News

In only a few days, we will have the great joy of welcoming back to our campus the thousands of men and women who call Baylor University home as students. This Monday, the first official day of class for the fall semester, is a day for which all of us have been yearning and diligently preparing for months.

While many of the fall preparations I have discussed over the past few weeks may seem mostly technical or operational in nature, I want to take a moment to call our collective attention to a core tenet of the mission of Baylor University, especially in the midst of a pandemic -- creating a caring Christian community.

Welcome home! As you move into residence halls and off-campus housing this week in preparation for classes to begin in 7 short days, know that your faculty and staff couldn’t be more excited to have you home.

Today I want to focus on the importance of creating a plan for yourself – including changes to your daily routine, creating an action plan in the event of suspected exposure or a positive test result and precautions we can all take to mitigate risks to ourselves and others around us.

With yesterday’s announcement of decisions related to the upcoming football season – including a revised schedule and McLane Stadium at 25% capacity for the season – we have begun to update Baylor’s plans for other beloved campus traditions this fall. New dates have been set for Family Weekend (Sept. 25-26) and Homecoming (Oct. 16-17).

Today, I’d like to detail several components of our health services strategy, with information on daily health checks, identifying symptoms of COVID-19, what to do if a student feels sick this fall and changes in our typical health-related operations.

Today, I’d like to discuss our Family First campaign to help mitigate the risk of COVID-19 to our campus and the Waco community. With some 18,000 members of the Baylor Family arriving in Waco over the next two weeks, this campaign will help ground our choices in a commitment to putting others before ourselves and keeping Family First.

Today, I’d like to offer some details of what on-campus living will be like for our students residing in any of the University’s numerous housing options.

I am continually inspired by the creativity, resourcefulness and innovation of Baylor’s dedicated faculty. While these qualities are always evident in our faculty teaching and scholarship, I’ve seen them emerge in fresh and exciting ways as Baylor faculty have worked over the summer to enhance our ability to teach online with excellence in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each day through next week, I am crafting an email that spotlights a major area of our University-wide planning efforts in response to COVID-19 as we look toward the start of the fall semester on Aug. 24.

Today, I’d like to offer you a glimpse of what you can expect when you enter any of our numerous dining establishments – an essential aspect of the traditional, on-campus Baylor experience that students will encounter this fall.

Today, I’d like to share an extraordinary addition to our campus-wide effort to maintain social distancing while creating safe opportunities for our students to have a Baylor-quality educational experience this fall.

Today, I’d like to share with you more details of the extensive planning and precautionary measures – particularly relating to cleaning and sanitization – we are implementing across our campus to both prepare for your arrival and provide the best opportunity to keep all of our Baylor Family healthy and well once we are all back together.

Thank you for your attention to last Thursday’s announcement and this week’s follow-up instructions regarding Baylor’s mandatory COVID-19 testing program in preparation for the fall semester.

Ensuring every student confirms a negative test before returning to our campus is a key strategy in allowing a successful in-person start and completion of our fall semester.

Be sure to check your mailboxes as we get closer to the fall semester. In the weeks ahead, we will start mailing mandatory COVID-19 test kits to all students, faculty and staff.

WACO, Texas (July 17, 2020) – The Baylor University Board of Regents gathered virtually Thursday and Friday for its quarterly regular meeting to discuss and receive updates on numerous items, including the University’s plans for the fall semester in light of COVID-19 and the launch of the Commission on Historic Campus Representations.

For the next two days, Baylor’s Board of Regents will host its quarterly meeting via Zoom. Since mid-March, the Board has been conducting periodic meetings virtually due to COVID-19, and through this technology, we’ve been able to participate in rich, productive conversations regarding Baylor’s mitigation efforts related to the virus, as well as our plans for the fall semester.

Baylor University today announced the cancellation of in-person graduation ceremonies honoring August 2020 graduates Aug. 14-15 due to a surge in cases and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 across Texas and the nation. In its place, the University will host a virtual ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 15, to honor its May and August graduates.

