Presidential Perspective - September 25, 2025

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

The fall semester is certainly off to a fast start, and the positive news for Baylor University has been wonderful to read. Within the last week we officially announced that Baylor was named to the Great Colleges to Work For Honor Roll in all 10 categories. This was a first for the University, and we are one of only three institutions nationwide to achieve the distinction. This incredibly rare recognition highlights Baylor’s supportive, caring workplace culture, and it is even more meaningful because the honor is based on survey responses from our own faculty and staff.

Adding to the accolades, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Baylor No. 4 nationally for First-Year Experiences and once again in the Top 10 for Learning Communities. Baylor also stands out for Best Undergraduate Teaching (No. 27), Most Innovative (No. 38) and Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects (No. 40). Institutionally, Baylor moved up to No. 46 among the nation’s best private institutions and No. 88 among all institutions. These rankings are one example of the fact that Baylor continues to provide a transformational undergraduate educational experience.

We also received our official fall enrollment data, and I am pleased to report that the demand for Baylor’s brand of higher education continues to be strong. We welcomed an overall student body of 19,858 undergraduate and graduate students. We also reported the highest four-year (77.3%) and six-year (82.2%) graduation rates in Baylor history, not to mention a stellar 92.3% retention rate. I’m deeply grateful for the tireless work of the faculty and staff who faithfully support our students as we strive to accomplish Baylor’s mission to “educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.”

Here are a few updates for this week:

• RESEARCH ADMINISTRATOR DAY: Today is National Research Administrator Day, and it’s become a Baylor tradition to highlight the groundbreaking research taking place across campus. If you’ve visited the University’s social media accounts, you’ve likely seen stories about our groundbreaking water discoveries, but we also celebrate our research and everyone who makes it possible statewide with billboards in Waco, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston, plus spotlights on the Texas Tribune website. Baylor is distinct in the world of higher education as a Christian research university, and I’m continually inspired to see the ways our faculty, students and staff blend elite research expertise with a sense of mission and service. Happy Research Administrator Day, and thanks for all your dedicated work to make Baylor research so meaningful!
• FACULTY AND STAFF CHAPEL: I hope you have marked your calendar for this fall’s Faculty and Staff Chapel, which will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2, in the Powell Chapel at Truett Seminary. The service is a special opportunity for us to worship with First Baptist Church Waco and Pastor Matt Snowden. Faculty and Staff Chapel is one outcome from the Spiritual Wellbeing Task Force, and alongside Lift Up Your Hearts – which is organized and led by Baylor faculty and staff – it is meant to foster our individual spiritual growth alongside involvement in our local churches. I believe these services are two examples of why Baylor faculty and staff continue to report the University is a place where they can authentically live out their faith and we actively support their spiritual growth.
• JEFF DUNHAM AT FOSTER: This semester has gotten off to an exciting start with amazing performances ranging from Lauren Daigle during Family Weekend to Ty Myers at Howdy and the six Baylor grads who make up the Graham St. Clair Band at Touchdown Alley last Saturday. On Friday, Oct. 3, we will welcome another Baylor graduate home to Waco and Foster Pavilion in legendary comedian Jeff Dunham. Jeff is a 1986 alumnus, who has performed live – alongside his beloved cast of colorful characters – in front of nearly 8 million people around the world and filmed 12 record-breaking comedy specials. We’re thrilled to have Jeff back on campus. Tickets and parking passes are available on the Baylor ticket website.
• CAMPUS SAFETY AND PREPAREDNESS: September is both National Campus Safety Awareness Month and National Preparedness Month, and I strongly recommend everyone become familiar with how our multi-tiered Baylor Alert emergency notification system helps keep us, our families and communities safe. This is also a good time to check your emergency contact information. You can make updates by following the instructions on the Baylor Emergency Management website.
• CIO OF THE YEAR: Did you see the news? Baylor’s own Dave Morehead, C.F.A., chief investment officer, was named the 2025 Endowment/Foundation Chief Investment Officer of the Year by Institutional Investor! Dave and his team, which is made up entirely of Baylor grads, has been guiding our endowment and other long-term investment strategies for years. With Dave at the helm as CIO since 2020, they have faithfully stewarded our resources in alignment with our Christian mission and in support of our Baylor in Deeds strategic plan. I was thrilled to see Dave receive this highest honor in the field.

The Baylor football team is on the road against Oklahoma State this weekend, and if you’re not making the trip up to Stillwater, you should head over to the Ferrell Center to watch our No. 20 volleyball team take on No. 9 TCU. The first serve in the historic rivalry is at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Sic ’em, Bears!

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Another successful Howdy at the Hurd is in the books. I loved seeing all the boots and western attire!