Presidential Perspective - February 27, 2025

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

As a Christian research university, Baylor takes great pride in celebrating holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. There is something special about expressing gratitude for our many blessings and for preparing our hearts for Advent. Now, as we are days away from the start of the Lenten and Easter season, I am thrilled to see so many opportunities for the Baylor Family to share in this important time for Christians across the world.

Next Wednesday our leaders in the Spiritual Life area will again offer Ash Wednesday Services and Imposition at various places on campus. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent in many Christian traditions, and on this day, believers receive ashes on their foreheads as a symbol of humility, mortality and the need for spiritual renewal. This service has become one of deep meaning for many Baylor students, faculty and staff.

Also, Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary invites the Baylor Family to embark on a journey of reflection and spiritual growth through daily devotionals authored by students, faculty and staff. You can follow along from Ash Wednesday to Easter Saturday. As you can see, there are many ways to reflect and celebrate the Easter season across campus, and I hope you will find one that resonates with you along your personal spiritual journey.

Here are a few updates for this week:

• FULBRIGHT TOP PRODUCER: For the third consecutive year, Baylor has been recognized as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution among the colleges and universities with the highest number of students selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. In fact, Baylor has risen into the Top 20 nationally and is No. 1 in Texas and the Big 12 after producing 18 Fulbright recipients for 2024-25! The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program that allows students to study, teach and conduct research across the world. Congratulations to our Fulbright Scholars, the Office of Engaged Learning and our world-class faculty for maximizing our students’ education while preparing them to lead now and into the future.
• FORREST FRANK CONCERT: Last week Baylor announced Forrest Frank – a Baylor graduate, GRAMMY nominee and two-time Dove Award winner – will be the first ticketed concert performer at Foster Pavilion on Tuesday, April 22. We’ve reserved a good number of tickets for Friday’s general public sale at various locations and price points throughout the Pavilion. Good seats will be available – starting tomorrow at 10 a.m. CT! Pre-sale student tickets have already been claimed, but faculty and staff are able to access these public tickets. This is an exciting opportunity for Baylor and the City of Waco that also provides new revenue streams for the University. Expect to see more concert announcements soon!
• MOST BAYLOR PROUD CITIES: One of my favorite things when traveling is to spot a fellow Baylor Bear (usually identified by their BU shirt or cap) and share a “Sic ’em!” Baylor graduates fling their green and gold all across the world – but they’re particularly concentrated in some cities. You could probably guess that Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston are home to the most Baylor alumni, but you might be surprised to hear that Waco comes in at No. 3, with close to 10% of Baylor grads staying right here in Central Texas – a big boon to our local community. Outside the Lone Star State, the top five cities for Baylor alums are Denver, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Atlanta and Nashville. Our top-notch Baylor Alumni team works to connect Bears in these cities (and many more) through watch parties, Summer Send-Offs, networking events and other gatherings – helping the Baylor Family grow worldwide!
• ACCELERATOR FOR CANCER THERAPEUTICS: Daniel Romo, Ph.D., The Schotts Professor of Chemistry and co-director of the Baylor Synthesis and Drug Lead Discovery Lab, is a leading researcher on the frontlines of advancing cancer treatments. And he is developing an innovative therapeutic for the treatment of pancreatic cancer as one of 24 innovators named to the fifth cohort of Texas Medical Center Innovation’s 2025 Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics (ACT), funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). In addition to mentors, grant writing support, computational chemistry resources and an entrepreneur-in-residence program, innovators like Dr. Romo and his team will be equipped with the strategic insights needed to secure investments, develop partnerships and advance the commercialization of cancer therapeutics in Texas. Their innovative work using derivatives of natural products could shift the paradigm for battling pancreatic cancer.
• EXTEND THE LINE: I hope you saw the big news last Friday that Baylor has launched the Extend the Line Scholarship Initiative to support current and future Baylor students. With a goal of raising $250 million by 2030, this special initiative is designed to help ensure a Baylor education remains accessible and affordable. Value, Affordability and Completion is an imperative woven throughout our new strategic plan, Baylor in Deeds, and this initiative is one demonstration of that imperative. Extend the Line will strengthen our ongoing efforts by securing funds from the Baylor Family and friends that give the University greater flexibility to address near- and long-term student financial needs. This is a significant scholarship effort for Baylor as we continue our Christian mission to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service.

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Our No. 17-ranked Baylor women’s basketball team will play for another Big 12 Championship this Sunday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. It’s a white-out game for senior night against in-state rival TCU so let’s Pack the Pavilion!