News

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).

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.

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.