Starting off with some good news this week: You may recall that in December, one of our beloved black bears, Lady, underwent a first-of-its-kind treatment, called Tomotherapy, for a thymoma in her chest. Last month, Lady underwent a check-up from her veterinary team who came to visit her in Waco. The team took images of Lady’s chest and have reported that the Tomotherapy treatment is successfully managing the size of the mass – it has not grown.

What will Baylor University’s fall semester look like?

Many years ago, Baylor University made a strong commitment to reflect the racial diversity of God’s creation among our students, faculty and staff. Through various task forces, the President's Diversity Council and other initiatives, significant progress has been made in several areas, including admissions, faculty hiring and our campus climate, to name a few. Yet we recognize we must do more as Baylor strives to be a caring Christian community for all of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends.

We continue to closely monitor the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in the Greater Waco area. In conversations with our local public health and government officials, there is a strong collective commitment to taking appropriate mitigating measures and keeping our community safe during this pandemic.

Thank you for your resilience and support during the past few months as Baylor University joined higher education institutions and communities around the world in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the spring semester behind us and our online Summer of Discovery academic sessions in full swing, we now turn our eyes to the fall.

Thank you for your resilience and support during the past few months as Baylor University joined higher education institutions and communities around the world in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the spring semester behind us and our online Summer of Discovery academic sessions in full swing, we now turn our eyes to the fall.

I want to open this week’s email by recognizing and celebrating our faculty. As I’ve mentioned previously, our faculty stepped up significantly in the spring as we quickly switched to online course delivery due to COVID-19.

Please join Baylor University President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
for a webinar-style Baylor Conversation Series event - "Our Responsibility as Christians to Elevate Conversations on Race, Peacemaking and Conciliation."

Now is not the time for us to become complacent regarding COVID-19. We are starting to see an uptick in the number of positive cases in the Greater Waco area coupled with a growing percentage of positive tests, in addition to increasing hospitalizations related to COVID-19 across the state.

I can certainly sense the enthusiasm and anticipation for the beginning of the fall semester on our campus Aug. 24. At the same time, I also understand the frustration and angst many of you have experienced regarding fall schedules.

I am so excited to welcome you back to campus this fall as we return to on-campus educational instruction. I have missed our students so much.

As we all know, COVID-19 has caused many disruptions to our normal lives. In fact, I’ve said on many occasions that we are planning for a “new normal” as we look ahead toward the fall semester. Today I am excited to announce that we plan to hold our August commencement ceremonies in-person at McLane Stadium.

The events of the past few weeks have filled me with great sorrow over the senseless and inexcusable killing of George Floyd and in remembrance of the terrible deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and too many other black men, women and children. We have once again seen our country’s deep divide over race, justice and inequality come to light.

My heart is broken as I join with our Baylor students, faculty, staff and alumni in deep grief and prayer over the pain, fear, anger and injustice caused by disturbing events of racism and violence in our nation.

Baylor’s new Summer of Discovery is in full swing, as we’ve completed the May minimester and the Summer I session begins on Tuesday, June 2, through July 7. All told, we are expecting Baylor’s largest summer enrollment in at least 20 years as we continue course instruction via online delivery due to COVID-19.

As the state of Texas continues to re-open more and more businesses and other community services each week, we are receiving an increasing number of questions as to how these decisions affect the University.

I hope you have enjoyed Senior Week! We have loved focusing on you this week, and we are not finished yet.

In these days leading up to Baylor University’s graduation weekend, you and your master’s and doctoral candidate colleagues have been especially on my mind and my heart.

At the conclusion of the Baylor Board of Regents regular spring meeting today, we will release full details of the 2020-2021 budgetary actions encompassing cost avoidances, cost reductions and one-time funding reallocations in response to COVID-19.

As we look to the fall semester and a resumption of our on-campus educational environment, our Project 8.24 team is working through many planning scenarios related to class sizes, methods of course delivery, instructional hours, residential life, dining, and on-campus events and experiences.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott asked me to forward this special message for all of you.

