Illuminate Steering Committee Accepting Proposals, Moving Baylor Towards R1 Status

There are more than 4,600 higher education institutions in the country with only 130 achieving R1 status, a prestigious recognition by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education naming universities with the highest level of research activity. Within the next 10 years, Baylor aspires to be among those named. A recently created Illuminate Steering Committee has taken the next steps toward making that happen by soliciting from faculty innovative and strategic proposals to contribute to the University’s ambitious research goal.

“With attention to both pillars two and three of Illuminate – research and teaching – we will continue to invest in both,” Gary Carini, vice provost for graduate professional education and professor of management, said. “Great teaching is informed by strong research and vice versa. As we reflect on a major theme in President Livingstone’s inaugural address, she indicated that ‘The world needs a Baylor that…’ We will seek to have a significant voice in the national and international arenas.”

To make progress toward R1 status, the University will need to implement new research programs, strengthen existing infrastructure related to research and significantly grow the research faculty in strategic areas. Several Illuminate subcommittees have been tasked with reviewing proposals that inform those keys areas and address one or more of the signature academic initiatives outlined as part of Illuminate – Health; Data Sciences; Materials Science; Human Flourishing, Leadership, and Ethics; and Baylor in Latin America. These proposals will likely range from small seed-funding internal grants to suggestions for new institutes, centers or multi-year cluster hire programs to provide partnerships across specific research interests or disciplines.

“The five signature areas were chosen to allow Baylor to pursue innovative research projects and collaborative efforts that support our transformational undergraduate education while strategically building our graduate programs in areas where we can obtain recognition as national or international thought leaders. These five areas are ideal for multidisciplinary approaches that can more effectively address today’s complex issues. We hope to see faculty reach across departments and disciplines to collaborate on innovative pursuits of new knowledge in important areas, especially where external funding sources exist to support the work,” Illuminate Steering Committee Chair Leah Jackson Teague, associate dean in Baylor Law School, said.

The call for proposals was issued in December with the first submission deadline of January 31, 2019. A second opportunity to submit is available until March 31. Once a proposal is submitted, the document and supplemental materials will go through a series of reviews before the Provost's office ultimately makes the final decision on which proposals will be included in the work of Illuminate.

“Each submission period, we look forward to a variety of proposals emerging that cover a wide spectrum of faculty interests within the five initiatives,”
Carini said.

To submit a proposal, download the Illuminate Proposal Form from the Illuminate website at baylor.edu/illuminate and email the document and supporting materials to illuminate@baylor.edu.

To hear the Illuminate update presented at Spring Faculty Meeting, visit baylor.edu/president/springfaculty2019.