Presidential Perspective - January 23, 2025

January 23, 2025

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

Despite frigid weather in Waco again this week, it’s been a great start to the spring semester. Seeing students on campus reconnecting with friends and faculty is always joyful, and I am so thankful for their safe return – never taking it for granted. I mentioned a few weeks ago that our hearts are heavy as we watch the wildfires that continue to destroy property and displace people in southern California. We know the Baylor Family is made up of many students, faculty and staff who have roots in that part of the country. Even as we return to classes and activities in Central Texas, we remain in contact with friends and family who have been impacted, and I encourage anyone in need to contact our Care team or the University Chaplain.

Caring for students has been the good and faithful service of Dr. Kevin Jackson, Baylor’s Vice President for Student Life, for nearly four decades. Earlier this week I announced that Kevin has informed me of his decision to retire from Baylor, effective June 30. I am grateful for Kevin’s visionary and steady leadership, and I ask that you join me in thanking him for his dedication to generations of Baylor students and his commitment to Baylor’s Christian mission!

On to a few updates at the start of the semester:

  • FIGHTING FOOD INSECURITY: Baylor research indicates more than 10% of our students experience some form of food insecurity, meaning they lack consistent access to healthy food in a way that limits their potential. Over the years we have launched multiple programs to help support such students. Among them are The Store and The Fridge (providing free, supplemental food to Bears in need) and the Bear Swipe Share (through which students can donate unused dining hall meal swipes to fellow Bears). As the semester gets underway, remember that if you are in need, please take advantage of such assistance; if you are in a position to help, please consider supporting these critically important programs.
  • INVITATION TO EXCELLENCE: This weekend Baylor will host the first of two Invitation to Excellence events. (The second is in two weeks, on Feb. 8.) Invitation to Excellence has expanded in scope over the past few years, and it continues to be an important opportunity for the invited high-ability students to connect with academic units and gather the information they need to make a final decision about their college choice. We expect approximately 600 students at each event, and some have already applied to Baylor while others are weighing their options ahead of the Feb. 1 application deadline. Invitation to Excellence is a strategic opportunity that reflects the value of the distinct Baylor student experience and illustrates what makes Baylor special. Please help welcome these prospective students and families to Baylor and Waco!
  • CELEBRATING DR. KING: I hope you had the opportunity to attend yesterday’s annual MLK Celebration Luncheon, which was hosted by the Department of Multicultural Affairs and featured Omari Head (MDiv ’12), owner of Head Hospitality – the parent company for Mac House, Cheddar Box and Pop’s Lemonade – a trio of Waco favorites! Omari shared his personal story with us and reminded us of the power of a dream. The luncheon is part of our week-long celebration of the life, ministry and legacy of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The final event will be tomorrow afternoon’s Thrive Lecture Series, focusing on faculty as agents of change, at 2:30 p.m. in Barfield Drawing Room in the Bill Daniel Student Center.
  • LATEST BAYLOR CONNECTIONS EPISODE: Last week’s episode of Baylor Connections features theologian, lawyer and business ethics scholar Elisabeth Rain Kincaid, Ph.D., J.D., the new director of Baylor’s Institute for Faith and Learning (IFL). In the conversation, Dr. Kincaid shares her excitement for the role, which aligns with her passion for faith, ethics and interdisciplinary scholarship, and emphasizes the IFL’s mission to integrate Christian faith with academic excellence across various disciplines at Baylor. I invite you to listen to this Baylor Connections podcast and learn more about IFL and Dr. Kincaid.
  • BAYLOR AUTHORS SHINE: It’s not a surprise to see Baylor faculty and alumni among Christianity Today’s annual book award winners – but this December, Baylor English doctoral graduates nearly swept an entire category. Christianity Today recognized four books in the “Culture, Poetry and the Arts” category, and three of the four honorees were written by Baylor graduates. Congrats to these Bears, and to Baylor history professor Elesha Coffman, Ph.D., whose Turning Points in American Church History was named a finalist in the “History/Biography” category.


 

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President


PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Baylor students walking on campus

It is wonderful to see so many new and returning students on campus. Welcome Back, Bears!