Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., is the 15th president of Baylor University, having served in that capacity since 2017.  During her tenure as president, Dr. Livingstone has overseen the development of Baylor’s strategic plan, Illuminate, which provides a foundation for Baylor’s aspiration to become a preeminent Christian research university. In addition, she has led Give Light, a $1.1 billion comprehensive philanthropic campaign that undergirds Illuminate, reaching the campaign’s fundraising goals well before its anticipated conclusion.

Enhancing the University’s academic enterprise has been a key priority of Dr. Livingstone’s leadership.  She is animated by a desire to build upon Baylor’s historic strengths and increase undergraduate and graduate educational opportunities while expanding the University’s service to the surrounding world through research and scholarship. Through the philanthropic generosity of the Baylor Family, the University has added more than 30 new fully endowed chairs to the faculty since her arrival. In addition, 100 new faculty lines will be created over the course of five years in support of Illuminate’s goals.

As a result of Dr. Livingstone’s dynamic and collaborative leadership, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education designated Baylor a Research 1 university in December 2021 – its highest classification – three years earlier than internal projections had anticipated.

During Dr. Livingstone’s presidency, Baylor has responded to the need to cultivate an increasingly welcoming and nurturing community.  Baylor was named one of the country’s top-10 Most Trusted Universities in consecutive surveys from 2022 and 2023 by national research firm Morning Consult. Morning Consult also named Baylor the second-most trusted university by parents and employers. In addition, Dr. Livingstone has led the implementation of recommendations from the Commission on Historic Campus Representations designed to create a physical environment on campus that tells the complete Baylor story and celebrates the diversity of the Baylor Family.

During Dr. Livingstone’s tenure as president, Baylor has consistently been named one of the top two schools in the Big 12 Conference and one of the top five in Texas in U.S. News & World Report’s annual college rankings. Baylor has also risen in such categories as First-year Experience, Best Undergraduate Teaching and Best Colleges for Veterans. As Baylor has continued to enjoy strong enrollments and expanding academic programs, the University also has undertaken renovations to historic academic buildings and residence halls while building new facilities — such as the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion and the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center — that are transforming the Baylor skyline.

A strong voice for the role of faith-based institutions in American higher education, Dr. Livingstone has established herself as a scholar in organizational behavior, leadership, and creativity. She has been extensively published and cited in academic and professional outlets. As Baylor’s president, she has applied her faith commitment to all aspects of her leadership, drawing inspiration from the message of Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” During her presidency, Baylor faculty and staff have initiated an unprecedented longitudinal study to track the long-term impact of a Baylor education on a person’s faith and character.

The information collected each year, from the time students arrive at Baylor to a decade after graduation, has informed a number of changes on campus, including a redesign of our University Chapel course.

As an extension of her leadership on the Baylor campus, Dr. Livingstone has become a nationally recognized leader in the landscape of college athletics.  She served on the NCAA Constitution Committee charged with developing a new, streamlined constitution for the NCAA, and she is a member of the Division I Transformation Committee. In June 2022, she was named one of nine members of the newly reorganized NCAA Board of Governors, which she now chairs. She is also chair of the American Council on Education Board and chair of the Big 12 Conference Board of Directors.  Additionally, she serves on the Baylor College of Medicine Board of Trustees and the Board of Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas.

Dr. Livingstone previously served as dean and professor of management at The George Washington University School of Business, as dean and professor of management at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management and as a tenured faculty member and associate dean of graduate programs at Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business.

Dr. Livingstone was inducted into Oklahoma State University’s Hall of Fame in 2020. She is a member of the Spears School of Business Hall of Fame, was the first recipient of the Outstanding Ph.D. Alumnus Award and was recognized in 2015 with the OSU Distinguished Alumni Award.

A native of Perkins, Oklahoma, Dr. Livingstone played varsity basketball at Oklahoma State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in economics and management, a Master of Business Administration and a Doctor of Philosophy in management and organizational behavior. Her husband, Brad, a high school history teacher, also played basketball at Oklahoma State. They have one daughter, Shelby, a former volleyball student-athlete at Rice University and graduate of Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary.