News

I’m looking forward to jumping on a Facebook Live this evening to visit with incoming freshmen and their families as we prepare for the start of the fall semester Aug. 21. 

As we turn the calendar to August and our attention to the start of another school year, we want to pause and share an update with you from last week’s annual July retreat of the Baylor Board of Regents.

This week Baylor’s Board of Regents is on campus for its quarterly meeting, which also serves as an annual retreat for strategic discussions about the University’s future. 

As our Give Light philanthropic campaign moves into its final year, we have closed the books on FY23 with the second-highest fundraising year in Baylor’s history at more than $179 million. 

It is July and it is hot in Texas! With temperatures regularly above 100 degrees Brad and I are looking for ways to beat the heat. 

Now that the calendar has flipped over to July, planning and preparations for the upcoming fall semester have ramped up considerably. 

I am back on campus following double-knee replacement surgery earlier this month - without a scooter, walker, crutches or a cane, thanks to an incredible medical team and your ongoing prayers. 

Thank you for all of the prayers and notes of support as I recover from last week's double-knee replacement surgery.

I have enjoyed reading about the summer plans of many of you, whether it’s studying abroad, serving on a mission trip, getting ahead academically through our Summer of Discovery program or an internship or simply catching up with friends and family. 

Based on the volume of responses and comments I have heard over the past few days, I know many of you have already seen and shared in my excitement over two of the newest additions to the Baylor Family: Judge Belle and Judge Indy!

Campus sure is a little quieter this week! We’re in the midst of Baylor’s quarterly Board of Regents meeting, so I will get right to a few updates:

It seems like just yesterday we began the spring semester, yet here we are – at Commencement! Tomorrow and Saturday, we will celebrate more than 4,000 graduates, which is the largest graduating class in Baylor history.

I wanted to share with you the news that Brett Dalton, our Chief Business Officer, has informed me of his decision to retire from Baylor University, effective June 30, 2023. 

I hope you will join me tomorrow at 11 a.m. in the Paul Powell Chapel at Truett Seminary for “Lift Up Your Hearts,” a semester-ending service of prayer and worship not only for faculty and staff, but also for students and friends of the University.

As you are making plans for the summer, I encourage you to consider Baylor’s Summer of Discovery. This program offers tuition-discounted courses for students across multiple summer sessions. 

I wanted to share the news with you that David P. Rosselli, our Vice President for University Advancement, has made the difficult decision to leave Baylor University for Belmont University in Nashville to further develop its institutional advancement operations. His transition from Baylor will be effective June 30, 2023.

I hope you had a chance to see the news about an exciting addition to our Spring Commencement roster – our very own Lady is graduating! 

Greetings from a warm Washington, D.C., as I am beginning my first meetings today as the new chair of the American Council on Education.

As we approach the promise of Easter Sunday, our hearts anticipate its glory with great eagerness. 

Now is the time for us – together as a campus community – to begin considering the next chapter in our University’s strategic planning process as we look beyond Illuminate in our ongoing efforts to be recognized as the preeminent Christian research university. 

This Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. will be a historic moment in the life of Baylor as we unveil and dedicate the statues honoring the first Black students to earn their undergraduate degrees from the University – the late Rev. Robert L. Gilbert, B.A. ’67, and Mrs. Barbara A. Walker, B.A. ’67. 

There are a lot of ways to know how students are feeling on campus – from formal means (like our campus climate surveys) to more informal methods.

It’s March Madness time at Baylor University! Did you know that Baylor is among only 26 universities that have BOTH their men’s and women’s basketball teams competing in the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships? That is some pretty select company.

It's hard to believe it’s already March and Spring Break is next week. I know many of you are looking forward to time away with family and friends and for rest and renewal during this busy time of year.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 24, 2023) – Baylor University today announced a $3.7 million gift from Jay and Jenny Allison of Frisco, Texas, to support the Give Light Capital Fund, as well as scholarships benefiting Baylor Law and the George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Baylor will recognize the couple’s philanthropic support through the naming of the Jay and Jenny Allison Development Center within the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 24, 2023) – At its regular February meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents took action on several committee recommendations and received reports on a number of strategic University matters, including Baylor’s pioneering Faith and Character Study.

The Baylor University Board of Regents is on campus today and tomorrow for its quarterly meeting. As the official governing body of the University, our Regents have in common a genuine love for Baylor and a commitment to our Christian mission and their fiduciary responsibility. As is our custom, we will provide a summary of the Board meeting late Friday to the Baylor Family.

