Bear Briefs

Baylor celebrates the launch of Black Faculty & Staff Association

More than 75 faculty, staff and administrators gathered to celebrate the official launch of the Black Faculty & Staff Association (BFSA) Sept. 18 at Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation. Robyn Driskell, Ph.D.; Lori Baker, Ph.D.; Liz Palacios, Ph.D.; and Kevin Jackson, Ph.D., presented and emphasized the University’s commitment to foster a caring campus environment.

BFSA was founded in January and is an Employee Resource Group dedicated to the advancement of Black faculty and staff on campus.

The association’s mission is to provide Black faculty, staff and graduate students professional development, support and mentoring through critical dialogue, cultural awareness, networking, recruitment and retention in order to further enrich Baylor’s academic excellence, worldwide leadership and service and Christian commitment within a caring community. BFSA membership is open to all faculty, staff, graduate students and post-doctoral students at Baylor.

For more information about the association, contact BFSA@baylor.edu.

Baylor, BGCT sign agreement renewing vision for Baptist Student Ministries

Baylor University and the Baptist General Convention of Texas signed a cooperative agreement Sept. 20 to renew their vision of Baptist Student Ministries (BSM) as a chartered organization on campus.

Baylor representatives Vice President for Student Life Kevin P. Jackson, and University Chaplain and Dean of Spiritual Life and Missions Burt L. Burleson, joined BGCT Executive Director David Hardage, and Collegiate Ministry Team Director Bruce McGowan to sign and offer prayer over the agreement at the Bobo Spiritual Life Center.

For several years, BSM has been related to and considered a department in Student Life. The agreement marks the transition to move BSM to a more traditional campus ministry model that is centered in a chartered student religious organization.

Baptist Student Ministries is a cooperative ministry of Texas Baptist churches that encourages students to follow Christ and transform the world. At Baylor, BSM’s mission is to equip Christian men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating catalytic discipleship and vocational excellence within a dynamic community. BSM engages Baylor students during its regular Thursday night meetings at the Bobo Spiritual Life Center, as well as additional opportunities throughout the week for prayer, Bible study and missions.

For almost a century, BSM – or as it was known in its earlier existence as Baptist Student Union or BSU – has played a significant role in the spiritual formation of Baylor students. It has served as a foundational experience for students as they lived their lives based on God’s plans and purposes, not their own, Jackson said.

“At Baylor, we want to not only inform the mind, we want to inform the heart and the soul. That’s an exciting journey for us, and praise be to God that we are not on it alone,” Jackson said. “We are so excited about the work that we’ve been doing, especially around Baptist Student Ministries. It is with great energy and enthusiasm that we gather today, and we look forward to a renewed relationship for the BGCT, BSM and Baylor University and a future where the vital nature of BSM on this campus will continue to grow.”

Baylor University Police Dept. earns accreditation

This spring, Baylor University Police Department (BUPD) received the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) accreditation — a highly prized recognition of campus public safety professional excellence.

The accreditation process took place in March and included an examination of BUPD’s policies and procedures, management, operation and support services, said Mark G. Childers, associate vice president of the Department of Public Safety. IACLEA found that BUPD complied with the required 215 standards.

“The accreditation process will enhance the police department’s ability to serve the Baylor University community,” Brad Wigtil, BUPD Chief, said.

The accreditation process consisted of two parts. The first part was an examination from the assessment team, which was composed of experienced campus law enforcement professionals from out-of-state. The assessors reviewed written materials, interviewed individuals and inspected facilities to verify compliance.

The second part evaluated commentary from the department’s constituents, in which University members, agency employees and the public were encouraged to offer comments about BUPD’s ability to comply with IACLEA standards.

Accreditation is for four years, during which the department will submit annual reports attesting to continued compliance with the standards under which it was accredited.

Baylor named Carter BloodCare College of the Year

Carter BloodCare recognized Baylor as its 2017-2018 College of the Year for faculty and students’ donations of more than 1,000 units of blood that saved 3,000 lives. In total, Baylor hosted 29 blood drives throughout the year to encourage students, faculty and staff to donate blood to make a difference.

Those on-campus blood donations directly impacted the local community and contributed 25 to 50 percent of blood needed at hospitals in the Waco area.

Carter BloodCare account consultant Clinton McCoy said the organization values the partnership with Baylor so much they had a Baylor APO sponsor group paint a BU logo on the front entry grass of their donor center. Carter BloodCare said they look forward to growing their partnership with Baylor even more.

The organization’s 2018 social media marketing efforts prioritize engagement with college students. McCoy said Carter BloodCare hopes to increase engagement with young adults, specifically ages 19 to 35 because they are the least represented in blood donations. The organization has already connected with Student Activities to prepare for future on-campus possibilities.

“We want to give Baylor the biggest opportunity to let their light shine,” McCoy said. “This is Baylor’s blood drive and community, and they have the chance to shine their light by donating to better the Waco community.”

Campus buildings celebrate milestone birthdays

It’s been a birthday party palooza on campus to celebrate three campus buildings’ milestone birthdays — Moody Library’s 50th birthday, the SUB’s 70th birthday and the Ferrell Center’s 30th birthday.

Moody Memorial Library celebrated its half-century of service to the Baylor community Sept. 14. with free food, vintage photographs, music from 1968, architectural talks and a commemorative exhibit. Since its doors opened in 1968, Moody has served as the main campus library for students, faculty and staff. The event hosted more than 500 people from Baylor and the community. For a recap of the event, visit blogs.baylor.edu/baylorlibraries.

The Bill Daniel Student Center, better known as the SUB, has served students as the “heart of campus” life for 70 years. The SUB opened Sept. 16, 1948, and was originally built on Carroll Field, which was one of the first venues for Baylor Football. The SUB houses the Department of Student Activities and continues to provide places for students to relax, study and engage in activities.

The Ferrell Center celebrated 30 years since it welcomed the public for the first time on Sept. 22, 1988. The arena’s grand opening featured a visit from then-sitting U.S. President, Ronald Reagan, in which Baylor leadership and students presented Reagan with the Alumnus Honoris Causa, the highest award presented to a non-alumnus.

Since then, the Ferrell Center has hosted numerous musical performers and influential leaders — including President George W. Bush in 2009, President Barack Obama in 2013, Barbara Bush, Margaret Thatcher, Gen. Colin Powell and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The arena has served as a home for Convocation, Commencement ceremonies and Baylor athletics, including basketball, volleyball and acrobatics & tumbling.

For more details about the Ferrell Center’s 30th birthday, visit baylor.edu/baylorproud.

New Lab in Moody - Moody 104 Active Learning Lab

What were back offices behind the main circulation desk on the first floor of Moody Memorial Library, have been transformed into an innovative learning space called Moody 104 Active Learning Lab (ALL).

The space was renovated over the summer to offer instructors a new way to encourage active learning. The lab engages learning and encourages collaboration through various teaching and learning strategies such as “flipped classroom” instruction, group work and pair-share.

The lab seats up to 56 students and organizes students into Learning Pods of seven. Each learning pod provides power outlets, a wireless display and a mobile glass writing surface. The instructor table is located in the center of the room with accessible power, HDMI and a touch panel.

ALL does not have computers for use, so instructors and students are encouraged to bring their own devices.

Visit libcal.baylor.edu/reserve/Moody104 for more details on how to reserve the lab.