Presidential Perspective - January 8, 2026

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful (and restful) Christmas break and are ready for all 2026 has in store for Baylor University. There is great anticipation across campus as faculty and staff have returned and students prepare to begin classes on Jan. 20. As we embark on another year, I am reminded of how faithful the Lord has been to us.

Because of your diligence and support, Baylor is performing exceptionally well in all 10 metrics associated with the Baylor in Deeds strategic plan. The metrics include faith and character formation, graduation rates and fundraising, among other measures. Students, faculty and staff report Baylor is a place where they can authentically live out their faith, and the University actively supports their spiritual growth. Our four-year graduation rate, which jumped 6.2 points to 77.3% this year, is at an all-time high. Over the past five years, we have increased direct scholarship support for undergraduate students by $33 million, and we have raised more than $100 million through the Extend The Line Scholarship Initiative, which is vital as we strive to maintain Baylor’s affordability.

Despite national headwinds, Baylor continues to be a strong and stable institution that is uniquely positioned to be a light among colleges and universities across the nation. We remain focused on being good stewards of our resources and the trust placed in us by students and their families while we fulfill our mission to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.

On to a few quick updates:

• PROVOST ANNOUNCES NEW NURSING DEAN: I am pleased to report that Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., has announced Tanya M. Sudia, Ph.D., as the next Dean of the Louise Herrington School of Nursing, effective June 1. Dr. Sudia is currently interim dean and chief nursing officer at the University of Texas at Arlington, a fellow R1 institution, and she will be returning to Baylor with this appointment. From 2014-19 Dr. Sudia was a member of our nursing faculty, and she served as the LHSON’s inaugural associate dean for research and scholarship. I encourage you to read the Provost’s full announcement online, and join me in welcoming Dr. Sudia back to Baylor.
• OSCAR BUZZ FOR BAYLOR FACULTY: A short film directed, co-written and co-produced by Sam Henderson, M.F.A., associate professor of film and digital media and theatre, and edited and associate-produced by Maverick Moore, senior lecturer of film and digital media, has advanced to the 98th Academy Awards® shortlist! Shot in Los Angeles and produced with funds from the Lindner Endowment for Film and Digital Media, Ado demonstrates the power of love as Ms. Hopkins, an aging middle school theatre teacher, encounters a school shooter while rehearsing Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. You can watch the trailer online and tune in Thursday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 a.m. CT when final nominees are announced. Good luck, Sam and Maverick!
• STUDENT TEACHER OF THE YEAR: Congratulations to Bella Buncher, a May 2025 graduate of the Baylor School of Education, who was named the 2025 Texas Clinical Teacher of the Year for her outstanding student-teaching performance. The win marks the seventh time in nine years a Baylor student has earned this statewide honor. Bella completed her student teaching in the Waco Independent School District, working with third graders in language arts and science/math classrooms. Her mentor, Alexandra Ronnenberg, B.S.Ed. ’21, received the same award in 2021.

I hope to see you tonight at Foster Pavilion as our No. 16-ranked women’s basketball team takes on Big 12 foe Colorado. Tip-off is at 7 p.m., and it is the “Salute to Service” game with discounted tickets for personnel who present a military ID at the ticket window. For more information, visit baylorbears.com.

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Campus won’t be this quiet for too much longer. (Photo Courtesy of First Gent, Brad Livingstone.)