Even though Baylor has been classified as a “Research 1,” or R1, university only since December 2021, our recognition as a top research institution continues to grow.

In December during two Commencement ceremonies, we conferred nearly 1,300 degrees on newly minted Baylor graduates who now are flinging their green and gold afar as Baylor Alumni.

Texas weather is often described as, “Wait five minutes, and it’ll change!” Just a few weeks ago, our temperatures were in the 80s, but we know how quickly the weather can remind us that it is indeed winter.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 2, 2023) – Baylor University announced today the appointment of Hannah Stolze, Ph.D., as the inaugural William E. Crenshaw Endowed Chair in Supply Chain Management in the Department of Management in Baylor’s nationally ranked Hankamer School of Business.

In light of some recent crimes that have occurred off campus, I want to reassure you that Baylor takes the safety and security of our students, faculty, staff and visitors very seriously.

We've been welcomed back to Waco for the spring semester by spring-like weather, free-flowing I-35 traffic and food-delivery robots traversing campus. I hope all are signs for a fun, transformational semester!

Greetings from the River Walk in San Antonio, where I am participating in the annual NCAA Convention this week.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 12, 2023) – Baylor University today announced the recipients of the 2023 Baylor Alumni Awards, which honor individuals who embody the distinctive mission of the University and their remarkable achievements. A celebration honoring the impact of Baylor alumni around the world and recognizing this year’s recipients will be held on campus Feb. 24, 2023.

It’s been nearly a month since my last weekly Presidential Perspective, and I hope you had a wonderful (and restful!) Christmas break and are ready for all 2023 has in store for Baylor University.

As we approach the Christmas season and its beautiful traditions and sweet moments together, I pray we each pause to be grateful for one another and for the overwhelming love of God and the remarkable gift of His son.

This is our last Presidential Perspective of the semester as we begin final exams. This fall has just flown by, but what an exciting semester we’ve had together as we fully emerged from the long effects of the pandemic.

As we wind down the fall semester, we also begin the Christmas season at Baylor. This is truly a special time on our campus that prepares our hearts in celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday and look toward the light of Christ to be celebrated at Christmas, I wish to express my personal gratitude – as well as to extend the gratitude of everyone on the faculty and staff of Baylor University – to the Baylor Family for your support of our outstanding students and your contributions to fulfilling the mission of Baylor.

You don’t want to miss Saturday’s football game at McLane Stadium! We’ll have great football weather for an increasingly rare night game, and our Bears will be playing with a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game on the line against No. 23 Kansas State.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 4, 2022) – At its regular quarterly meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents focused its discussion on Baylor’s position in the higher education marketplace, highlighted by strong financial reports about upgraded bond ratings and positive investment returns amid continued strong demand for a Baylor experience and education.

The Baylor University Board of Regents will be on campus today and tomorrow for its quarterly meeting. This is an important group of Baylor volunteers, as they serve as the official governing body of the University and ensure alignment with our Christian mission and financial integrity.

As part of President Linda A. Livingstone's campuswide Spiritual Wellbeing initiative, Baylor University will hold a Faculty & Staff Chapel at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, in Paul W. Powell Chapel at Truett Seminary.

We are heading into the final five weeks of the Fall semester, which is generally the toughest part of the academic year. Don’t let the weight of the semester bog you down.

We ushered in cooler temperatures earlier this week, just in time for our 113th anniversary of Homecoming on the Baylor campus. But you know how Texas weather is – high temperatures will be back in the upper 80s over the weekend, so plan accordingly!

This is one of those weeks in which I’ve had an opportunity to fling Baylor’s green and gold afar.

Election Day is one month away on Tuesday, Nov. 8, providing an opportunity for us to exercise one of our most important privileges and rights as Americans.

Did you know that Baylor’s iconic green and gold can be traced as far back as 1897? As legend has it, a member of the student committee selected to choose the official colors for the University was traveling to a debate tournament by train.

I am pleased to announce today a five-year contract extension through 2027 for Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., whose strong and collaborative leadership as our chief academic officer has been instrumental in elevating Baylor to join the nation’s top-tier research institutions as a preeminent Christian Research 1 university.

