Presidential Perspective - February 26, 2026

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

It’s hard to believe Spring Break is only one week away. Soon many Baylor students, faculty and staff will scatter across the state, nation and world for vacations, mission trips and visits home to see friends and family.

As you make and finalize plans, I want to remind you that wherever we are in the world, please be aware of your surroundings. Baylor’s Department of Public Safety outlines three practical strategies for situational awareness that I encourage you to keep in mind over the next several weeks.

1. Engage with your environment. Stay alert to your surroundings, both outdoors and indoors. Notice when something may seem out of place and know where exits are in buildings.
2. Stay curious. Curiosity helps us tune into our environment and the well-being of those around us. If something feels off, trust your instincts and take action.
3. Observe with empathy. Seeing the needs of others is a powerful way to demonstrate care and our Christian community. Check in on classmates and roommates if you sense they are troubled – before leaving and when you get back.

I know many of you are looking forward to those few days when campus slows down, and I pray that no matter what your plans are, you will find a bit of rest and renewal during this busy time of year.

Here are a few updates for this week:

• STUDENT MISSIONS CELEBRATION: I am looking forward to next Tuesday evening’s Student Mission Trip Commissioning when we celebrate and pray for students who will serve others across the world this year. Facilitated by Baylor Missions and several local churches and organizations, students with Baylor connections will demonstrate God’s love in places like Amsterdam, Guatemala, Greece and here in Texas. The ceremony is open to Baylor students who are or have participated in a mission trip this year, and there is still room to register for another example of how we live out Baylor’s motto – Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo.
• NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AWARD: Congratulations to Dr. Erik Carter, The Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities and a leading voice on disability, faith and flourishing, who will receive the 2026 Leadership Award in June from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. This prestigious honor recognizes Dr. Carter’s national leadership and lasting contributions that have advanced groundbreaking research and shaped practice. As the champion of our Bold Pursuit in Disability, Faith and Flourishing and guided by the Baylor in Deeds strategic plan, he continues to advocate for a vision that will transform how schools, churches and communities include and support people with disabilities.
• TIME BEST COLLEGES: I’m thrilled to share that for the third straight year, a TIME magazine study has placed Baylor among the nation’s “100 Best Colleges for Future Leaders.” The study examined the résumés of almost 5,000 U.S. leaders to understand where today’s leaders got their start. Once again, Baylor ranks among the very best – another recognition of how we accomplish our mission to “educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service.” I look forward to seeing how today’s students lead out in the years to come!
• FAITH AND CULTURE SYMPOSIUM: Hosted by the Institute for Faith and Learning, the 2026 Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture will bring together leading scholars and practitioners to explore how emerging technologies are reshaping our understanding of human identity, community and flourishing in the age of artificial intelligence. As a Christian research university, Baylor is uniquely positioned to lead in areas of ethics and artificial intelligence. I am confident the more than 700 attendees will experience Baylor’s unique hospitality this weekend while engaging in a range of critically important conversations, presentations and activities designed to help shape the future.
• LOVE YOUR NEIGHBORS: Every Baylor student deserves the chance to succeed without worrying about life’s basic necessities. That’s why I’m grateful to our Staff Council for partnering with The Store here on campus to launch the Love Your Neighbors Basic Needs Drive. The drive provides an easy opportunity for all of us to support Baylor students by selecting an item from The Store’s Amazon Wish List. Your gift is shipped directly to campus and placed in the hands of our students with demonstrated need. If you are able, I hope you will consider making a donation!
• NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR WACO: For those of us who have lived in Waco awhile, we know it’s a special place. But when our city is featured in Southern Living Magazine, the “ultimate guide to Southern culture, recipes, travel and events,” it’s clear others understand what makes the city unique, too. I may be biased, but my favorite sentence in this story is, “Baylor University, founded in 1845 (the same year Texas became a state), is sprawling with Georgian buildings and grand oak-lined paths.” And while many say the Silos put us on the map, Southern Living explains why a visit to Waco should include so much more!

Be sure to tune in to ESPN on Sunday at 3 p.m. when our No. 15 women’s basketball team takes on No. 12 TCU in Fort Worth to close out the regular season. The game will be featured on ESPN’s College GameDay, which begins at 10 a.m. CT.

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Faculty and students from Baylor’s School of Engineering and Computer Science presented hands-on activities to students in several local school districts as a part of National Engineers Week.