As we conclude the spring semester at Baylor – amid some of the most challenging and heartbreaking circumstances we have experienced as an institution and a country – I want to express my profound appreciation for your many demonstrations of compassion and resilience, as well as for your uplifting expressions of support for the University during the past few months.

As we conclude the spring semester, I want to provide an update on the campus-wide efforts that have been underway regarding Baylor University’s financial outlook in response to COVID-19.

From day one, the Class of 2020 was destined to be history-makers. This distinctive group of students will graduate in the year of the University’s 175th anniversary, joining the long legacy of the Baylor Line that has carried our Christian mission and values into every corner of business, government and education as well as throughout the world.

Our President’s Council – in close consultation with our COVID-19 Task Force, the deans and academic leadership, and local government and public health officials – has been working through various scenarios to revive the Baylor campus and resume normal operations.

As the Texas economy begins to open back up, many of our faculty and staff have inquired about returning to work on campus. Our COVID-19 Task Force has been working on a five-phase strategic reopening of campus that would begin with those involved with infrastructure and research support, for example, and ultimately conclude with students near the start of the fall semester.

It seems as if good news has been hard to come by for the past month or so, but I have some great news for our undergraduate students with tomorrow’s launch of Baylor’s new Summer of Discovery program.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to touch every aspect of our daily lives, from our families, churches and schools to healthcare, government and the economy. COVID-19’s impact on higher education and at Baylor University is apparent, as we have transitioned the spring and summer semesters online, moved faculty and staff to telework status and canceled events campus-wide.

As we approach Easter during this unprecedented time in our country and our world, I have found myself thinking about the apostles in those first hours following the crucifixion of Jesus.

As we continue our journey with Jesus to the cross, let us remember that it is He who brings us the hope of something new and beautiful to emerge even in the midst of our hardest days, doubts and suffering. We can be confident in our faith that Jesus will be with us, day after day, to the end of the age.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have heard of people hijacking the Wikipedia pages of several prominent universities, indicating they were a “private online university based in …”. I am happy to report that no one has commandeered our Wikipedia page so far. Baylor continues to be “a private Baptist Christian university in Waco, Texas.”

President Livingstone joined Matt Mosely, ESPN1660, on Friday to discuss the University's response to the coronavirus.

I am glad to be writing again to you on a Thursday afternoon for our weekly Presidential Perspective. Like me, I hope you see this as a sign of a return to normalcy, although it is indeed a new normal for Baylor.

As we continue on this journey together forced upon us by the coronavirus (COVID-19), I continue to be impressed by the creativity, dedication and resilience of all of you. We have asked you to do the extraordinary for Baylor University over the past few weeks – all the while balancing family, church and community obligations during these unprecedented times.

During these difficult days of constant change and uncertainty, I want you to know that your future Baylor Family is thinking of you and praying for your health and safety. We know that your senior year doesn’t look like you had expected, but the stories of your strength and resilience have been remarkable.

We are doing our best to keep you informed during this rapidly evolving situation involving the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as we prioritize the health and safety of our campus community, the ongoing continuity of our academic mission and the continuity of business operations.

As I look out my office windows this morning, the campus looks so different with our students dispersed throughout Texas, the United States and the world. But I can assure you that Baylor University’s commitment to our Christian mission and academic excellence remains the same as it has for 175 years.

Earlier today, we learned from the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District that a student within our Baylor community has tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus).

During the rapidly changing circumstances of our nation’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19), I have reflected upon Baylor’s mission statement as a compass to guide the University’s actions and path forward. We continue to be a place dedicated to educating men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.

It is with great concern that I update you this morning with the latest coronavirus (COVID-19) information. A few minutes ago, the Waco-McLennan County Public Health Department and local officials held a press conference and announced five positive tests of COVID-19 in the Waco area. Two of those positive tests involved Baylor faculty members.

Yesterday President Livingstone shared a message with students, faculty, staff and parents that Baylor University will continue the spring semester through online instruction.

I write to inform you that as we follow the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and our federal, state and local health officials, Provost Brickhouse and I, based on the recommendation of Baylor’s COVID-19 Task Force and in conjunction with the President’s Council, have made the decision to extend online instruction at Baylor University for the remainder of the spring semester.

This is an unprecedented time for higher education, indeed for our country and community as well. I want to reassure you that our University leadership team, along with Baylor's COVID-19 Task Force, are constantly assessing this rapidly evolving situation and making decisions to ensure the continued health and safety of our students, faculty and staff.

As we all monitor the headlines regarding the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the actions of other institutions of higher education across the country, please be assured that Baylor University takes this rapidly evolving situation very seriously. We place a high priority on the safety and wellbeing of not only our students, but Baylor’s entire campus community.

As I mentioned last week, our COVID-19 Task Force continues to actively monitor guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local public health agencies to ensure the continued health and safety of our community. Let me reiterate that there are NO cases of coronavirus at Baylor, in Waco or Central Texas. Updates on any impact to the University – for example, the recent postponement of University-sponsored travel to Italy – are posted online at www.baylor.edu/coronavirus, along with important Baylor resources for students, faculty and staff.

Updates regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to evolve rapidly as its impact begins to circle the globe. I want to assure you that Baylor’s Department of Public Safety and Center for Global Engagement and other members of our University COVID-19 Task Force are actively monitoring the situation internationally and domestically.

Waco is Basketball Capital, USA! Both Baylor basketball teams are 24-1 overall and 13-0 in Big 12 play, with the men ranked #1 and the women #2.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Baylor Giving Day yesterday. With a theme of “One Day. One Family. One for Baylor.,” Giving Day was a wonderful way to celebrate Baylor’s 175th anniversary and to support areas of the University that you care most about.

I hope you have enjoyed the launch of Baylor’s 175th anniversary over the past week. From the banners and exhibits across campus to the many stories told on social media – and, of course, the birthday party with our Baylor Family at the men’s basketball game last Saturday – we have a proud history to share and a bright future ahead.

We will commemorate Baylor’s 175th on Saturday at the men’s basketball game vs. TCU, complete with party favors, special giveaways – including free popcorn – and the singing of “Happy Birthday.”

One of the distinct characteristics of our University is the dedication, service and passion of the Baylor Family. Today it is my honor and privilege to announce the recipients of the 2019-20 Baylor Alumni Awards.

Before the holiday break, I shared with the Baylor Family that one of our beloved live bears, Lady, had been diagnosed with a benign mass in her chest called a thymoma. Thanks to the proactive treatment of our bear caregivers and the wonderful veterinarian staff of our partners at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in College Station, we can happily report that Lady’s tomotherapy treatments appear to have halted any further growth of the mass.

STILLWATER, Oklahoma (Jan. 14, 2020) – Baylor University President Linda Parrack Livingstone, Ph.D., of Waco is one of four Oklahoma State University graduates who are being inducted into the OSU Hall of Fame.

Welcome to the first Presidential Perspective for 2020!

This is my last Presidential Perspective for 2019 – I can’t believe it! Looking back over the past 12 months, I have a great sense of honor and pride in our collective accomplishments as we continue to advance toward Tier 1/Research 1 status as the preeminent Christian university, as well as excitement for what 2020 holds.

I can’t believe that the fall semester has come and is almost gone. It was great seeing so many familiar faces yesterday afternoon as the First Gent and I passed out breakfast tacos at Moody Memorial Library and extended our well-wishes for final exams.

Baylor University celebrates many beloved traditions, but few bring as much joy to students, alumni and friends and as many rich opportunities to interact with and educate young people in Central Texas as our live bear mascots, Joy and Lady. They are a cherished part of the Baylor Family.

"It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas … everywhere you go." That’s certainly true on the Baylor campus, as we celebrate the birth of our Risen Savior, Jesus Christ.

