awarded to a graduate who has achieved distinction through exceptional contributions to our international, national, state or community welfare. This year’s Baylor Alumnus of the Year is Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Purdy Jr., B.S.E. ’93, M.S.C.S. ’95.
• The Young Alumna of the Year honor is awarded to a graduate under age 40 who has achieved distinction through exceptional contributions to our international, national, state or community welfare. This year’s Baylor Young Alumna of the Year is Elizabeth “BB” Sanford, B.A. ’11, M.Div./J.D. ’17.
• The Pro Ecclesia Medal of Service is awarded to individuals whose broad contributions to Christian ministry have made an immeasurable impact. This year’s Medal of Service is awarded to Joel C. Gregory, B.A. ’70, Ph.D. ’83.
• The Pro Texana Medal of Service recognizes an individual or individuals whose contributions in furthering the mission of Baylor have made an immeasurable impact in the public or nonprofit sector. This year’s recipient is the Honorable Ed Kinkeade, B.A. ’74, J.D. ’74.

Congratulations to the 2025 Baylor Alumni Award winners, and here are a few updates for this week:

• GLOBAL FLOURISHING STUDY: The Global Flourishing Study – the largest funded research project in Baylor history at $43.4 million – will reveal its First Wave of findings on human flourishing during a landmark event Wednesday, April 30, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. CT at Gallup World Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The GFS is one of the most comprehensive studies of human existence ever undertaken, and during the reveal, Baylor’s Byron R. Johnson, Ph.D., and colleagues from Harvard, Gallup and the Center for Open Science will highlight the generational, financial, geographical and spiritual differences that drive flourishing around the globe. To join virtually along with leaders from higher education, government, business, nonprofits and more, please register to attend online.
• STUDENT MISSIONS CELEBRATION: I am looking forward to this afternoon’s first-ever Student Mission Trip Commissioning Ceremony. Many of you know that each year we commission hundreds of Baylor students to serve as summer camp counselors across the country, and I am thrilled to be a part of a similar ceremony for students who will serve others across the world. Facilitated by Baylor Missions and several local churches and organizations, students with Baylor connections will demonstrate God’s love in places like Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and South Africa in areas from nursing to business to sports ministry. Today’s ceremony will be at 5:30 p.m. in the Bobo Spiritual Life Center, and it is open to Baylor students who are or have participated in a mission trip this year. I hope all of you will come for the popsicles, prayer and encouragement as we continue to pursue our mission in alignment with our longstanding motto – Pro Ecclesia (For the Church), Pro Texana (For Texas), Pro Mundo (For the World).
• ANOTHER CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATION: Earlier today the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education released a redesigned set of classifications for colleges and universities. In addition to our earlier designation as a Carnegie R1 institution, Baylor has also been classified in the “Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Large” category. This group includes 41 institutions, or about 1% of the U.S. colleges and universities in the Institutional Classification. In a new category for 2025, Baylor is classified as “Lower Access, Higher Earnings,” which includes 315 institutions, or 10% of the colleges and universities in the classification. As we remain focused on recruitment, retention and graduation, we expect to see great progress in terms of access to a transformative Baylor education. We will build on recent success in retaining Pell Grant recipients, first-generation students and Baylor Benefit Scholarship In addition, recent data from the Baylor Career Center shows a 92% student success rate and starting salaries of nearly $62,000 per year for Baylor undergraduates. These numbers are encouraging as we work to ensure students who choose Baylor stay at Baylor and graduate into employment, graduate school, voluntary service or the U.S. military.
• TECHNOLOGY USE BOOSTS COGNITION: If younger brains are “rotting” because of too much technology, what is it doing to the brains of older generations, who were the first to interact with digital technology? Baylor cognitive neuroscientist Michael K. Scullin, Ph.D., and Dell Medical School’s Jarod Benge asked this very question in a recent study published in the scientific journal Nature Human Behavior. These scholars have found that as the older generation of digital users – “digital pioneers” – enter their later years, the need to learn and adapt to technology benefits their cognition, not diminishes it as many have assumed. Their research findings have already garnered broad attention, with almost 200 media outlets reporting on their work in just the past week alone, including BBC, CNN, Fortune, FOX News, and Scientific American, among others.
• ASYNCHRONOUS INSTRUCTION MONDAY: Don’t forget this Saturday, April 26, is an asynchronous instructional Monday at Baylor University. All Monday classes require this day to ensure students receive the full 70 instructional days mandated by higher education accreditation standards while accommodating Baylor holidays such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Spring Break, Good Friday and the Monday after Easter. Students should check their syllabi for instructions from their faculty about this day.
• THE BAYLOR BLITZ: This Saturday the Bears will host the first-ever Baylor Blitz at McLane Stadium, which will feature a youth skills challenge, open team practice and more. This fan-focused experience provides a unique opportunity for young athletes to engage with the Baylor football program and give fans a look at the team during a competitive open practice. The football team practice begins at noon with gates opening to the public at 10:30 a.m. Admission is free and standard stadium policies do apply, including the clear bag policy. Fans should enter McLane Stadium through Gate C, and concessions will be available at select stands. I hope you will come out and support our Baylor Bears on Saturday!

Before ending today’s email, I must say that I struggle to process the terrible loss we have faced as a Baylor community this week. First, we learned with the rest of the world of Pope Francis’ death on Monday, and then the death of our own student – sophomore Paul Yannarelli – on Tuesday. Pope Francis demonstrated a Christ-like love for the poor and the needy that I and many others will always admire, and Paul was a wonderful example of light and love on our campus. The grief many are feeling today is palpable, and I encourage anyone in need of support to contact the Pastoral Care team, Counseling Centeror to use other available resources. During these enormously difficult moments for the Baylor Family, I remain grateful for the Lord’s presence and his faithfulness to us.

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

What a way to kick off concerts at Foster Pavilion! Forrest Frank and Claire Leslie delivered an amazing show for Baylor and for Waco earlier this week. I am already looking forward to seeing Lauren Daigle perform during Family Weekend on Friday, Sept. 12. Tickets are on sale now at baylor.edu/fosterevents!