Every year, the Baylor Family celebrates National Research Administrator Day — observed on September 25 — as an opportunity to express our enduring gratitude to research administrators, grant writers, staff, postdoctoral researchers and undergraduate and graduate students who each play a vital role in the University’s success.

National Research Administrator Day is celebrated annually on Sept. 25 across the country, but we’ve adopted it as our own at Baylor over the past few years.

This has been a week of big news for the University, so let’s get right to the headlines!

I must admit that the First Gent and I are big fans of Baylor Athletics, especially during the week-long build up for a big football game like BYU this Saturday.

To conclude each week we celebrate Spirit Fridays on all Baylor campuses when we encourage the entire Baylor Family to fling their green and gold afar.

We're nearly through the first week of the fall semester!

The beginning of the fall semester is finally here! I cannot wait for the first day of class on Monday.

Yes, it's August, but this is certainly the most wonderful time of the year! We can feel the excitement and enthusiasm building for two seminal events next week in the lives of Baylor students: Move-in and Welcome Week.

You may have seen the exciting news from earlier this week that Baylor University has been recognized as one of the nation’s top-10 Most Trusted Universities, according to global research firm Morning Consult.

Greetings from San Antonio, where we are celebrating Baylor Board of Regents Days as declared by an official city proclamation. This week is the quarterly meeting of the Board, as we welcome several new Regents for their first official meeting and look toward the start of the fall semester.

With the record-breaking temperatures and drought conditions in the Waco area, many of you have asked how the Baylor campus is being impacted.

It's great to be back in Waco after some family vacation travel and spending yesterday at the Big 12 Football Media Days to officially introduce new Commissioner Brett Yormark on behalf of the conference's Board of Directors

As we look toward the July 4th holiday and a much-needed break for all of us, I am thankful for the sacrifices made by our veterans and current military to ensure the United States remains great and prosperous.

Summers are always a time of transition – from high school to college … residence halls to back home … college to work-life … and here in Texas, 85-degree temperatures to the 100s.

Serving as President of Baylor University and calling Waco my home brings me such great joy.

Earlier today I made the mistake of glancing at the long-range weather forecast for Waco. All I can say is that summer has definitely arrived.

Today, reflecting on the five-year anniversary of my first day as Baylor's 15th President, I continue to be excited about the future of our great University. I can honestly say I am even more excited than I was walking into Pat Neff Hall on June 1, 2017. Serving as President of Baylor for the past five years has been an incredible journey – one we have shared together as family, friends, faculty and staff, students and alumni of this remarkable institution of higher learning.

Baylor University’s success in continuing to attract outstanding students from around the world and earning Research 1 designation by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education would not have been achievable without the strength of the Waco community alongside it.

Grief continues to fill my heart today. Like everyone in the Baylor Family, my heart broke on Tuesday as we learned about the tragic mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde — the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.

WACO, Texas (May 25, 2022) – At its regular May meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents voted to extend the contract of President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., to 2032 in recognition of her exemplary University and national leadership that has elevated Baylor as a preeminent Christian research university with strengths across the board in academics, research and athletics.

This is my first official Presidential Perspective of the summer. While the foot traffic on campus is a little lighter this week, the University is still quite active with the minimester underway and students in the Law School and graduate and professional programs continuing their academic work.

Commencement is always a special time on the Baylor campus, and this year has added significance for the First Gent and me. Our daughter, Shelby, will graduate Friday night from Baylor's Truett Seminary with a master's of divinity degree.

It's hard to believe that today is the last class day of the spring semester! To celebrate the occasion and to provide students a little energy heading into final exams, I will be handing out FREE Gelato Mio from 1-2 p.m. today in the SUB. I would love to see you and wish you well as we conclude the spring semester and enter the summer season.

We enjoyed a wonderful night with Baylor faculty and staff Monday to say “thank you” to everyone who helped Baylor achieve R1 recognition as a research university. As we celebrate R1, we are really celebrating the entire Baylor Family, because this truly was a team effort.

Monday is going to be an exciting time to come together to celebrate the incredible accomplishment of Baylor becoming an R1 university.

We rejoice this Easter in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and give thanks for His overwhelming love for us.

I don’t think we could have asked for a better combination of warm sunshine and a full slate of activities for this week’s return of Diadeloso, or “Day of the Bear,” as we celebrated this great tradition’s 90th anniversary.

Dia is back! After two years without this annual spring celebration, I can't wait to enjoy a day of fun on campus with you this Tuesday, April 5.