Serving as President of Baylor University has provided many “firsts” for me. My latest “first” was pardoning a turkey at the beginning of last night’s All-University Thanksgiving meal!

There is so much buzz on campus about Saturday, and I am just as excited as all of you.

I can’t believe it’s been a year since the public launch of Give Light, Baylor’s $1.1 billion philanthropic campaign in support of our efforts to become the preeminent Christian research university.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 1, 2019) – At its regular fall meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents approved phase 1 design and fees for the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center and the Baylor Basketball Pavilion and approved design and construction fees to fit-up shared research lab space for mechanical engineering in the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC).

Happy Halloween, Bears … or I should say, Growl-O-Ween! I am looking forward to a special Thursday night football game at McLane Stadium as we face West Virginia in Big 12 play at 7 p.m.

I’ve been traveling this week, and I am currently en route to California to meet with several members of the Baylor Family and prepare for Saturday’s Give Light event at the Paramount Theatre in Hollywood.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 18, 2019) – Baylor University is mourning the death of distinguished Baylor alumnus Mark V. Hurd, B.B.A. ’79, CEO of Oracle and Vice Chair of the Baylor Board of Regents.

What a great Homecoming we had last week! I suspect my favorite moment is shared by many of you – Coach Matt Rhule and our Bears’ 33-30 Big 12 win over Texas Tech in double overtime.

Homecoming Week is off to a great start, as 2,200 students joined the First Gent and me on our front lawn for Dinner with the Livingstones Tuesday evening. The entire campus is decked out in green and gold and certainly abuzz with a full slate of Homecoming activities – and our annual fall invasion of Texas field crickets!

I can’t believe that Homecoming is next week – it’s so early this year! Here we have some Homecoming notes and other spotlights for this week.

Yesterday was certainly exciting as we celebrated our faculty and research community as part of National Research Administrator Day.

As Baylor University moves toward Research 1/Tier 1 recognition among the nation’s top research universities, tomorrow we will honor all staff who work behind the scenes to support research across the campus on National Research Administrator Day. This occasion offers an important and unique opportunity to celebrate the dynamic growth and passion for service at Baylor, and I want to let the entire Baylor Family know what we have planned.

The University’s official fall enrollment contains plenty of great news: Our freshman class of 3,307 students is the most academically qualified first-year class in University history and also among our most diverse freshman classes ever.

In a little more than a month, Baylor will welcome West Virginia to campus for an ESPN nationally televised football game at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, which is also the night of Halloween.

It’s hard to believe that 18 years have passed since the harrowing events of 9/11.

Earlier this week our President’s Council had a retreat in which we charted our priorities for the academic year and discussed our journey to become a Research 1/Tier 1 university. Our team is fully committed for Baylor to achieve recognition as the preeminent Christian research university and have a distinct, much-needed voice in higher education.

I am having a hard time determining what has been my highlight of the first week of the semester so far.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 28, 2019) – At today’s regular Fall Faculty Meeting, Baylor University officially announced plans to pursue Research 1/Tier 1 (R1/T1) recognition by building on Illuminate, the University’s strategic plan, which will guide Baylor towards joining the nation’s top research universities and achieving status as the world’s preeminent Christian research university.

Over the past several months, an increased number of questions have been raised regarding Baylor University’s stance on human sexuality and the support we provide our students who identify as LGBTQ.

Today is a great day in the life of Baylor University – the first day of class for the fall semester!

Today we live in a world in which it seems people struggle to get along with one another. Everyone has a “hot take” on current issues, opinions are at polar extremes and compromise is nearly non-existent. And while it may seem to the contrary, we embrace diversity of thought on university campuses, including here at Baylor.

Campus is abuzz with preparations for the fall semester, which begins Monday, Aug. 26.

In just a few weeks, after we cheer on our newest Baylor graduates during Summer Commencement, we’ll begin to see the exciting signs of the fall semester and the start of a new academic year.