Presidential Perspective - August 7, 2025

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

We are only 18 days away from the start of a new academic year, and I am looking forward to welcoming the next class of students and their parents into the Baylor Family – starting with this email. I send this “Presidential Perspective” regularly, usually each Thursday, and it gives me the opportunity to share a few pieces of important information about Baylor and our hometown of Waco in a digest format. I hope you take a few minutes each week to read it, especially if you are one of our new Baylor students, faculty, staff or parents.

And speaking of new, if you are new to campus, you have probably started to receive communications from various Baylor offices. I hope you will carefully review them since these communications are critically important for a smooth transition to campus for all students, but new students in particular. Brad and I know first-hand that emails can feel overwhelming as a parent preparing to say goodbye to a son or daughter, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to the contact person listed if you have any questions.

Stay tuned for details about our traditional First Day Giveaway for students!

Here are a few updates for the week:

• DEAN LEE NORDT STEPS DOWN: Earlier this week you may have read the news from Provost Nancy Brickhouse that Lee C. Nordt, Ph.D., the longest-serving Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, has announced his plan to step down as Dean and return to the Department of Geosciences at the conclusion of the Spring 2026 semester. For almost two decades Dean Nordt has led Baylor’s largest academic unit with a steady hand and strategic vision. The increased research productivity during his tenure was vital in Baylor becoming a Research 1 university, a designation that helps us attract the best students and faculty. Alongside research, he never stopped emphasizing and supporting teaching as the foundation to Baylor’s transformational undergraduate experience. We will miss Dean Nordt as a member of the Council of Deans, but we look forward to his continued presence as a member of the Baylor faculty.
• FULBRIGHTS KEEP COMING: For three years running, Baylor has been one of the nation’s Fulbright Top Producing Institutions. There’s no doubt we will be at that elite level again as we celebrate our 24th Fulbright recipient in 2025, which shatters our record for the most Fulbrights for a third time this year. The Fulbright U.S. Student program is the federal government’s flagship international educational exchange program that allows recipients to pursue graduate study, conduct research or teach English in more than 140 countries. Baylor’s latest Fulbrighters are heading to 18 different countries, living out our mission of preparing students for worldwide leadership and service and, as we say, exemplifying that Pro Mundo spirit!
• HOWDY AT THE HURD: Students, I hope you saw last week’s exciting announcement about Howdy at the Hurd, a free students-only event on Friday, Sept. 19, hosted by Pi Beta Phi and Baylor. Howdy is a longtime tradition that serves as the “first official Texas welcome to campus” for all students. This year’s Howdy will be held on Dutton Avenue adjacent to the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center and features a concert by rising country music star Ty Myers, local food trucks and vendors, line dancing, and Longhorn cattle. Myers’ concert and a spectacular Baylor-themed drone show will round out Howdy, an event that benefits Pi Phi’s philanthropy, Read>Lead>Achieve, which promotes and encourages children’s literacy.
• WELCOME TO WACO PERKS: All Baylor students, faculty and staff (new and returning) should check out the Waco Perks program and explore the many eateries and activities our city has to offer. A host of Baylor-specific discounts are available to you, ranging from food and fitness to fun. Waco’s local businesses are excited to welcome you to town for the fall semester!
• FOUNDERS MALL CONSTRUCTION: As you return to campus, you may notice that much of Founders Mall continues to be surrounded by construction fencing. This is for everyone’s health and safety as we construct the Memorial to Enslaved Persons – one outcome from the final report of the Commission on Historic Campus Representations. The Memorial will complement the iconic Sadie Jo Black Gardens and the Joy Reynolds Rose Gardens. We ceremonially broke ground on the Memorial to Enslaved Persons in February 2024, and we anticipate the project to be completed later in the fall semester. Please take extra care as you move about this area of campus for a bit longer.

Finally, many of you know we lost two distinguished members of the Baylor Family last week. Provost Emeritus Donald D. Schmeltekopf, Ph.D., and former Regent Dr. Ronald L. Wilson, M.D., both passed away, and our prayers are with their families.

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Campus won’t be this quiet for too much longer.