The Baylor campus is a busy place during the spring semester, buzzing with students and visitors who come together for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the occasion is a lecture, a social gathering or a musical or theatrical performance. Sometimes the reason people gather here is an athletics event.

Welcome back from Spring Break – March Madness is finally here! I am sending this week’s email a little early, as I am en route to Dickies Arena in Fort Worth to watch Coach Scott Drew and our defending national champion men’s basketball team take on Norfolk State at 1 p.m. in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Then I will be back in Waco tomorrow for Coach Nicki Collen’s NCAA Tournament debut as our Bears face Hawaii at 3 p.m. in the Ferrell Center. Best wishes to our student-athletes, coaches and staffs as they shine in the spotlight, and let’s Sic ’em, Bears!

It was such a joy last week to experience the musical and dance talents of the more than 1,500 students who participated in Sing this spring.

One outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic is that we have the ability to temporarily pivot to remote instruction and operations when winter weather conditions threaten. Gone are the days of waking up at 5 a.m. to see if it will be an ice or snow day. Of course, I fondly remember those snow days from when I was in college!

Today we are announcing the rescission of the University's facemask policy for classrooms and labs when used in academic settings. In other words, facemasks will be optional at Baylor – other than when requested in private offices – effective this Monday, Feb. 21.

What an exciting time for Baylor as we’ve surpassed the $1.1 billion fundraising goal of the Give Light campaign!

WACO, Texas (Feb. 3, 2022) – Baylor University today announced a significant milestone as gifts and pledges to the Give Light Campaign have surpassed the initial goal of $1.1 billion, marking the campaign as the largest and most successful fundraising effort in the University’s 177-year history.

My prayers have been with everyone as the winter weather has impacted our local community as well as Texans statewide.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 1, 2022) – Baylor University today announced Paul (BBA ’79) and Alejandra Foster of El Paso, Texas, as the recipients of the 2022 Baylor University Founders Medal.

In recognition of the improving COVID-19 environment and the campus community’s continued effective management of the virus, today we are announcing several updates to Baylor University’s COVID-19 interim policies and protocols.

The "Spring Sprint" is definitely underway, and it's hard to believe Feb. 1 is this Tuesday.

What a great start to the 2022 spring semester! I enjoyed greeting so many of you on the first day of class before heading to Indianapolis for the NCAA Convention this week.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 18, 2022) - Baylor University today announced the recipients of the 2022 Baylor Alumni Awards, which honor individuals who embody the distinctive mission of the University and their remarkable achievements. A celebration honoring the impact of alumni around the world and recognizing this year's recipients will be held on campus on Feb. 18, 2022.

As I've looked out my office window this week, I've enjoyed seeing our campus steadily come back to life with the return of more and more students. I am excited about the new semester and everything the next few months will bring.

It’s been nearly a month since my last weekly Presidential Perspective and so much has happened as we concluded 2021 and ushered in the New Year.

Today I would like to follow up on my message from Dec. 23, 2021, regarding the spread of the Omicron variant and offer a preview of what the spring semester will look like for the next several weeks.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with family and loved ones and you are looking forward to the Sugar Bowl, as our Baylor Bears face Ole Miss on New Year’s Day in New Orleans. I suspect many of you have been monitoring the spread of the latest COVID-19 variant, Omicron, as its presence has gained a foothold in the United States over the past couple of weeks.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
- John 1:14 (NKJV) -

I am overjoyed to share with you some wonderful news we learned this morning. We have received notification from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education that Baylor University has achieved Research 1 status, joining the nation’s top research institutions as a doctoral university with very high research activity and as a preeminent Christian research university.

It’s hard to believe the fall semester has drawn to a close. God has blessed Baylor in so many ways as we’ve managed the COVID-19 pandemic, from a Big 12 Football Championship and top-10 basketball, football and volleyball teams to beautiful music and theatrical performances, as well as significant progress toward R1 status and our $1.1 billion Give Light goal – all while holding firm to and advancing our Christian mission

Christmas is always a special time at Baylor, and I cannot wait for Christmas on 5th this evening from 5-10 p.m. It's one of my favorite Baylor traditions. I've even heard there's a forecast of snow tonight! Be sure to check out the full schedule of activities to get everyone in the Christmas spirit as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

In the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul encouraged the members of the Christian community he had founded in Thessalonica to be strong in their faith. He wrote, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).