Presidential Perspective - Nov. 13, 2026

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

I always enjoy seeing how the Baylor Family returns to Waco to reconnect and celebrate at Homecoming, and I am excited to know that celebratory spirit will continue as we enter the holiday season. I am pleased to announce we have even more to be thankful for this year.

Baylor has received a lead gift from Mary Jo Robbins and her late husband, William K. “Bill” Robbins, to kick off fundraising for the future William K. and Mary Jo Robbins Academic Center, a new facility to house research, teaching and community spaces for Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences.

We are truly grateful for this generous gift that will ultimately transform interdisciplinary research and teaching within one of the fastest-growing colleges at Baylor. We are also looking forward to the opportunities it will create for our faculty, staff and students, as well as the patients and communities who will benefit from the research and teaching made possible through this initial gift.

Baylor has a long and distinguished history of offering exceptional health and pre-health programs for students, and the generosity of the Robbins family is the beginning of a fundraising initiative that aims to ensure those programs thrive now and into the future.

Here are a few more updates.

• BUDGET UPDATE: I appreciate the feedback from the Baylor Family regarding the University budget update I provided earlier this week. Baylor is not immune to the challenges all colleges and universities are facing, and we must make strategic, structural adjustments now to best position Baylor for ongoing success in the future. Students remain our top priority as we all continue working together to fulfill our Christian mission.
• ALL-UNIVERSITY THANKSGIVING: This year marks the 20th anniversary of All-University Thanksgiving, and I am looking forward to seeing you there. Our traditional Thanksgiving meal will be on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m. on Fountain Mall. Hosted by Student Foundation and Student Government, students, faculty and staff are welcomed to a night of free food, games, entertainment and fellowship. Also, I hope you will again share in our “Season of Thanksgiving” initiative. Short notes are being collected across campus and online as an expression of our collective gratitude as a Baylor Family. It’s a wonderful way to pause and say, “Thank you,” before we light the campus Christmas tree in a few weeks!
• INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK: With the addition of Pro Mundo to our Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana motto, International Education Week has even more significance as we strive to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service. Baylor’s Center for Global Engagement has arranged lectures, presentations and interactive options that promote cross-cultural communication and cultivate the global leadership skills that are vital to succeeding in today’s interconnected world.
• UNITED WAY: Baylor is a longtime supporter of United Way, and we are excited to be a part of the Waco-McLennan County “United, We Give” campaign. United Way supports critical, life-changing services across our community, and faculty and staff are welcome to join the effort. There is an optional Journey in Ignite with more details. As always, Baylor faculty and staff can also support the Baylor Family Compassion Fund, which helps meet the urgent needs of colleagues right here within the University.
• STEPPIN’ OUT DAY OF SERVICE: For the past 40 years, thousands of Baylor students have volunteered their time for Steppin’ Out, a Baylor tradition in which students, often alongside faculty and staff, “step out” across Waco to meet the needs of those around us. Individuals from our community have already signed up to get help at their homes, churches, schools or other nonprofit organizations, and this Saturday morning we will be there to offer a hand. Steppin’ Out is a wonderful demonstration of how Baylor Bears are continuing to make a difference in our hometown by serving humbly together.
• TEXAS BAPTISTS CONVENTION: Since 1845, when Baylor was chartered by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, the University and the Baptist General Convention of Texas have labored together. It is an incredibly important relationship for Baylor, and we are looking forward to welcoming Texas Baptists to Waco beginning this weekend for their annual convention. Truett Seminary will be offering its trademark hospitality, you might see welcome signs and billboards across the city, and we hope many Texas Baptists will make their way to the new Baptist Student Ministry building near campus. Reconnecting with Texas Baptists friends and colleagues is always special, and I hope you will join me in welcoming them back to Waco!
• BIG SPORTS WEEKEND: It’s another big weekend for Baylor Athletics, and here’s the rundown: Tonight at 7 p.m., No. 23 Baylor Volleyball hosts No. 7 BYU at the Ferrell Center for “Faith and Family Night,” while Women’s Basketball hosts Prairie View A&M at the Paul & Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Tomorrow, Baylor Cross Country competes in the NCAA South Central Regional in College Station starting at 9 a.m., and our Equestrian team competes at noon at Oklahoma State. On Saturday, Football travels to No. 10 BYU for a nationally televised game on FOX at 2:30 p.m., and later that night at 7 p.m., No. 7 Baylor Soccer will face No. 14 BYU for the Big 12 Tournament Championship. Women’s Basketball is back at Foster on Sunday at 2 p.m. against East Texas A&M, and finally, Men’s Basketball caps off the weekend against No. 7 Texas on Sunday at 2 p.m. in San Antonio. Whew and Sic ’em, Bears!

Unfortunately, flu cases are on the rise at the Baylor Health Center and across Texas. Please remember to wash your hands and cover coughs and sneezes. If you are sick, stay home. Together, we can keep our campus community healthy. Please contact Baylor Health Services if you are feeling sick or have questions.

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

PHOTO OF THE WEEK