News

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.

November called us to observe Native American Heritage Month, which ought to drive us to deep reflection. As we draw attention to the contributions of our Indigenous brothers, sisters and neighbors, we cannot forget that the land on which we stand was acquired by force and without regard for its original inhabitants.

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).

Last week was big for Baylor as the Board of Regents affirmed the next five years of our Illuminate strategic plan.

This week marks the quarterly meeting for Baylor’s Board of Regents as it considers the next five years of our strategic plan Illuminate, which impacts the entire campus from academics to athletics.

As we look forward to the next five years of our strategic plan Illuminate, we have so much to celebrate.

What a great Homecoming we had last week! It was so good to celebrate “everything Baylor” with all of you, along with our friends, alumni and Wacoans.

Baylor hosted the nation’s first collegiate homecoming event in 1909, and even after a year “off” due to COVID-19, I can tell you that our campus is abuzz this week as current students are enjoying many Baylor Homecoming traditions and preparing for the return of tens of thousands of alumni and friends to Waco this weekend.

Next week is Homecoming 2021! We have a fun student tradition to kick off Homecoming Week called “Dinner with the Livingstones,” and I want to invite all students to join the First Gent and me at Allbritton House on Tuesday from 6-8 p.m.

Earlier today I had the opportunity to testify before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in Washington, D.C., regarding many of the challenges facing intercollegiate athletics.

Tomorrow will be an exciting time as we highlight Baylor research in a day-early celebration of National Research Administrator Day. Throughout Friday, you will see stories on social media highlighting our outstanding faculty, and I hope you will consider sharing some of them to amplify the news of Baylor’s incredible research.

It has been rightly said that talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. If there is one thing you must know about the work of building a just and equitable community at Baylor University, it is this: diversity and inclusion mean little without equity and accountability.

I am officially declaring this week as “The Week of Good News” for Baylor! Beginning last Friday with the additions of BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston to the Big 12 Conference, we’ve been on a roll with several positive developments related to the University:

Baylor University places a priority on enhancing diversity and equity across our campus and throughout our academic and operational divisions.

Today is a big day for Baylor University as we officially welcome Brigham Young University, the University of Central Florida, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Houston into the Big 12 Conference. We are excited about the new Big 12 both now and into the future once member transitions are complete in 2025.

Sept. 11 will forever be remembered as an important day in U.S. history as terrorists attacked our homeland and threatened our safety, security and the freedoms we hold dear.

I know the events of the past week — from the U.S. military’s departure from Afghanistan abroad to the devastation and hardships created by Hurricane Ida closer to home — have left many members of the Baylor Family feeling deep pain and heartache.

You may have seen Waco Mayor Dillon Meek's quote yesterday that our local healthcare system is near "the brink of collapse" due to COVID-19. As I participated in a call with our community leaders yesterday morning, it has become clear – the local hospital situation is indeed dire. As of Wednesday morning, all 54 intensive care unit beds in McLennan County were in use, with 45 being filled by COVID-19 patients. Health officials reported that 92.4% of the currently hospitalized patients were unvaccinated.

This morning, as I began considering today’s significance, I found myself filled with the joy spoken of in Psalm 47:1 — “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”

It’s finally here – the start of the fall semester! The First Gent and I enjoyed meeting so many of our incoming students and their families as part of Move2BU, although I must admit that my back is a little sore!

The spread of COVID-19 has grown significantly across the country, and our state and local community are not immune as case counts continue to increase and healthcare services are stretched to capacity. These grim facts have prompted our President’s Council and Health Management Team to update our COVID-related protocols for the fall semester beginning Aug. 23.

We are in the homestretch! Only 11 more days until we begin the fall semester at Baylor. It is an incredibly exciting time for everyone, and I can’t wait to see our students back on campus and throughout the Waco community.

Since our University was first chartered in 1845, we have strived in every possible way to stay true to our Christian mission and to live by our core convictions, including a commitment to support, encourage and expect excellence in all undertakings. Excellence is our expectation at Baylor in all aspects of our University, yet excellence must also come with virtue and integrity.

Because of the University’s improved financial position and an improved outlook relative to COVID-19 and the national economy, we want to provide an update on employee retirement account contributions.

As I reflect over the past couple of weeks and the whirlwind of uncertainty relating to intercollegiate athletics, a few things have resonated with me during conversations with members of the Baylor Family, testifying in front of the Texas Senate’s select committee and discussions with others across the country.

Earlier today, Vice President and Director of Athletics Mack B. Rhoades IV and I traveled to Austin to testify in front of a Select Senate Committee looking into the Future of College Sports in Texas, following the pledged departure of the University of Texas from the Big 12 Conference in 2025. We were joined by Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, our colleagues from Texas Tech and TCU, and UT President Jay Hartzell.

I appreciate the attention, and most of all, the sunlight that is being brought to the future of college sports in Texas by this Committee and members of the Texas Legislature.

The countdown continues – 25 days until the start of the fall semester on Aug. 23. Wow! Our faculty and staff have been diligently preparing for the return of our students for what promises to be an exciting semester.

WACO, Texas (July 27, 2021) - Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., sent the following update was sent to the Baylor University Family.

WACO, Texas (July 23, 2021) – The following message was sent to the Baylor University Family today from Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., and Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mack B. Rhoades IV.

Time is certainly flying as we enter the final stretch of summer. In fact, we have only 32 days until fall classes begin at Baylor University! Our faculty, staff and I look forward to welcoming everyone back to our beautiful campus.

WACO, Texas (July 16, 2021) – During its regular summer retreat meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents focused on Baylor’s strategic positioning for the future as the University enters the final year of the initial Illuminate strategic plan. The discussions spotlighted the extraordinary progress that has accelerated the University’s aspirations of joining the nation’s top Research 1 universities as the world’s preeminent Christian research university.

WACO, Texas (July 13, 2021) - Baylor University today announced that alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends combined to provide more than $161 million in given and pledged philanthropic support during the University’s recently completed fiscal year (June 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021). The Baylor Family’s philanthropy supports the Give Light Campaign, Baylor’s comprehensive fundraising campaign aimed at resourcing efforts to become the preeminent Christian research university.

I don’t know about you, but the summer is really beginning to accelerate. Looking at my calendar, we are only 53 days from the first day of classes (Aug. 23) on the Baylor University campus!

As we have many visitors to Waco for Orientation, Line Camp and tours over the summer, I am reminded what a mess the “front door” to our campus is with the I-35 construction. Yes, Chip Gaines, “It’s Demo Day!”

It didn't take long for summertime to arrive in Waco. With temperatures in the mid-to upper-90s this week, I am longing for the unseasonably cool temperatures and torrential downpours that we experienced in late May and early June (well, maybe not the torrential downpours!). Stay hydrated and wear sunscreen – 100-degree temperatures will arrive before we know it!

As we prepare for a normal fall semester and continuously evaluate the University's administrative functions, I want to share two enhancements soon to be made on the President's Council, and specifically, within the President's Office.

New beginnings! This summer has marked new beginnings on so many fronts as we emerge from COVID-19, and, as a university, move toward a normal fall semester.

Here at Baylor University, we place great importance on the safety and security of our campus, not only through our professional Department of Public Safety, but also through our physical infrastructure, such as security cameras and other emergency and safety systems, training and education for all students, faculty and staff, and clear policies and procedures that together help provide a safe environment for all members of the University community.

As we anticipate the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, I join the Baylor Family in remembering and honoring all of the brave men and women who have given their lives to protect our nation throughout our history as a people and for the benefit of future generations.